Troubleshooting a network communication failure issue

Issue description

It is important that the printer is communicating properly to the computer to be able to print and/or scan.

The communication depends on the connection of the devices whether through a USB or network (Ethernet or wireless) connection.

Index

• Connected through USB cable
• Connected through wired (Ethernet) network
• Connected through wireless network

Connected through USB cable

1. Turn off the printer and turn it on again after a minute. Make sure that the printer is on the Ready state. Otherwise, capture the error message and restart the printer again.



2. Print the Menu Settings Page to determine if the printer hardware is working.

   • Press Menu or Settings > Reports > Menu Settings Page.
   • If the printer does not print, capture the error message and search for the error message in the Lexmark Support Site.


3. Check the actual connection between your computer and the printer.

   • Make sure that a known working printer USB type A and B cable connector is used.
   • Make sure that the USB Type B cable connector is connected to the USB port at the back of the printer properly and directly.

   Note:  It is a common mistake to plug the USB Type B cable to the Ethernet port. Make sure that the cable is connected to the USB port and not the Ethernet port.

   • Ensure that the USB Type A cable connector is directly and properly connected to the computer.

   Note:  It is NOT Recommended to use any peripheral between printer and computer such USB hub, switch, splitter. You can also use a different USB port in your computer to make sure good connection.



4. Verify if the computer detects the USB printer.

   • For Windows OS user:
   

   1. Go to the Computer's Device Manager to determine if the printer is detected by the Windows computer, and capture the USB port number.

      

      1. On a Windows computer, go to Control Panel and click System then select Device Manager.

      

      2. Under Device Manager, click View, then click Show hidden devices.

      

      3. Look for Printers and click the right arrow sign to expand.

      

      4. Check and make sure that the printer is on the list. If the printer is not detected, try a different USB cable or another USB port on your computer.

      

      5. Right click the printer and click Properties.

      

      6. Go to the Details tab. Click the dropdown and select Device Instance Path.

      

      7. Take note of the USB port number at the end of the value.

   

   2. Go to the Control Panel and click Devices and Printers.

   

   3. Right click the printer, then click Printer Properties. Select the Ports tab.

   

   4. Put a checkmark in the USB port number that matches the printer in the device manager.

   

   5. Click Apply, then OK to save the changes.

   • For Mac OS user:
   

   1. Click the Apple menu, and the click System Preferences.

   

   2. Depending on your operating system version, click Print & Fax, Print & Scan, or Printers & Scanners.

   

   3. Check if the name of your printer displays in the Printers list.

      

      1. If your printer is on the list, remove and re-add the printer to confirm communication and to make sure the correct driver is used. Click the name of the printer, then click the minus sign (-). Once the printer is removed, click the plus sign, click Add Printer or Scanner, click the name of your printer, and proceed to the succeeding steps.

      

      2. If your printer is not on the list, click the plus sign (+), click Add Printer or Scanner, click the name of your printer, and proceed to the next step.

      

      3. If your printer is not found in the Add Printer or Scanner window, make sure that printer is turned On and the physical cable is properly connected, try to add the printer again and proceed to the succeeding steps.



5. Clear print jobs stuck on the queue.



6. Check the print driver Ports settings.

   • For Windows OS user only:
   

   1. Go to Control Panel and click Devices and Printers.

   

   2. Right click the printer, then click Printer Properties. Select the Ports tab.

   

   3. Make sure that the correct printer USB port number is selected based on the Device Manager. If the port number is not selected, change it to match and apply the settings.



7. Ensure that the print object is online from the computer.

   • For Windows OS user only:
   

   1. Go to Control Panel and click Devices and Printers.

   

   2. Right click the printer, click See what’s printing, then click Printer.

   

   3. Disable Pause Printing and Use Printer Offline.



8. Remove and add the printer to the computer.

   • For Windows OS user:
   

   1. Go to Control Panel and click Devices and Printers.

   

   2. Right click the printer, click Remove device.

   

   3. Select any printer object and click Print server properties.

   

   4. Click the Drivers tab, select the driver in the list, then click Remove and click OK to complete.

   

   5. Re-add the printer by clicking the Add a printer to set up the printer. See this article for more information.

   • For Mac OS user:
   

   1. Click the Apple menu, and the click System Preferences.

   

   2. Depending on your operating system version, click Print & Fax, Print & Scan, or Printers & Scanners.

   

   3. Right click anywhere inside the Printers window, click Reset printing system, then click Reset. Enter the Administrator name and password, click OK to complete.

