The printer went offline after a Wi-Fi change

The old name

Printers store the network name and password in their own memory. When you replace a router and kindly keep the same name and password, many printers return by themselves. When the name changes, they stay loyal to a network that no longer exists and the laptop says offline.

Use the printer's panel or its temporary setup app to pick the new name. A computer driver reinstall does not teach the printer the new password.

The order

Join the printer to Wi-Fi first. Print its network status page. Then, on the laptop, add that printer and print one line. Phones are last. Doing the phone first hides whether the printer is on the network at all.

Guest networks often block the laptop from seeing the printer. Use the main network unless you know the router allows printer sharing on guest.

Help

Printer troubleshooting covers a queue, a connection, and a test page. Book setup instead if the printer has never worked in this house.

If the status page shows the wrong name, bring that page's photo to an online session. It shortens the hour.

Keep reading

• Why the printer should not live on guest Wi-Fi

  Guest isolation is a feature until you want to print.

• When to replace a printer instead of repairing it

  Repair the connection. Replace the printer when ink, jams, and age arrive together.

• The computer sees the printer, and nothing prints

  A stuck queue or a wrong default tray looks like a dead printer.