When your printer is not printing, the job has stopped somewhere between the app, the print queue, the cable or network, and the printer itself. Tell the checker below what happens when you print. It points to the stopping point and its fix, including the steps HP, Epson, Canon and Brother give.
By Printer Test Page LabLast updated
Where it stops
The job can’t leave your computer because the printer looks offline. That is usually a network address change, a different Wi-Fi network, or a paused queue.
Where it stops
One failed or damaged job holds up everything behind it. Clearing the queue and restarting the print spooler releases it.
Where it stops
A printer in an error state accepts nothing until the error is cleared: paper out or jammed, an open cover, or an empty or unrecognized cartridge.
HP test page steps by model, from HP’s manualsEpson test page steps by model, from Epson’s manualsCanon test page steps by model, from Canon’s manualsBrother test page steps by model, from Brother’s manuals
Where it stops
With no error showing, check the connection and the selected printer first, then use the two test pages to split printer from computer.
Where it stops
Paper moving means the computer side works. Blank pages point to ink or toner: a seal left on, an empty or unseated cartridge, or clogged nozzles.
Then reprint: Nozzle check grid
Where it stops
The job reaches the printer. Faded, streaky or missing colors come from ink, nozzles, alignment or settings.
Then reprint: Color test page
Where it stops
The printer’s own test page never touches your computer. If it prints, the hardware is fine and the driver, queue, app or connection is at fault.
What you see when you press Print tells you where the job stopped. An offline message points to the connection, jobs piling up point to the queue, and a blinking light points to the printer. Blank paper means the job arrived and the fault is ink or toner. Find your row, print the test it names, then try the fix.
| What you see | Likely cause | Test to print | First fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nothing happens and the computer says offline | The computer can’t reach the printer: a changed address or a different Wi-Fi network | Printer’s network page | Restart the printer and router, then use the offline checker |
| Jobs sit in the queue, or say Error or Printing forever | A stuck job is blocking the queue | Computer test page | Cancel every job and restart the print spooler |
| The printer shows an error, message or blinking light | Paper out or jammed, an open cover, or a cartridge problem | Printer’s own test page | Clear the error, then turn the printer off and on |
| No error, no queue, nothing at all | The wrong printer is selected, or a loose cable or Wi-Fi drop | Both test pages | Set the right printer as default, then check the connection |
| Paper goes through but comes out blank | Ink or toner isn’t reaching the paper | Nozzle check | Check levels and seals; see blank pages |
| Only the printer’s own test page prints | The driver, queue, app or connection | Computer test page | Clear the queue, then reinstall the driver if it fails |
In more detail, these are the four places a print job can stop:
Two test pages tell you which half to look at. The printer’s own test page, printed from its buttons, doesn’t involve your computer at all. The computer’s test page goes through the driver, queue and connection; Microsoft describes it as a way to confirm Windows can communicate with the printer.[2] The test page guide shows both.
Make sure the right printer is selected and set as the default, then look at its queue for stuck or paused jobs. Windows also has a printer troubleshooter, and a Mac lets you resume a paused printer or add it again. Then print the computer’s test page to see whether the fix worked.
Source: Fix printer connection and printing problems in Windows | Microsoft Support (support.microsoft.com), checked Oct 12, 2026.
Source: Set a default printer in Windows | Microsoft Support (support.microsoft.com), checked Oct 13, 2026.
Source: Windows troubleshooters | Microsoft Support (support.microsoft.com), checked Oct 12, 2026.
Source: Fix printing problems in Word, Excel, or other apps | Microsoft Support (support.microsoft.com), checked Oct 12, 2026.
Source: Solve printing problems on Mac - Apple Support (support.apple.com), checked Oct 12, 2026.
Source: Solve printing problems on Mac - Apple Support (support.apple.com), checked Oct 12, 2026.
Source: Add and manage printers on Mac - Apple Support (support.apple.com), checked Oct 12, 2026.
Source: Set up your printer - Chromebook Help (support.google.com), checked Oct 12, 2026.
Each maker’s own “cannot print” steps. Some pages are written for one model; the steps apply widely, but menu names vary.
From an HP article on hp.com covering HP printers in general.
Source: [3] · HP model steps
Epson’s “Nothing Prints” page, Windows and Mac.
Source: [4] · Epson model steps
Canon’s “Printing Does Not Start” page (G3010 series; the same page exists for many PIXMA and MAXIFY models).
Source: [5] · Canon model steps
Brother’s “I cannot print from my computer via USB” FAQ (Windows and macOS).
Source: [6] · Brother model steps
Printing again? Check the quality too
Once pages come out, print a printer test page to check colors, lines and alignment. If paper comes out blank, go to blank pages. If it prints strange symbols or garbled text, see printer printing symbols.
A print job passes through four places: the app, the print queue on your computer, the connection, and the printer. It stops at one of them. The most common causes are a printer that shows offline, a stuck job blocking the queue, an error on the printer such as a jam or empty cartridge, or the wrong printer selected.
Epson’s own checks: the printer is on and the cable is secure, it isn’t offline or pending, the Epson driver for your model is selected, and no stuck jobs are waiting in the queue. If paper comes out blank instead, run a nozzle check; that is an ink problem, not a connection problem.
Brother’s steps start with errors on the display, then the connection: a direct USB cable or the same Wi-Fi network, the copy of the printer that shows idle rather than Offline, and no stuck jobs. If it still fails, reinstall Brother’s Full Driver & Software Package.
Connected but silent usually means a stuck queue or the wrong printer chosen. Cancel all jobs, restart the print spooler on Windows or resume the printer on a Mac, set the right printer as default, then print the computer’s test page.
Only after the quicker checks. Clear the queue, restart the printer and the computer, and remove and re-add the printer first. If the computer’s test page still fails, install the maker’s current driver or app.
Checked 2026-10-13. The computer steps link to their own sources.