Power Cycling Printer

Power cycling a printer is one of the most effective first steps in troubleshooting printing and connectivity issues. It clears temporary errors, refreshes network connections, and ensures the device starts with a clean state.

Why This Helps:
Restarting the printer works much like rebooting a computer or phone. It clears out stuck print jobs, resets the device’s memory, and re-establishes a stable connection to the network. This simple process often resolves freezing, error messages, or unresponsiveness without needing advanced troubleshooting.

Steps to Power Cycle Your Printer:

Turn off power and disconnect cables
- Unplug the power cord from the printer.
- Unplug the Ethernet/network cable (if connected).
Wait one minute
- Set a timer for at least 60 seconds. This ensures the printer fully shuts down and clears any stored errors.
Reconnect power
- Plug the power cord back in.
- Wait until the printer initializes and reaches its home screen. This may take a minute or two.
Reconnect the Ethernet/network cable
- Plug the Ethernet cable back in securely.
- Check that the port on the back of the printer shows blinking lights, which confirm a proper network connection.
Test the printer
- Print a test page or send a job from your computer to confirm it is working again.

Best Practices:

Always wait the full 60 seconds before plugging the power back in.
Use power cycling only when the printer is unresponsive, showing errors, or not printing — not after every print job.
Double-check all cables are securely connected after plugging them back in.
Allow a few minutes after power cycling before printing large jobs, so the printer has time to fully reconnect to the network.