Printer Shows "Offline" – How to Fix It

This is one of the most reported printer issues, and it's almost always fixable in a few minutes. "Offline" usually means your computer has lost communication with the printer — not that the printer itself has failed.

Step 1: Check the Basics

  • Make sure the printer is powered on and not showing any error lights.
  • If connected via USB, try unplugging and re-plugging the cable.
  • If on Wi-Fi, confirm the printer is connected to the same network as your computer.

Step 2: Set the Printer Back to Online

  1. Open Settings → Bluetooth & devices → Printers & scanners.
  2. Click on your printer → Open print queue.
  3. In the menu bar, click Printer and make sure Use Printer Offline is not checked.
  4. If it is checked, click it to uncheck it and bring the printer back online.

Step 3: Restart the Print Spooler

  1. Press Win + R, type services.msc and press Enter.
  2. Scroll down to Print Spooler, right-click it, and select Restart.
  3. Try printing again.
Still offline? Remove the printer from your system entirely, restart your computer, and re-add it using the steps in our Setup Guide. This clears any corrupted queue or configuration.

Paper Jam – The Right Way to Clear It

Paper jams are common and usually harmless if handled correctly. The key is to be gentle — forcing paper out can tear it, leaving fragments inside that cause more jams later.

  1. Turn the printer off before doing anything. This prevents the rollers from gripping further.
  2. Open all available doors — the front access panel, rear panel if present, and any top cover.
  3. Look for the jammed paper. Use both hands and pull it slowly in the direction the paper normally travels (usually forward, toward the output tray).
  4. If the paper tears, carefully remove all fragments using a torch to inspect the feed path.
  5. Close all panels, power the printer back on, and run a test print.
Do not force it. If the paper won't move, open more access panels to change the angle. Tearing paper inside the printer can leave small pieces that jam rollers permanently.

Blurry or Faded Prints

If your prints are coming out blurry, streaky, or faded, there are several likely causes — and most are easy to fix.

Low Ink or Toner

Check your ink or toner levels in your printer software. If a cartridge is running low, colours may appear washed out or lines may appear in the output. Replace any cartridges that are at or below 10%.

Print Head Clog (Inkjet Printers)

Inkjet printers can develop clogged print heads if they haven't been used for a while. Most printers include a built-in cleaning utility.

  1. Open your printer software or go to Printers & scanners → Manage → Printing preferences.
  2. Look for a Maintenance, Tools, or Utilities tab.
  3. Run the Print Head Cleaning or Nozzle Check utility.
  4. Print a test page afterwards to check the result.

Wrong Paper Type Setting

If you're printing on photo paper or glossy stock but the printer thinks it's printing on plain paper, the ink won't be applied correctly. In your print dialog, make sure the paper type matches what's loaded in the tray.

Driver Errors and "Cannot Print" Messages

Driver errors usually appear as messages like "Driver unavailable," "Cannot communicate with the printer," or the printer simply not appearing in the device list.

Update or Reinstall the Driver

  1. Go to Device Manager (search for it in the Start menu).
  2. Expand Print queues, right-click your printer, and select Update driver.
  3. Choose Search automatically for drivers.
  4. If that doesn't resolve it, right-click the printer and choose Uninstall device.
  5. Download the latest driver from the manufacturer's official website for your specific model.
  6. Run the downloaded installer and follow the prompts.

Printer is On but Won't Print

Sometimes the printer appears ready but jobs sit in the queue and never print. This is almost always a stuck print spooler or a corrupted print job.

Clear the Print Queue

  1. Open the print queue from Printers & scanners in Settings.
  2. Right-click each job in the queue and select Cancel.
  3. If jobs won't cancel, restart the Print Spooler service (see the Offline fix above).
  4. Send a fresh print job to test.

Manually Clear the Spooler Folder

  1. Stop the Print Spooler service via services.msc.
  2. Navigate to C:\Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERS and delete all files inside (do not delete the folder itself).
  3. Restart the Print Spooler service.
  4. Try printing again.

Colours Printing Incorrectly

If your colours look wrong — prints are too green, red, or blue — the issue is usually one of three things: a low colour cartridge, a misconfigured colour profile, or a print head alignment issue.

  • Check ink levels — a nearly empty colour cartridge will cause colour casts.
  • Run a colour calibration from the printer's maintenance tools.
  • Check the colour profile in your print settings — make sure it matches your intended output (sRGB for most everyday printing).
  • Print a nozzle check page to see if any colour channels are missing.