Herbie Murray
Printers can be a tricky business, especially when they're in sleep mode and refuse to print. Many printers have an option to disable sleep mode, but some, unfortunately, do not. If you're facing this issue, there are a few ways to wake up your printer, including setting it as the default printer, disabling sleep mode, or pressing the 'Go' button.
How to Wake Up a Sleeping Printer
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Disable Sleep Mode | Go to Control Panel > Devices and Printers. Right-click the printer, then select Printer Preferences. Look for an option to disable sleep or time-out mode. |
| Set Default Printer | Setting the printer as the default can help wake it up from sleep mode. |
| Auto Power-Off Time Setting | If the PC or tablet runs on Windows 32-bit, set the Auto Power-Off Time Setting to 0 minutes. |
| Press "Go" Button | For some printers, pressing the "Go" button wakes it up and puts it in Ready mode. |
| Send a Print Job | Some printers wake up when a print job is sent to them. |
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What You'll Learn
- Check if your printer has sleep mode enabled and disable it
- Set the printer as the default printer on your Windows computer
- If using a Brother printer, press the Go button to wake it up
- Set the Auto Power-Off Time Setting to 0 minutes if your PC runs on Windows 32-bit
- If using a Paxton system, set up a schedule to run a DOS batch file to send a blank document to the printer every 30 minutes
Check if your printer has sleep mode enabled and disable it
To check if your printer has sleep mode enabled and disable it, follow the steps below:
Step 1: Check Printer Settings
Go to the Control Panel on your computer and select "Devices and Printers." Right-click on your printer and choose "Printer Preferences" or "Printer Properties." Look for an option to disable sleep mode or time-out mode. This may be labelled as "Eco Mode" on some HP printers.
Step 2: Update Windows Settings
If you cannot find the option in the printer settings, try updating your Windows settings. Go to the Control Panel, select "Power Options," and then click on "Change plan settings." From here, click on "Change advanced power settings" and disable the setting that keeps USB ports live.
Step 3: Disable Power Settings
Additionally, you can disable the "Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power" setting. To do this, click on "Start," search for "Device Manager," and open it. Expand the "USB Root Hub" and select the "Power Management" tab. Uncheck the box for the setting mentioned above and click "OK."
Step 4: Set Auto Power-Off to 0 Minutes
If you are using a 32-bit version of Windows, you can set the Auto Power-Off Time Setting to 0 minutes by following the instructions on the Brother website. However, if you are using a 64-bit version of Windows, you will need to connect your printer to a PC with a 32-bit Windows operating system to reprogram it.
Step 5: Press the "Go" Button
If your printer is already in sleep mode, you can try pressing the "Go" button to wake it up. This button may be labelled differently depending on your printer model.
Please note that some printers, like the HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M180nw, may not have an option to completely turn off sleep mode. In this case, you can only adjust the settings to extend the time before the printer enters sleep mode.
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Set the printer as the default printer on your Windows computer
To wake up a sleeping printer, you can try disabling sleep mode. Most printers have this option, but some, like the HP Officejet Pro 8000 A809, do not. If your printer does have this option, you can disable sleep mode by going to Control Panel > Devices and Printers, right-clicking the printer in question, and then selecting Printer Preferences. You can also right-click on the printer, select Printer Properties, and look for a similar function.
If your printer does not have the option to disable sleep mode, you can try pressing the "Go" button to wake it up. Alternatively, you can try sending a print job to the printer, which should wake it up. However, this may not work with all software. For example, a sleeping printer will wake up if sent a document from MS Word, but it will not wake up if sent a document from "Net2 Access Control" software from PAXTON.
Now, to set the printer as the default printer on your Windows computer:
- Select Start, then select Settings > Devices > Printers & Scanners.
- In the Printers & Scanners window, make sure the option "Let Windows manage my default printer" is not selected.
- Under Printers & Scanners, select the desired printer to be set as the default.
- Select the "Manage" button.
- If the "Set as default" button is not visible, make sure the "Let Windows manage my default printer" setting is not selected.
- In the Manage your device window, under Printer status, select the "Set as default" button.
- The Printer status will change to "Default".
Note that for mobile Windows devices, when the option "Let Windows manage my default printer" is switched on and the location of the device changes, the default printer might change to the last printer used at the new location.
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If using a Brother printer, press the Go button to wake it up
If your Brother printer is not printing, it may be because it is in sleep mode. This can be due to several reasons, including no printer activity for a set period, a timed-out printer, or the printer being in "Deep Sleep" mode. To wake up your Brother printer from sleep mode, simply press the "Go" button to wake it up and bring it to Ready mode.
