Your printer won't print: the calm checklist

Last reviewed: 24 July 2026

When your printer won't print, it always seems to fail on the one morning you actually need it, and it is the most rage-inducing thing in most houses. Here is the reassuring part: nine times out of ten it is one of a small handful of ordinary causes, and you can fix it yourself in a few minutes without buying anything or letting a stranger onto your computer. Work down this list in order and stop at the point it starts printing again.

Start with the boring three that fix most of it

Before anything clever, rule out the simple stuff, because it is usually the simple stuff.

1. Is it actually on and awake? Printers drop into a sleep mode that looks exactly like off. Press a button on the printer itself and see if the screen or a light wakes up.
2. Paper and jams. Check there is paper in the tray, that it is sitting square, and that nothing is half-stuck inside. A single crumpled sheet stops everything.
3. Turn it off properly, then on. Switch the printer off at the wall, count to thirty, and switch it back on. If it prints wirelessly, do the same to your computer or the device you are printing from. This one step clears a surprising number of printers that have simply gone into a sulk.

If it is going again, you are done. If not, keep reading.

It says printing but nothing comes out

This is almost always the computer sending the job to the wrong place, or a job stuck in the queue.

Over time your computer collects several "printers": the real one, a "save as PDF" option, maybe an old printer you got rid of years ago. When you press print, check the printer named at the top of the box is your actual printer, not one of the ghosts. While you are there, if a job is stuck, cancel everything waiting in the print queue and try again with a single fresh page. A jammed queue will happily swallow every new job behind it.

Wireless printers: the wi-fi drops and the printer goes quiet

If your printer connects over wi-fi, this is the single most common ongoing headache, and it is not your fault. Wireless printers lose their connection to the home wi-fi and, maddeningly, do not tell anyone. The computer then says the printer is "offline" or the job just vanishes.

The quick fix is to reconnect it to the network, which the printer's own screen or its app will walk you through. The lasting fix is honesty about wireless: for a printer that just needs to work, a cable beats wi-fi every time. A USB cable from the printer to the computer, or a network cable from the printer to the router, takes the flaky wi-fi step out of the equation entirely. If your printer sits near either, it is worth doing.

Ink and toner: the real reasons, and one trap

Sometimes it genuinely is the ink. A few things worth knowing:

• Inkjet printers dry out if they sit unused. If you print rarely, the print heads clog. Printing even one page a week keeps them flowing, and most printers have a "clean the heads" option in their menu for when they do gum up.
• The "non-genuine cartridge" block. Some printers refuse to print, or claim a full cartridge is empty, if it is not the brand's own. That is a design choice, not a fault.
• Subscription ink. If your printer is on an ink-by-subscription plan, it can stop printing the moment that subscription lapses or the internet is down, even with ink in it. Worth knowing before you assume the printer is broken.

If you are buying your next printer and only print now and then, a laser printer is usually far less hassle than an inkjet, because there is no wet ink to dry out. Have a look at the running costs, not just the sticker price, before you choose.

When it is the software, not the printer

If the printer worked fine until your computer had a big update, and now it is not recognised at all, the connection between the two (the "driver") may need reinstalling. This is the point where a phone call to someone who can talk you through it, or take a quick safe look over the phone, saves an afternoon of frustration. There is no shame in it; printers defeat people half your age too.

The one warning: never trust "printer support" you did not ring first

When people search a printer error, the results are littered with fake "printer support" numbers and websites that will happily offer to remote in and fix it. They are scams, and the printer is just the bait. Real help comes from the printer maker's official site, or from someone you already know and trust. Never let an unexpected caller or a pop-up "technician" take control of your computer over a printer. If a message like that appears, close it and ring someone you actually know.

The short version

Most printer problems are one of three ordinary things: it is asleep or out of paper, the job went to the wrong printer or jammed in the queue, or a wireless printer has quietly dropped off the wi-fi. Turn it off and on, check the right printer is selected, clear the queue, and for a printer that just needs to work, run a cable instead of wi-fi. Keep an inkjet from drying out by printing occasionally, and if you are buying, weigh up a laser for low-hassle use. Above all, never let an unsolicited "printer support" caller or pop-up remote into your computer.

General guidance only. Steps vary by printer brand and model, and it is fine to ask for hands-on help rather than battle it alone.

Rather have someone sort it with you?

If the printer has beaten you and you would rather not spend the morning on it, we will work through it with you patiently: the checks that matter, a connection that actually holds, and a plain explanation so it stays fixed. Get in touch and we will take it off your plate, nationwide by remote, in person where we cover.