My HP printer is not printing, duh! But it was printing half an hour ago! Why is it not printing now? If this is what comes to your mind when your HP printer suddenly stops printing, this article is for you. Since it is obvious that you will immediately take an action to fix this problem, however how you will do it is the question.

Do not worry as this free HP support guide will help you troubleshoot your HP printer problem and fix it in no time. The guide compiles troubleshooting for both wired and network HP printers. Make sure that you follow the instructions correctly to avoid facing HP printer problems.

Procedure:

If the printer was working fine some time ago but not now, check the ink cartridges. If they have become empty, either refill them or replace. Beside, take a soft cloth and clean the print head and system tray. Check the paper tray also. If it is empty, reload a new stack of papers into it. When done, check back whether the printer has started printing or not.

If this does not fix the issue, check whether the print spooler service is working or not. To check it, click the Start button and browse to Run. When in Run, type 'services.msc' in the Open field and click the OK button. This will take you to the Services window. Look for Print Spooler, right-click on it, and select Restart. If prompted, confirm and restart your computer. Check back, the printer should print fine now.

If the problem persists, check whether the computer is printing to the right paper tray or not. Open Printer Properties by right clicking on the printer icon. Look for the source of tray selection. If it is set to a wrong paper tray, correct it. Close the properties window and move on to the printer. Check wherever the paper sizes mentioned in Control Panel of printer match to the actual size of papers in the paper tray. If they do not match to what is there in Control Panel, change them to the matching size.

If your printer is a sharing or network printer and it goes idle when you try to print, give this method a shot. Assign a static IP (Internet Protocol) address to your printer. You may need to contact your ISP (Internet Service Provider) for the static IP address. Also make note of the Subnet Mask and Gateway. Once you have collected all the details, turn on your printer. Press the Setup button on your HP printer and then the 8, 3, 2, OK, 2 keys to set up the IP address, Subnet Mask, and Gateway information. Enter all the information correctly. When done, confirm the changes and restart your printer and computer. The printer should print fine now. The problem usually occurs when your HP printer assigns a new IP address every time it goes online using the DHCP service.

Additional Tips:

Updating your HP printer drivers is another way of fixing this problem. If you are unable to resolve the HP printer problems on your own, contact a HP printer support or HP technical support service.