Windows
Printer showed Ready but did not print
A new printer was connected and showed Ready in Windows, but print jobs would not start or produce output. The printer was reinstalled and the problem was resolved.
Killed once by someone from XL.net, on 2026-01-09.
Affects
Hardware
- printer
What you see
- Windows shows the printer as Ready
- A print job is sent, but nothing happens
- The printer does not produce any output
Why it happens
Suspected The printer setup on the laptop likely needed to be reinstalled; the failed firmware update may have been related, but that was not confirmed.
When it shows up
A printer appears connected and Ready in Windows, but print jobs never start or print anything
You are in this case if:
- Windows shows the printer status as Ready
- Sent print jobs do not begin printing
- The issue appears on a different computer with a similar printer setup
1 fix below
The steps that killed it
The steps are behind a quick check
There are two ways in and both take a few seconds. Signing in opens the steps on every bug page; so does reading the picture.
Or answer this
Drawing a picture for you.
Can't read it? Sign in instead.
Someone from XL.net killed this on a Windows computer on 2026-01-09. It is written up from that one repair, so it cites no outside page.