Printers listed as Not Connected

Question

Was having a delay with Windows finding printers. Randy Baroja suggested I could fix the delay by switching your printers from WSD ports to Standard TCP/IP ports.

Two printers:

Canon laser MFP: http://192.168.68.58:80/wsd/mex

Epson Inkjet MFP: http://[fe80::decd:2fff:fe3b:5b3d%18]:80/WSD/DEVICE

Went to scan today. BOTH printers listed as Not Connected. Power cycled both printers and rebooted. Still Not Connected.

How do I fix them and add the scanners?

Answer 1

Hi,

Thanks for getting back to me. From the screenshot, I can see the Ports tab in Windows Printer Properties. Your Canon Laser MF465dw is currently using a Canon MFNP port, which is Canon’s own network protocol. There’s also a WSD port listed, which is Windows’ Web Services for Devices. Meanwhile, your Epson ET-3850 Series is already on a Standard TCP/IP port, which is generally more reliable. The other entries, like Microsoft Print to PDF and Adobe PDF, are just virtual printers.

What this means is that the Canon printer isn’t using a Standard TCP/IP port yet, and the MFNP port can sometimes cause the same kind of delays you’d see with WSD. Epson is fine as it is, so no changes needed there. To make both printers consistently reliable and avoid those “Not Connected” issues, you should switch the Canon printer from the MFNP port to a Standard TCP/IP port using its IP address.

For scanning, you’ll need the right utilities. For the Canon Laser MFP, install Canon IJ Scan Utility or the official scanner driver. For the Epson Inkjet MFP, install Epson Scan 2 or the full driver package. Once installed, you can use Windows Fax and Scan or the manufacturer’s software to test scanning.

Hope this helps! Let me know how it goes, I’m happy to assist further.

Regards,

Edward

Answer 2

Hi,

Thank you for reaching out to the Microsoft community. It looks like your printers were originally set up using WSD ports, and after switching or planning to switch to Standard TCP/IP ports, they’re now showing as “Not Connected.” This usually means Windows can’t communicate with them because the port settings don’t match the printer’s actual IP or protocol. When you switched from WSD to Standard TCP/IP ports, did you assign static IP addresses to both printers, or are they still using DHCP? Also, are you able to print from either printer now, or is scanning the only issue?

WSD uses dynamic discovery, so if the printer’s IP changes or the WSD service fails, the connection breaks. Standard TCP/IP ports, on the other hand, need a fixed IP address or hostname. If the printer’s IP isn’t static, the port will stop working.

To fix this, start by checking the IP address on each printer and make sure it matches what Windows is using. If the printer uses DHCP, consider setting a static IP in your router or printer settings. Then update the port in Windows by going to Control Panel → Devices and Printers, opening the printer properties, and adding a new Standard TCP/IP port with the correct IP. Remove any WSD ports so the printer uses the new one.

For scanning, WSD usually handles discovery, so after switching to TCP/IP you may need to reinstall the scanner drivers or use the manufacturer’s scanning software. Download the latest drivers from Canon and Epson, then test printing and scanning.

If scanning still doesn’t work, try adding the scanner manually through Devices and Printers → Add a device.

Hope this helps! Let me know how it goes, I’m happy to assist further.

Regards,

Edward

Answer 3

To resolve the issue of your printers being listed as "Not Connected," you can follow these steps:

1. Check Network Connection: Ensure both printers are properly connected to the network. For wired connections, check the Ethernet cable. For wireless connections, verify that the printers are connected to the correct Wi-Fi network.
2. Switch to Standard TCP/IP Ports: Since you mentioned switching from WSD ports to Standard TCP/IP ports, you can do this by:
   • Go to Settings > Devices > Printers & scanners.
   • Select your printer and click on Manage.
   • Choose Printer properties and go to the Ports tab.
   • Select Add Port and choose Standard TCP/IP Port. Follow the prompts to enter the IP address of the printer (e.g., 192.168.68.58 for the Canon printer).
3. Reinstall Printer Drivers: If the issue persists, consider reinstalling the printer drivers. You can do this by:
   • Going to Device Manager.
   • Finding your printer under Printers, right-clicking it, and selecting Uninstall device.
   • Restarting your computer and allowing Windows to reinstall the drivers automatically.
4. Run the Printer Troubleshooter: Use the built-in troubleshooter to diagnose and fix any issues:
   • Go to Settings > System > Troubleshoot > Other troubleshooters and run the Printer troubleshooter.
5. Check Print Spooler Service: Ensure the Print Spooler service is running:
   • Open the Services application, find Print Spooler, and make sure it is running. If not, right-click and select Start.
6. Update Firmware: Check the manufacturer's website for any firmware updates for your printers, as this can sometimes resolve connectivity issues.

After completing these steps, check if the printers are now connected and if you can access the scanning functions.