Home Computer Repair

Timeframes are a part of a typical day in the life of the office worker. When an HP printer goes offline, it can easily stifle your workflow, which in turn can cause frustration. Now put that hammer down and realize that there are a few troubleshooting steps to try before resorting to such extreme methods. Relax, take a deep breath and get your printer back online so that you can view the ink on printed paper.

# Step 1: Check the cables to and from the printer to the computer and make sure that all of the connections are secure. A disconnected cable is often the cause of rendering the printer offline.

# Step 2: Turn the printer off and back on. Sometimes it could be just a glitch in the network. Reset the printer by turning it off and then wait 60 seconds and turn it back on again.

# Step 3: Check the toner or ink cartridge. Most HP printers have the capacity for both color and black ink or toner cartridges. They will normally run on just one of the two; however, when the one installed becomes too low or is installed incorrectly, it will go offline.

# Step 4: Check for torn paper, paper clips, sticky label residue and other items that could be the cause of printer jams. Any of these will stop a printer in its tracks.

# Step 5: Set the printer as your default printer and see if this resets it to online status. From the Start menu, select "Control Panel". Select "Printers and other Hardware". Under "Pick a Task", select "View Installed Printers or Fax Printers". Select the questionable printer that is offline. Select "Printer" from the pull-down menu. Click on "Set Printer as Default".