   

   4. Re-add the printer by clicking the plus sign to set up the printer. See this article for more information.



9. Print a test page and check if any error still appears.

Connected through wired (Ethernet) network

1. Turn off the printer and turn it on again after a minute. Make sure that the printer is on the Ready state, otherwise capture the error message and restart the printer once more.



2. Check the actual connection of the printer. Make sure that the printer is on the same network with the computer.

   • Make sure that you are using a known working Ethernet cable.
   • Make sure that the Ethernet cable is connected at the back of the printer to the network router, switch, or other network source to which the computer is also connected.
   • Make sure that the Network Interface Card (NIC) LED light is lit up at the back of the printer. if the LED light is not lit, re-seat the network cable from printer and network source, use a different network port from the network source, or replace the Ethernet cable.


3. Print the Network Setup Page to review network connection settings.

   • Press Menu or Settings > Reports > Network Setup Page.
   • If the printer does not print, capture the error message and search for the error message in the Lexmark Support Site.
   • Make sure that the Status is Connected.
   • Under TCP/IP section, Capture the IP address, Netmask, Gateway, andAddress Source.
   • Make sure that the Enable DHCP, Enable BootP, Enable RARP, and Enable AutoIP are set to On if the printer gets its IP address from these servers.


4. Set the printer network settings properly.

   • Make sure that the Active NIC or Adapter is set to either Auto or Standard Network. Press Menu or Settings > Network/Ports >Network Overview > select Active NIC or Active Adapter > select either Auto or Standard Network.
   • Turn on DHCP, BootP, RARP, andAutoIP. Press Menu or Settings, press Network/Ports > select Ethernet or TCP/IP.


5. Check the printer and computer communication.

   

   1. Open any internet browser (Chrome, Safari, Internet Explorer, Firefox, etc.) from your computer. On the address bar, type the printer IP address and the Embedded Web Server (EWS) appears.

   

   2. From Windows OS computer, open Command Prompt. Type “ping” followed by the printer IP address, and press Enter. If successful, reply from printer displays.

   

   3. From Mac or Linux OS computer, open Terminal. Type “ping” followed by the printer IP address, and press Enter. If successful, reply from printer displays.

      Note:  Consider checking the computer firewall and other security software as this sometimes blocks communication. Consult IT or a system administrator for advanced troubleshooting steps.



6. Clear print jobs stuck on the queue and print a test page.



7. Check the print driver Ports settings.

   • For Windows OS user only:
   

   1. Go to Control Panel and click Devices and Printers.

   

   2. Right click the printer, then click Printer Properties and select the Ports tab.

   

   3. Select the port that has a check mark. Click Configure Port.

   

   4. Make sure that the Printer or IP Address is the correct printer IP address. Otherwise, change it to match and apply the settings.



8. Make sure that the print object is online from the computer.

   • For Windows OS user only:
   

   1. Go to Control Panel and click Devices and Printers.

   

   2. Right click the printer, click See what’s printing, then click Printer.

   

   3. Disable Pause Printing and Use Printer Offline.



9. Remove and add the printer to the computer.

   

   1. For Windows OS user:

      

      1. On your Windows computer, go to Control Panel and click Devices and Printers.

      

      2. Right click the printer, click Remove device.

      

      3. Select any printer object and click Print server properties.

      

      4. Click the Drivers tab, select the driver in the list, then click Remove and click OK to complete.

      

      5. Re-add the printer by clicking the Add a printer to set up the printer. See this article for more information.

   

   2. For Mac OS user:

      

      1. Click the Apple menu, and the click System Preferences.

      

      2. Depending on your operating system version, click Print & Fax, Print & Scan, or Printers & Scanners.

      

      3. Right click anywhere inside the Printers window, click Reset printing system, then click Reset. Enter the Administrator name and password, click OK to complete.