If your Brother printer is in "Deep Sleep" mode, you can wake it up by pressing the power key on the control panel and then sending the print job. You can also try disabling sleep mode entirely by going to the Control Panel, selecting 'Devices and Printers', right-clicking on the printer in question, and selecting 'Printer Preferences'. From here, you can look for an option to disable sleep mode or time-out mode.
If you are still unable to print after trying to wake up your Brother printer, there are several troubleshooting steps you can take. First, check that your computer is on the same network as the Brother machine. Next, ensure that a firewall or security application is not blocking communication with your machine. Try disabling the Windows firewall or referring to the manufacturer's instructions for other firewalls. Another step is to reboot the power on your router.
If these steps do not resolve the issue, you can try reinstalling the MFL-Pro Suite using the "Full Driver and Software Package" from the Brother website. Once the installation is complete, attempt to print a document or a test page. If the document or test page prints successfully, your printer and driver are working correctly.
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Set the Auto Power-Off Time Setting to 0 minutes if your PC runs on Windows 32-bit
If your PC runs on Windows 32-bit, you can set the Auto Power-Off Time Setting to 0 minutes to prevent your printer from sleeping. This will ensure that your printer remains online and ready to print at any time.
- Go to your Control Panel. This can usually be found in the Start menu or by searching for it in the search bar.
- In the Control Panel, locate and select "Devices and Printers."
- Right-click on the printer you want to configure and select "Printer Preferences" or "Printer Properties."
- Look for the "Sleep Mode" or "Power Saving Mode" settings. These may vary depending on your printer model and manufacturer.
- Find the option to set the Auto Power-Off Time or a similar setting.
- Change the setting to 0 minutes. This will disable the automatic power-off feature, keeping your printer always on and ready for printing.
- If you cannot find the option to disable sleep mode, you may need to refer to your printer's manual or the manufacturer's support page for specific instructions for your printer model.
Additionally, you can try pressing the "Go" button on your printer if it has one. This button usually wakes up the printer and sets it to "Ready" mode, allowing it to receive print jobs.
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If using a Paxton system, set up a schedule to run a DOS batch file to send a blank document to the printer every 30 minutes
If you are using a Paxton system and want to wake up a sleeping printer, you can set up a schedule to run a DOS batch file that sends a blank document to the printer every 30 minutes. This method has been suggested by Paxton themselves and can be achieved by following these steps:
- Check Your Printer Settings: Before you begin, it is important to confirm that your printer is indeed set to "sleep mode". Navigate to the Control Panel > Devices and Printers. Right-click on the printer in question and select "Printer Preferences". Look for an option to disable sleep or timeout mode. If you cannot find this option, try right-clicking on the printer again, selecting "Printer Properties", and checking for a similar function. If you are still unable to locate it, you may need to refer to the printer's help guide or contact the manufacturer's support desk for further assistance.
- Disable Certain Windows Settings: To ensure the printer remains online, disable the Windows setting that keeps USB ports live. Go to the Control Panel, select "Power Options", click on "Change plan settings" for your selected power plan, and then click on "Change advanced power settings".
- Create a Batch File: Create a DOS batch file that contains the command to send a blank document to the printer. This can be done by using a text editor such as Notepad. Save the file with a .bat extension, for example, "wakeup_printer.bat".
- Set Up a Schedule: Use a task scheduler, such as the Windows Task Scheduler, to run the batch file every 30 minutes. You will need to have an account with a password to use the scheduler. Create a new task, specify the trigger as "Time-based", and set the schedule to run the task every 30 minutes. In the Program/Script field, enter "cmd" and in the Add arguments field, enter the path to your batch file, for example, "C:\wakeup_printer.bat".
- Test and Monitor: Once the schedule is set up, test it by letting the batch file run. You can monitor the status of the task in the Task Scheduler's history tab. If the task completes successfully, your printer should wake up and print a blank page every 30 minutes.
By implementing these steps, you can ensure that your Paxton system periodically wakes up the sleeping printer by sending a blank document to it every 30 minutes. This approach helps overcome the issue of the printer not responding to certain types of print commands when in sleep mode.
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Frequently asked questions
There are a few ways to wake up a printer from sleep mode. Firstly, check if your printer has a "Go" button, as this can wake up some printers. Another option is to set the printer as your default printer, which can be done through the Windows Control Panel. You can also check the printer's settings to see if there is an option to disable sleep mode.
If your printer is not waking up from sleep mode, it may be due to the printer being offline. Check the printer's connection and ensure it is online. If the issue persists, try restarting your printer.
To disable sleep mode, go to the Windows Control Panel, then "Devices and Printers". Right-click on the printer and select "Printer Properties" or "Printer Preferences". Look for an option to disable sleep mode or time-out mode. You may need to refer to the manufacturer's support for assistance.
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