# Troubleshooting

## Troubleshooting error messages

### Unable to communicate with the printer. Please check the printer connection and verify the printer is powered on and ready.

Make sure that:

- The correct port is selected in the Print Properties.

- The USB or Parallel printer cable is completely plugged into the printer.

  If you are using a parallel cable, try removing and reattaching it.

- A supported printer driver is installed with bidirectional support enabled.

  To verify that the associated driver has bidirectional communication enabled, open the Print Properties for the printer driver, click the Ports tab, and make sure that Enable bidirectional support is selected.

- The printer is turned on, and “Ready” appears on the status bar.

### No local attached printer of this type was found. Please check the printer connection and verify the appropriate driver is installed.

Make sure that:

- The correct port is selected in the Print Properties.

- The USB or Parallel printer cable is completely plugged into the printer.

  If you are using a parallel cable, try removing and reattaching it.

- A supported printer driver is installed with bidirectional support enabled.

  To verify that the associated driver has bidirectional communication enabled, open the Print Properties for the printer driver, click the Ports tab, and make sure that Enable bidirectional support is selected.

- The printer is turned on, and “Ready” appears on the status bar.

### For parallel ports, the setting values shown may differ from the actual settings on the printer.

For parallel-attached printers without bidirectional communications, the default settings for the printer are displayed, not the actual printer settings. Only the settings that you change are sent to the printer when you click Apply Settings.

To avoid this message, make sure that you:

- Install the bidirectional communications component included on the Software and Documentation CD.

- Verify that the associated driver has bidirectional communication enabled (under the Ports tab of the Print Properties).

The utility window status bar displays "Settings Status—Verified," indicating bidirectional communication.

Note: Bidirectional communication requires an IEEE 1284-rated parallel cable.