2017-02-16T14:43:42+00:00 Zend_Feed_Writer https://www.augwessex.org.uk/discussions/view/1409 AUGW info@augwessex.org.uk https://www.augwessex.org.uk/ 2017-02-03T12:53:16+00:00 https://www.augwessex.org.uk/discussions/view/1409#6655 Roy Rainford info@augwessex.org.uk https://www.augwessex.org.uk/ The Wi-Fi connection from my iMac to the Epson printer is irregular. A reply may be "use a cable connection" but for years wi-fi has worked and it means one cable less in the desktop tangle. Currently the network is on and there are three green bars showing on the printer window. When I check System Prefs and Open Print Queue the pop-up window says 'The printer is not connected'. I used the printer earlier so what could throw out the connection? 2017-02-03T13:37:12+00:00 https://www.augwessex.org.uk/discussions/view/1409#6656 Roy Rainford info@augwessex.org.uk https://www.augwessex.org.uk/ I did a Restart on the iMac and after the 'gong' but before I had typed in the password for access, the printer started printing! The document that I couldn't print before was in the print queue. A subsequent document has also printed. So what affects the wi-fi connection making it irregular? 2017-02-03T17:39:43+00:00 https://www.augwessex.org.uk/discussions/view/1409#6657 Mick Burrell info@augwessex.org.uk https://www.augwessex.org.uk/ There are lots of things that can make a wi-fi connection less reliable than a cable but I'd look elsewhere first. Three green bars on the printer window? What do they mean? If it's signal strength, is it three out of ten i.e. a weak signal or three out of three for a strong signal. Is the printer left on all the time? If you only turn it on when you want to print, it will be ready as soon as it's started. However, if it's on all the time, does it go into a power saving mode and fail to wake for a print job? Has this only happened recently and if so have you had a driver update? 2017-02-03T19:36:01+00:00 https://www.augwessex.org.uk/discussions/view/1409#6658 Roy Rainford info@augwessex.org.uk https://www.augwessex.org.uk/ Three green bars I assume to be full strength because there isn't space for more. However the bars are different lengths like a bar chart. Will have to check the manual. Now where is that! Btw, the printer is only 2 feet from the router but an external drive is standing between them. I turn the printer on when I first want it daily then leave it on until I have finished for the day. The printer window light goes out when left without printing for say 15 minutes so perhaps that's power saving mode. However normally when I click "Print" in the Print Dialogue Window the printer 'wakes up' and prints. Haven't had a driver update for years. 2017-02-03T19:39:32+00:00 https://www.augwessex.org.uk/discussions/view/1409#6659 Tony Still info@augwessex.org.uk https://www.augwessex.org.uk/ Roy, What are your actual symptoms? What happens when you try to print and does anything appear in the Dock? (You're getting lots of questions in reply to your question - I love it when that happens!) 2017-02-03T21:20:56+00:00 https://www.augwessex.org.uk/discussions/view/1409#6660 Roy Rainford info@augwessex.org.uk https://www.augwessex.org.uk/ When I click "Print" in the print dialogue window the printer icon in the Dock 'bounces' with a red small circle on it. When I click that icon a message appears saying " Searching for the printer" and the progress bar shows that the document has spooled. The message soon changes to "The printer is not connected". This also shows in System Prefs. 2017-02-03T22:05:59+00:00 https://www.augwessex.org.uk/discussions/view/1409#6661 Trevor Hewson info@augwessex.org.uk https://www.augwessex.org.uk/ And presumably turning the printer off and on again re-establishes the connection? 2017-02-03T22:37:05+00:00 https://www.augwessex.org.uk/discussions/view/1409#6662 Tony Still info@augwessex.org.uk https://www.augwessex.org.uk/ You said before that DHCP was not working for your printer. Can you see that, or anything else about the printer's network status, from the printer itself? A classic problem with DHCP is to have more than one device handing out the addresses. It's usually done by the router: have you changed anything there or added any new devices? 2017-02-04T08:06:55+00:00 https://www.augwessex.org.uk/discussions/view/1409#6663 Drew McFarlane info@augwessex.org.uk https://www.augwessex.org.uk/ It might seem like a silly answer, is there ink in all your cartridges? I get similar messages when one of my cartridges is low on ink. 2017-02-04T10:27:02+00:00 https://www.augwessex.org.uk/discussions/view/1409#6664 Mick Burrell info@augwessex.org.uk https://www.augwessex.org.uk/ Tony - I can't see where Roy said DHCP is not working. Have I missed something? Roy - Do you know the printer's IP address? If so, when you get the not connected message, use Network Utility (use Spotlight to find it) then Ping the printer. What happens? 2017-02-04T15:08:21+00:00 https://www.augwessex.org.uk/discussions/view/1409#6665 Roy Rainford info@augwessex.org.uk https://www.augwessex.org.uk/ Thanks for all the replies. Trevor - I tried turning the printer off and on but that didn't work. I then did a Restart on the iMac and that worked. Tony - I don't remember seeing anything unusual in the printer window. I only print from the iMac. No other devices added and nothing recently changed. Drew - One ink cartridge was and still is low but the printer is working now. Mick - I can see an IP Address under Interface Information in the Network utility. I put that in the Ping window and did 10 pings. Statistics : 10 packets transmitted, 0 packets received, 100.0% packet loss. This 'Ping' was done when the printer was OK and I can't replicate the fault. It has a mind of its own! 2017-02-04T17:56:43+00:00 https://www.augwessex.org.uk/discussions/view/1409#6666 Roy Rainford info@augwessex.org.uk https://www.augwessex.org.uk/ Mick, I have realized that the IP address I used was the TalkTalk address not the printer's. I found the correct IP address in the Epson Net Setup app so I am ready to Ping again when the printer connection fails again. Watch this space! 