Epson, the Japanese brand, enjoys a huge customer base worldwide. It produces different kinds of printers that perform printing and scanning tasks efficiently. However, it doesn’t mean that users never encounter a problem with them. Various Windows 10 and 8.1 users have reported the Epson printer offline issue. This problem greatly bothers them as it occurs when they turn on their devices and are ready to print. The offline error in Epson printers indicates that they cannot properly communicate with your systems. If you repeatedly face this problem, it’s best to understand its causes first. In this article, you’ll find all the information related to this error so you can effectively deal with it.
Reasons for Your Epson Printer Offline Problem
The offline error is extremely common among Epson printer owners. Besides the lack of connection between your laptop and Epson printer, here are other reasons for the problem.
- Slow or stopped spooler service makes the printer enter an offline mode.
- A connectivity issue.
- You haven’t set your Epson printer as your default printer.
- The user has turned on the ‘Use Printer Offline’ option.
- Your printer drivers are not updated.
- You have added many printers and so cannot use the device you wish to use.
- Problems in your Wi-Fi router can disturb the functioning of your printer.
- The settings of your printer are not correct.
Ways to Resolve the Epson Printer Offline Issue
There are various fixes available to bring your printer back online. In the sections below, you will find stepwise directions for the different fixes which you can use as per your specific cause.
Bring your printer online manually.
If your Epson printer is configured to be offline, you can bring it online manually. It only requires you to follow a couple of easy steps.
- Launch the Run box via Windows and R keys.
- Next, use it to venture to the ‘Control Panel’ area.
- In this section, tap on ‘Devices and Printers.’
- A window will appear. Here you can find the name of your Epson printer.
- Right-tap on the printer model and tap ‘See what’s printing.’
- Now, choose the ‘Printer‘ option and check that you have not selected the ‘Use different printer‘ and ‘Pause printing‘ options.
- Press the ‘Printer‘ button and place a checkmark on ‘Set as default printer.’
- Now, you’ll be able to use your Epson printer properly.
Fix the problem with printer and computer communication
You can also fix the lack of communication between your Epson printer and computer. Check for a loose connection. See that the USB cable is seated on the ends firmly. Replace it if you sight any problems with your USB cable. These simple measures to fix the lack of connection between your printer and computer will resolve this glitch.
Fix the stopped spooler service
If the printer spooler service gets paused, you will find your Epson printer going offline. Here are the steps to troubleshoot the spooler service.
- Input’ services.msc’ in the Run box.
- After that, hit the ‘OK‘ button.
- Using the Service window, head to the ‘Print Spooler’ option.
- If you notice that its status is ‘Stopped,’ right-click on the option and tap ‘Start.’
- You can now close the window and check for your Epson printer status. It should be online.
Install your Epson printer driver.
You can also consider installing the Epson printer driver again if you frequently face this error. It’s an effective Epson printer offline fix that has proved useful for many users facing this error. Uninstall your printer driver and reinstall it by following these points.
- Launch the ‘Run‘ dialog box by pressing the Windows key and R simultaneously.
- In the field present on the Run box, input’ devmgmt.msc’ and hit enter.
- You will see the window of ‘Device Manager’ appearing. It will show a list of devices.
- From these devices, choose ‘Printer & Printer queues.’
- Now, right-tap on the ‘Epson printer’ option and choose ‘Uninstall.’
- Launch the Run dialog box and write ‘control panel.’
- From here, go to ‘Devices and Printers’ and double-tap on this option.
- Choose the ‘Add a printer‘ option by right-tapping it.
- Hit the option, ‘The printer that I want isn’t listed.’
- After that, choose ‘Add a printer using TCP/IP address or hostname.’
- Now, press ‘Next.’
- Type in the port name and IP address of your Epson printer and tap ‘Next.’
- lastly, restart your system.
Turn off SNMP settings.
Simple Network Management Protocol or SNMP is employed for different functions on your system. Epson wireless printers use this protocol. Disabling it has helped many users to get past the offline error.
- Launch ‘Control Panel‘ and tap on ‘Devices and Printers.’
- In the Printers window, find your Epson device and right-tap it.
- Choose ‘Properties.’
- Tap ‘Ports‘ in the ‘Settings.’
- Now, tap ‘Configure ports’ and remove the tick against the ‘SNMP Status Enabled’ option.
- Now, tap ‘OK‘ to save all the applied changes.
- After that, right-tap on your printer and try to connect.
Cancel pending print jobs
Another easy Epson printer offline fix is to remove all the printing jobs in your Epson printer that are pending. It’s not challenging to do so. Follow these stepwise instructions.
- Firstly, right-tap on your Epson printer.
- Next, choose ‘See what’s printing.’
- Now, right-tap and choose ‘Cancel.’
- This action will remove all the pending printing jobs.
- You can now check if your Epson printer is online.
Initialize your Wi-Fi router
Sometimes, easy methods give you the desired results instead of complex ones. You can troubleshoot the offline status of your Epson printer by initializing your Wi-Fi router and restarting your system. Just remove the router’s power cord and, after some time, plug it back. Now, see if it prints. If not, turn off your system and try printing again.
Final Thoughts
Hopefully, these simple fixes will help you better understand the Epson printer offline fix the issue. The fixes will work well for different models of Epson printers. However, if, for some reason, you are unable to fix the problem, the best option will be to connect with a printer support service.