Printer shows “Ready” but won’t print — chat with an Expert to clear the queue and fix port/IP in minutes (Win/Mac)

Joe B.

Reviewed for technical accuracy

Specialities: Android Devices, Computers, Printers, Networking, Office Equipment

Technician

Hello! I’ll help you get pages printing again. To confirm: the printer is connected/online, but there’s no print output and jobs sit in the queue — correct?

Customer

Yes. It shows “Ready” in Windows, but every document stays on “Printing…”.

Technician

Got it. Which OS are you on (Windows or macOS), and is the printer on Wi‑Fi or USB? If you prefer, open the chat and I’ll guide you live.

Customer

Windows 11. It’s on Wi‑Fi.

Technician

Thanks. First, run these quick checks (30–60s):
1) Ensure the printer is awake (not deep sleep) and shows a solid Wi‑Fi light.
2) Next, confirm the PC and printer are on the same network (not a “Guest” SSID).
3) Moreover, if your router broadcasts 2.4/5GHz, the printer can stay on 2.4GHz for reliability.
When that’s done, continue.

Customer

All good. Same Wi‑Fi, solid light.

Technician

Great — let’s clear the queue and refresh the print service. First, go to Settings → Bluetooth & devices → Printers & scanners → your printer → Open print queue and Cancel all jobs. Then, press Win+R → services.msc → right‑click Print Spooler → Restart. Finally, in the queue’s Printer menu, ensure Pause Printing and Use Printer Offline are unchecked. After that, print a one‑line test from Notepad.

Customer

The Notepad test printed. My PDF still won’t print.

Technician

Good — the spooler is flowing. Now, check the app:
• PDFs fail: In Adobe Reader go Print → Advanced → tick Print as image, then retry.
• Browser pages fail: Alternatively, use the system dialog (Ctrl+Shift+P) and pick the exact printer.
• Only one app fails: Therefore, update or reinstall that app. The queue/driver path is OK.

Customer

“Print as image” worked for the PDF. After an hour, the next job stuck again.

Technician

Let’s deep‑clean the spool cache (Windows). First, in services.msc right‑click Print Spooler → Stop. Next, press Win+R → paste %WINDIR%\System32\spool\PRINTERS → delete files inside (not the folder). Finally, start the Print Spooler again and test a small file.

Customer

Done. The test prints again.

Technician

Next, let’s make the connection stable so it doesn’t recur. First, from the printer, print a Network Configuration report to see the IP (e.g., 192.168.x.x). Then, on your PC, open Printer properties → Ports and ensure the active Standard TCP/IP port matches that IP; add a new port if needed. If Windows shows “Ready” but nothing prints, try disabling SNMP Status in the port’s Configure dialog. Additionally, in your router, set a DHCP reservation so the printer keeps that IP.

Customer

The port had a different IP. I created a new Standard TCP/IP port and reserved that IP. Jobs complete now.

Technician

Excellent. Finally, do quick hygiene to avoid misroutes: set the correct device as Default (avoid “Copy” devices), and remove stale or duplicate printers so apps always target the same queue.

Customer

Removed a duplicate and set the main one as default.

Technician

If you’re on macOS: open System Settings → Printers & Scanners, cancel jobs in Open Print Queue. If the queue keeps sticking, right‑click the printers list and choose Reset printing system…, then re‑add the printer.

Customer

I’m on Windows, but that’s useful for others in the office.

Technician

Nearly done. Please refresh the driver from the manufacturer’s site. If your model supports it, also check for a firmware update that mentions reliability or printing fixes.

Customer

Updated the driver. The prints are consistent now.

Technician

If you use USB: try another port or cable, avoid hubs, and disable USB selective suspend in Power Options to prevent the device from sleeping.

Customer

Noted. We’re Wi‑Fi only, but that may help a coworker.

Technician

Success! Summary:
• Cleared jobs and restarted the Print Spooler.
• Deep‑cleaned the spool cache.
• Matched the Standard TCP/IP port to the printer IP and reserved it.
• Used “Print as image” for stubborn PDFs.
• Removed duplicates and set the correct default.
If you want live help, open the chat and an expert will guide you.

Customer

Thank you — everything prints again. Appreciate the thorough steps.

Quick answer: the accepted fix

Accepted fix: Clear jobs and restart Print Spooler (Windows) or reset the printing system (macOS). Then, match the TCP/IP port to the printer IP and reserve it, set the correct default device, and retest.

FAQ

Fix: printer connected but won’t print (Windows 11/10)

1. Settings → Bluetooth & devices → Printers & scanners → select your printer → Open print queue → Cancel all jobs. Ensure Pause Printing and Use Printer Offline are unticked.
2. Press Win+R → services.msc → right‑click Print Spooler → Restart. If needed, stop it, empty %WINDIR%\System32\spool\PRINTERS, then start it.
3. Set the correct device as Default. Remove duplicates (e.g., “Copy”).
4. For network printers: in Printer properties → Ports, use a Standard TCP/IP port that matches the printer’s current IP. Consider a router DHCP reservation. If the device shows ready but won’t print, try disabling SNMP Status in the port config.

Fix: printer connected but won’t print (macOS)

1. System Settings → Printers & Scanners → select your printer → Open Print Queue → cancel all jobs.
2. If jobs keep sticking, right‑click the printers list (or hold Option and click) → Reset printing system… → re‑add the printer.
3. Print a simple test from TextEdit. If PDFs fail, use Print as image or export a fresh copy.

Sources

• Microsoft Support — Fix printer problems in Windows
• Apple Support — If you can’t print on Mac

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