Many Windows 10 users have reported printer connectivity issues and a bug that causes active printers to be offline even if they are online and fully operational.
The error is typically encountered when talking about network printers, but home users with a direct connection to their Printer have also complained.
We are going to go about fixing this problem like most other connectivity related problems, as in most cases, there is a simple explanation for the problem.
Before we talk about solutions to this problem, you should know why this is actually happening. The error appears when Windows 8, 10 sees that the Printer is not available.
Unfortunately, most of the time, you can’t tell if the Printer is actually offline or has connectivity issues or printing errors. They can occur when:
- The connection between the computer and the Printer is slow/unresponsive
- The Printer has encountered an internal error
- There are multiple unfinished print jobs in the queue
How to fix printing errors offline
Solution 1 – Change the printer settings
In most cases, finding a solution to this problem is quite simple. All you have to do is restart the Printer and computer or disconnect your USB cable.
If you are using a network printer, either wired or wireless, the problem is with the connection, and you must restart the router.
Below are some guidelines to fix the Epson Printer not Connecting error. Try following these steps, and hopefully, the problem will be fixed:
- Open Control Panel and navigate to the Printers window.
- Check if the correct Printer is set to Default ( Please watch the video below for more information ).
- Right-click on your default printer and select the print queue ( See What’s Printing ).
- If there are to-dos, remove them from the list.
- In the queue window, select Printer and uncheck the Use Printer Offline option.
Optional: If the Use Printer Offline option is disabled, check the option, leave it for a few seconds, and uncheck the option.
Check if the printer is properly connected to your computer (unplug the USB cable and plug it back in).
- If you have a network printer, try a connection test (also, try restarting the router/switch).
- Turn the printer and computer off and on again.
- If the problem is not resolved, reinstall the printer drivers.
Note: If you are using a wireless printer, you should try to connect to its IP address. To find your address, go to Control Panel> Devices and Printers> Right-click on your Printer and select properties.
Solution 2 – Restart the Print Spooler service
If you are getting the Printer Offline message, you may be able to resolve it simply by restarting the Print Spooler service.
- Your Printer uses this service for printing and restarting it may fix this problem. For this, follow these steps:
- Press Windows Key + R and enter services.msc. Press Enter or click OK.
- When the Services window opens, locate the Print Spooler service, right-click and select Restart from the menu.
- After restarting the Print Spooler service, check if the problem still appears. Note that this may not be a permanent solution, so you will have to repeat it if the problem reappears.
Solution 3 – Change printer properties
According to users, you can fix the Printer Offline message simply by changing printer properties. This is relatively straightforward, and you can do it by following these steps:
- Go to Control Panel> Devices and Printers.
- Right-click the printer and select Printer Properties from the menu.
- Go to the Ports tab . Select your Printer’s IP address from the list and click the Configure Port button.
Uncheck SNMP Status Enabled and click OK to save changes.
After doing that, the problems with your Printer should be completely resolved. Note that this solution only works if you are using a network printer.
Solution 4 – Install the latest updates
If you are getting frequent offline Epson 0x97 printer messages, you may be able to fix the problem simply by installing the latest updates.
Windows 10 automatically downloads updates in the background, but sometimes it can miss an important update.
- Press Windows Key + I to open the Settings app.
- When the Settings app opens, go to the Update & security section.
- Click the Check for Updates button.
If updates are available, Windows will download them in the background. After installing the latest updates, check if the problem persists.
