I have downloaded the most recent print driver download from Apple. The computer "recognizes" the printer, yet when I try to print anything I get a "Communication Error" message in the Printer window.
iMac, Mac OS X (10.7.2), new imac quad core
A couple of things, first run Software Update and update your system to 10.7.3. If you have already done that then please update your profile!
If you continue to have problems open Print & Scan (System Preferences) right click on the printer in the box on the left and select Reset Printing Systems... It should look similar to:
Thanks, but no difference.
Also, FYI when I select the "Driver" window in Print & Scan, the drop down "Print Using" menu is greyed out (not selectable.
Is the printer connected directly to the back of the iMac or are you using a router or USB hub to connect it? If you are using either then remove them from the equation.
directly connected.
OK, shut down the printer and physically disconnect it from the iMac. Then go into System Preferences - Print & Scan - Highlight the printer and click the - symbol at the bottom of the box to remove the printer. Then restart the computer in Safe Mode. To restart in Safe Mode hold down the Shift Key until a progress bar appears on screen. A Safe Mode reset will clear some caches. After it has fully booted into Safe Mode restart the computer normally. Then plug the printer back into the back of the computer and turn it on, please use that exact sequence. The printer should be found, if it isn't after about 5 minutes then go back into Print & Scan click the + sign and add the printer.
One of the problems I have in the classrooms with these printers is that someone will send a print job to the printer but because the job is mis-configured, it wiill not print. Then the user logs off but does not cancel the print job. That can block the printer from printing for any following user.
When that happens, the only reliabkle way that I have found is to kill ALL the print jobs, no matter which user submitted them. Then I restart the printer and, ususlly, the computer allso. That will seem to bring the printer back to working correctly. The actual problem description may be "Printer Paused", "Communication Error" or a few other errors.
To kill ALL the print jobs, log in as admin, open Applications/Utilities/Terminal and enter the following command"
"sudo cancel -a" without the quotes.
Enter your password and let the computer completly empty the prinrter queue. Please be aware that this command will kill all the jobs for ALL printers connected to that computer and not just the 2400.
Then I restart the printer and it comes back on-line and ready. If the printer is fed from a network or is a shered printer and has multiple computers sending it print jobs, you will have to kill the print jobs on all computers that may send a job to that printer just to catch the one bad job that is plugging up the system.
If that fails, you may have to reinstall the print driver and then the printer.
"communication error" issues with my epson stylus photo r2400