2017-02-04T23:16:30+00:00 https://www.augwessex.org.uk/discussions/view/1409#6667 Tony Still info@augwessex.org.uk https://www.augwessex.org.uk/ Look forward to the data. ... and I guess that Lionel's DHCP problem in a totally different thread is not relevant. Oops! 2017-02-05T11:48:25+00:00 https://www.augwessex.org.uk/discussions/view/1409#6668 Mick Burrell info@augwessex.org.uk https://www.augwessex.org.uk/ Roy, it would be interesting to try the ping when the printer is working fine so you know what should happen in case you get a different result when it isn't. (When the computer pings the printer over the network it just eliminates or confirms a network issue. If they can "talk" over the network, the results should be in milliseconds, if they can't you'll get the 100% packet loss) 2017-02-05T12:45:30+00:00 https://www.augwessex.org.uk/discussions/view/1409#6669 Roy Rainford info@augwessex.org.uk https://www.augwessex.org.uk/ Mick, have done the ping as suggested, when the printer is working. The result is: 10 packets transmitted, 10 packets received, 0.0% packet loss round-trip min/avg/max/stddev = 1.474/45.018/105.457/31.601 ms Am not sure if that is OK or not but the printer is working this morning. 2017-02-05T12:58:59+00:00 https://www.augwessex.org.uk/discussions/view/1409#6670 Roy Rainford info@augwessex.org.uk https://www.augwessex.org.uk/ Ooops - spoke too soon! 10 minutes ago the printer was working, now it isn't! The message box says, "Looking for printer". Have therefore done another ping and the result is: 10 packets transmitted, 10 packets received, 0.0% packet loss round-trip min/avg/max/stddev = 1.508/135.648/886.695/254.865 ms Help! 2017-02-05T16:11:54+00:00 https://www.augwessex.org.uk/discussions/view/1409#6671 Mick Burrell info@augwessex.org.uk https://www.augwessex.org.uk/ Since you get 0% packet loss, the computer and printer can see and talk to each other using your network so that isn't the problem. I'd now look at the printer to see why it isn't responding to the computer e.g. won't "wake up" from sleep or perhaps there's an issue with the installed driver which setting up a new one would cure. 2017-02-05T17:55:45+00:00 https://www.augwessex.org.uk/discussions/view/1409#6672 Roy Rainford info@augwessex.org.uk https://www.augwessex.org.uk/ Following a discussion with Mick, it was established that there is an issue with the print driver having two printers listed in the Printers & Scanners box. (in System Prefs.). It was agreed that a new Default printer should be set up so that I can ensure this is selected in the Print dialogue box prior to printing. So far this is working and I will continue with it for a week or two before deleting the two options that caused the error. So not a wi-fi connection problem after all. Many thanks to Mick and all who responded to this thread. 2017-02-05T19:12:58+00:00 https://www.augwessex.org.uk/discussions/view/1409#6673 Tony Still info@augwessex.org.uk https://www.augwessex.org.uk/ Well done Mick. Just for the record, here's a couple of potentially useful links I was going to offer: Ensure you have the latest printer drivers here. "Nuclear option" to ensure that the printer system isn't itself corrupt (the bigger version of what you did) here. This is still available in Sierra too. 2017-02-14T13:01:40+00:00 https://www.augwessex.org.uk/discussions/view/1409#6686 Roy Rainford info@augwessex.org.uk https://www.augwessex.org.uk/ I confirm that I can now print but have another issue with the printer - slow spooling. Sometimes, not every print job, printing will pause at varying stages of spooling. The dialogue box will show the progress line as, say, 21% complete, sometimes 99%. After a minute or two, printing resumes and completes the job. Does this indicate a slow wi-fi connection or perhaps an ageing printer? (machine not me!). This happens on fairly simple, one-page printing jobs. 2017-02-16T12:47:05+00:00 https://www.augwessex.org.uk/discussions/view/1409#6688 Tony Still info@augwessex.org.uk https://www.augwessex.org.uk/ Presumably the slowdown only happens when you are really printing, not when you "print" to a PDF? If you are able, open Activity Monitor during a pause in spooling and look under the 'CPU' tab for any process using large amounts (100%, maybe) of compute power (you can order the display by clicking in the % CPU column heading). Do you have any indication of the WiFi signal strength at the printer (though presumably you haven't moved it or moved the microwave next to it or similar)? If you have an Apple router, the Airport Utility can show you signal quality. It's worth checking, if you haven't already, that you drivers are up to date; ditto the firmware in the printer if it supports updates. 2017-02-16T14:29:13+00:00 https://www.augwessex.org.uk/discussions/view/1409#6689 Mick Burrell info@augwessex.org.uk https://www.augwessex.org.uk/ The contents of the "simple, one page" jobs would make a difference. If for example one of them was a ten item shopping list (text only) and the other was a simple montage of 20 hi res photographs, the latter would take longer to spool. 2017-02-16T14:43:42+00:00 https://www.augwessex.org.uk/discussions/view/1409#6690 Roy Rainford info@augwessex.org.uk https://www.augwessex.org.uk/ Tony, yes slow down/pause happens when I have started normal printing, not to a PDF. The 3 green bars on the printer which I think indicate signal strength remain the same throughout each printing job. I will try the Activity Monitor check and drivers. The router is newish from TalkTalk. Haven't changed the work station layout recently. No microwave around! Mick, am not printing photos these days. The pauses occur on simple text documents.