I have a home network with few computers on it. The computers with Windows XP can access my network printer (Canon MF4370DN) 24x7 w/o any problem (even the printer is on standby/sleep mode). The computers with Windows 7 show the same printer offline (same situation when those computers had Windows Vista on them). I have searched this forum and saw some similar discussions but none of them can fix my problem, such as disable bi-direction or SNMP. The printer settings between Windows XP and Windows 7 are the same (bi-direction and SNMP enabled). Although I did not checksum printer drivers, I saw them having the same size and release date. I could restart print spooler, but it went offline again in a moment. I don't think I should restart anything to make my printer working either. The network printer is pingable from any computer 24x7. Please advise.

Hi, This issue also can occur by incompatible printer driver. To troubleshoot the issue, please perform the following steps. 1. Remove the network printer first. a. Click Start button and choose Devices and Printers. b. Right click on the network printer and choose Remove printer 2. Re-create a network printer. a. Click “Devices and Printers”. b. Click “Add a printer”. c. Choose “Add a local printer” and click on “Create a new port”. d. Select “Local Port” and click “Next”. e. Type in "[\\computer name\printer name]" (without quotation marks) for the Port Name and click “OK”. Example: If the computer you wish to connect to is named ComputerA and the printer is called PrinterA then the path would be \\ComputerA\PrinterA f. Please select a correct driver from the list. If the model is not listed, please click the “Windows Update” button. Wait for the process finishes and try to find the driver again. Hope this helps. Novak

I followed your steps and printer is working fine now. In step 2.d, I select "Standard TCP/IP Port" instead of "Local Port". For step 2.f, I clicked "Windows Update" and the old Canon drivers were gone from the list. I selected "have disk" and get drivers from x64 directory on CD. Printer went offline after I manually enabled the SNMP. I disabled SNMP back afterward. Looks like the the CD installation might be bad. Thanks

While I acknowledge that this works, that this is even an issue that hasn't been solved is beyond me. I have a laptop and am constantly moving in and out of my home network. So if I have to remove and re-add my printer every time I want to print is ridiculous. FIX THE PROBLEM!!!

Hello, I have similar problems. I move my labtop between home and work. If my computer has been set to sleep at home, then companny printers appears offline. The only way I can get them online is to do a slow restart :-( Leo

Hi Please reinstall your printer drivers. Thanks

Hi, If you face an offline error message with your network printer, you need to make sure that the printer is running and that all cables are secure. You have two options to turn off the offline mode. One is by changing the printer settings on the computer, and the other is by pressing the button on the printer. To change the settings of the printer, you need to select ‘Printers and Faxes‘ from Control Panel. Double-click on the printer you want to change to online from the displayed window. A pop-up window will open and you need to uncheck the ‘Printer Offline‘ option from the menu bar. Get more information to fix Windows 7 Network Printer Offline Error : http://printers.iyogi.com/errors/windows-7-network-printer-error.html Hope this helps you.

I'm always amazed by the number of inapplicable or truly bad answers you see on fora such as this. I have the same problem with Win 7 x64 and an old IBM Network Printer. It has been working flawlessly for a year and a half, and suddenly, the printer appears offline to Windows 7. Turning off SNMP solved the problem, but there was never a problem before. What changed? Nothing except Windows updates. Same driver, same printer, same cabling. Microsoft - Too many people are reporting this symptom for it to be an anomaly. Find the root cause and make a fix available. Thanks