# Help with "offline" printer **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 8, 2015, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-offline-printer/717157 "2015-04-08T21:04:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2015, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-offline-printer/717157/1 "2015-04-08T21:04:06Z")
I have a home network that includes a printer and two computers. My computer continually claims the printer is “offline” while my wife has no problem sending things to print from it. This started maybe a week ago; before that I was always able to print from my computer. I have rebooted both the printer and my computer. My computer uses Win-7 (64 bit) and the printer is a Brother HL-2270DW. Any thoughts? I can’t find anything on the Brother site. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2015, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-offline-printer/717157/2 "2015-04-08T21:18:31Z")
Uninstall and reinstall the brother software. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2015, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-offline-printer/717157/3 "2015-04-08T21:25:41Z")
Are you running a wired and/or wireless network? If wireless, have you checked the system first strictly via a wired system? Does your printer use different IP addresses between wired and wireless? ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2015, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-offline-printer/717157/4 "2015-04-08T23:08:39Z")
It is wireless. I could wire up a computer, but the printer is not near any wire. As I said, my wife’s computer sees it fine, all wireless. I will try uninstalling and reinstalling the software. ---
**Author:** ![Alley\_Dweller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alley_dweller/32/430_2.png) [@Alley\_Dweller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alley_Dweller)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2015, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-offline-printer/717157/5 "2015-04-08T23:28:12Z")
Before uninstalling and reinstalling the software, I would go into the control panel on your computer and uninstall and then reinstall the printer itself. ---
**Author:** ![Saturn\_Dreams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@Saturn\_Dreams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saturn_Dreams)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2015, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-offline-printer/717157/6 "2015-04-09T00:45:01Z")
Sounds like an SNMP communication error. Go into your printer’s job window and select Properties\>Port tab\>Configure ports. Near the bottom you will see a box to toggle on/off SNMP. It’s probably enabled by default. Uncheck the box and see if that works. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2015, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-offline-printer/717157/7 "2015-04-09T12:26:57Z")
> [@Alley\_Dweller](#): > > Before uninstalling and reinstalling the software, I would go into the control panel on your computer and uninstall and then reinstall the printer itself. This worked. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2015, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-offline-printer/717157/8 "2015-04-09T13:36:40Z")
My wife’s computer occasionally has the printer go offline. I turn the printer off and back on again, and it works. For some unknown reason, my wife doing the same thing doesn’t fix the problem.