The application is unable to open an Input/Output (I/O) channel to the printer in order to send print data.
This generic error message refers to a connection between the workstation and the printer and is often as a result of a physical connection problem.
There are a number of steps you can take in order to check and reset the connection and depends on the type of connection between the computer and the printer.
TCP/IP
For Ethernet connection, check the following:
* Ensure the physical network cables are all in place and the IP address of the computer and printer have not changed.
* The IP address of the printer is likely to automatically change if the settings on the printer is DHCP instead of static address.
* The IP addresses of the computer and printer have to be in the same range and only differ in last part. For example 192.168.1.x would be the range with x number different for printer and computer. The first three parts have to match.
* Ensure there are no other devices on the network with IP address of the printer and/or workstation
* Check the IP address of the printer is entered correctly on the interface section of the queue on the RIP settings
If all settings are correct you can then check the physical path to the printer from your workstation, by using the ping utility.
On windows this is done by running a DOS command box and entering the ping command followed by printer IP address, 192.168.1.16 for example:
$ ping 192.168.1.16
If the printer physical path is good and the printer is reachable a similar response to line below should come back.
Reply from 192.168.1.16: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=64
If the printer physical path is not good and printer is unreachable, the following response will come back:
Reply from 192.168.1.16: Destination host unreachable
The following article from Microsoft has more details on TCP/IP troubleshooting
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/169790
[http://support.microsoft.com/kb/169790]
On Mac, the ping utility can be found in network utility area and the similar messages are displayed.
http://support.apple.com/kb/PH10788
[http://support.apple.com/kb/PH10788]
USB
USB connections are less reliable in general and do suffer outage after a period of time.
* Firstly ensure the cables are plugged in and connected to both ends.
* Always use short, shielded USB cables and avoid USB hobs
* Change the USB connection to another spare port on the workstation
* Try a hard reset of both computer and printer (Hard reset involves shutting down and removing the power plug for a few minutes)
You can also check if the printer is visible to the workstation on USB bus through system device manager (exact instructions for that varies greatly among versions of operating systems). If you cannot see the printer as a device connected to the USB port, the physical connection has been interrupted and the application software will not be able to communicate.