Printer won't turn on: how to find out why, step by step

When a printer won’t turn on, it feels like the end of the printer. Usually it is not. Most “dead” printers are let down by something outside them: an outlet on a switched circuit, a power strip someone turned off, a cable that worked loose, or a power cut that left the electronics in a confused state. This guide goes through the checks in the order that finds the cause fastest, and tells you when the problem really is inside the printer.

If the printer does turn on but the computer cannot see it, you need printer offline fix instead. If it powers up and then shows an error message, see printer in error state. Every other symptom is in the printer troubleshooting guide.

Step 1: Is it off, or just asleep?

Modern printers save power aggressively. After a while without jobs, many turn off the display and most lights, and some switch off completely with an auto-off timer. A printer in deep sleep can look exactly like a dead one.

1. Press the power button once, briefly. Do not hold it down.
2. Wait 30 seconds. Some printers take that long to light the display after a deep sleep.
3. Look and listen: a blinking power light, a fan, the print head moving or a click from the paper path all mean the printer has power.

If it wakes up, the printer is fine. If it keeps going back to sleep or switches itself off at inconvenient moments, see the section on auto-off below, and printer won’t wake from sleep if jobs from the computer do not wake it.

Step 2: Test the outlet, not the printer

Plug a lamp or a phone charger into the same outlet. This one test rules out a large share of cases.

• The lamp does not work either: the outlet has no power. It may be controlled by a wall switch, on a tripped circuit breaker, or on a ground-fault outlet that has tripped (press its reset button). Use a different outlet.
• The lamp works: the outlet is fine. Move on.

Step 3: Take the power strip out of the chain

Power strips, extension leads and surge protectors fail, have their own switches and sometimes have a built-in fuse or breaker that has tripped. Plug the printer straight into a wall outlet for the test.

Laser printers deserve a special note. When the fuser heats up, a laser printer briefly draws a large current. Many manufacturers’ manuals tell you not to plug laser printers into the battery outlets of a UPS (uninterruptible power supply), and some advise against power strips shared with other heavy loads. If your printer turns on but switches off or restarts as soon as it starts warming up, the outlet arrangement is the first suspect.

Step 4: Reseat the cable and drain residual power

1. Unplug the power cable from the wall and from the back of the printer.
2. Wait at least 60 seconds. This lets the capacitors in the power supply discharge and clears a stuck state, which is common after a power cut or a brownout.
3. Push the cable firmly back into the printer. On many printers the socket is recessed and a cable can look plugged in while only half seated.
4. Plug it into the tested wall outlet and press the power button once.

If you have another cable of the same type (many printers use a standard two-pin or three-pin “kettle” style appliance cable), try it. Cables do fail, especially if they have been pinched behind furniture.

Step 5: Printers with an external power adapter

Some smaller inkjets and portable printers use a power brick, like a laptop charger. Check whether it has a light. If the light is off with the brick plugged into a working outlet, the adapter has probably failed. Replace it only with one that matches the original’s voltage, current rating and connector exactly; the values are printed on the adapter’s label. A wrong adapter can damage the printer.

Step 6: Check the power button itself

Power buttons on printers are small and get a lot of use. If the button feels stuck, mushy or does not click, it may not be making contact. Press it firmly in the center. Some printers have the button on a flexible panel that can come loose from the switch behind it. If the printer only turns on when you press the button at a particular angle, the button or its ribbon cable needs repair.

When the printer keeps turning off by itself

A printer that switches itself off is usually doing what it was set up to do. Look in the printer’s settings menu or its web page (type the printer’s IP address into a browser) for options such as:

• Auto Off or Power Off Timer, which switches the printer off after a set time without jobs.
• Sleep or Energy Save timers, which turn off the display and most lights.
• Scheduled On/Off, found on some office models.

Set a longer time if the printer turns off too soon, but leave power saving on if you can live with it. On some printers the auto-off option behaves differently, or is hidden, when the printer is connected to a network; the manual for your model explains the rules.

If the printer switches off in the middle of printing, that is different. Check the outlet and power strip again (Step 3), make sure the vents are not blocked, and stop using it if you notice a hot or burning smell.

Signs the power supply has failed

You have tested the outlet, used a wall socket, swapped the cable and drained the power, and still:

• no light comes on anywhere,
• no fan or motor noise when you press the button,
• nothing changes whether the button is pressed or not.

At that point the internal power supply or the main board has most likely failed. This often happens right after a thunderstorm, a power cut or a surge. Do not open the power supply: it can hold a dangerous charge even when unplugged.

Your options are a repair shop, the manufacturer’s service if the printer is under warranty, or replacement. For an inexpensive inkjet, a replacement power supply plus labour can cost close to the price of a new printer; ask for a quote before agreeing to the repair. For an office laser printer, a power supply replacement is often worthwhile.

Stop immediately if

• you see sparks, smoke or scorch marks,
• the printer, cable or outlet smells of burning,
• liquid has been spilled into the printer,
• the cable insulation is damaged.

Unplug it at the wall and do not switch it on again until it has been checked.

After the printer turns on again

A printer that was off for a long time or lost power suddenly may need some attention once it is back:

• It may run a cleaning cycle or warm-up that takes several minutes. Let it finish.
• Its network connection may come back with a new IP address, so the computer shows it as offline. See printer offline fix.
• Jobs sent while it was off may still be in the queue. Clear them if they are no longer needed; see print spooler error fix.
• If it shows a message such as a door open or paper jam right after powering on, see printer door open error or paper jam but no paper.
• An inkjet that sat unused for weeks may print faded or streaky pages; see printer ink dried out.

If the printer powers on but you want to wipe all its settings and start the setup again, see how to reset a printer to factory settings.