      

      4. Re-add the printer by clicking the plus sign to set up the printer. See this article for more information.



10. Print a test page and check if any error still appears.

Connected through wireless network

Note:  For other issued related to wireless connection issues, refer to this article.

1. Turn off the printer and turn it on again after a minute. Make sure that the printer is on the Ready state, otherwise capture the error message and restart the printer once more.



2. Disconnect the Ethernet cable from the printer. Make sure the MarkNet™ wireless network card is installed in the printer.

   • Depending on the type of printer, make sure that the wireless card is compatible and properly inserted at the back, side, or front of the device.


3. Set the printer network settings properly.

   • Make sure that the Active NIC or Adapter is either set to Auto, Network1, or Wireless. Press Menu or Settings >Network/Ports > Network Overview > select Active NIC or Active Adapter > select Auto, Network1, or Wireless.
   • Turn on the DHCP, BootP, RARP, andAutoIP. Press Menu or Settings, press Network/Ports, select Wireless or TCP/IP.


4. Connect the printer to the network where the computer is also connected.

   • Make sure that your access point (wireless router) is turned on and is working properly.
   • Connect the printer to the network using Wireless Setup Wizard, then go to Menu > Network/Ports > Network 1 >Network 1 Setup > Wireless > Wireless Connection Setup. Select Wi-Fi network, and then type the network password.
   • Connect the printer using the Setup on Printer Panel, go to Settings > Network/Ports > Wireless > Setup On Printer Panel. Select Wi-Fi network, and then type the network password.
   • Connect the printer using Lexmark Mobile Assistant.


5. Print the Network Setup Page to review network connection settings.

   • Press Menu or Settings > Reports > Network Setup Page.
   • If the printer does not print, capture the error message and search for the error message in the Lexmark Support Site.
   • Make sure that the Status is Connected.
   • Under TCP/IP section, Capture the IP address, Netmask, Gateway, Address Source.
   • Ensure that Enable DHCP, Enable BootP, Enable RARP, and Enable AutoIP are set to On if the printer gets its IP address from these servers.


6. Check the printer and computer communication.

   • Open any internet browser (Chrome, Safari, Internet Explorer, Firefox, etc.) from your computer. On the address bar, type the printer IP address and the Embedded Web Server (EWS) appears.
   • From Windows OS computer, open Command Prompt. Type “ping” followed by the printer IP address, and press Enter. If successful, reply from printer displays.
   • From Mac or Linux OS computer, open Terminal. Type “ping” followed by the printer IP address, and press Enter. If successful, reply from printer displays.

   Note:  Consider checking the computer firewall and other security software as this sometimes blocks communication. Consult IT or a system administrator for advanced troubleshooting steps.



7. Clear print jobs stuck on the queue and print a test page.



8. Check the print driver Ports settings.

   • For Windows OS user only:
   

   1. On your Windows computer, go to Control Panel and click Devices and Printers.

   

   2. Right click the printer, then click Printer Properties. Select the Ports tab.

   

   3. Select the port that has a check mark and click Configure Port.

   

   4. Make sure that Printer or IP Address is the correct printer IP address. Otherwise, change it to match and apply the settings.



9. Make sure that print object is online from the computer.

   • For Windows OS user only:
   

   1. Go to Control Panel and click Devices and Printers.

   

   2. Right click the printer, click See what’s printing then click Printer.

   

   3. Disable Pause Printing and Use Printer Offline.



10. Remove and add the printer to the computer.

    • For Windows OS user:
    

    1. Go to Control Panel and click Devices and Printers.

    

    2. Right click the printer, click Remove device.

    

    3. Select any printer object and click Print server properties.

    

    4. Click the Drivers tab, select the driver in the list, then click Remove and click OK to complete.

    

    5. Re-add the printer by clicking the Add a printer to set up the printer. See this article for more information.

    • For Mac OS user:
    

    1. Click the Apple menu, and the click System Preferences.

    

    2. Depending on your operating system version, click Print & Fax, Print & Scan, or Printers & Scanners.

    

    3. Right click anywhere inside the Printers window, click Reset printing system, then click Reset. Enter the Administrator name and password, click OK to complete.

    

    4. Re-add the printer by clicking the plus sign to set up the printer. See this article for more information.



11. Print a test page and check if any error still appears.