The printer driver cannot connect to the network print server – Advanced Technical Solutions, LLC. Advanced Technical Solutions, LLC. Printers %

The error “printer driver cannot connect to the network print server’ can be caused by several different network environment issues; however, many boil down to some driver related problem.

printer driver cannot connect

This is only one of several solutions, but it’s been consistent enough to mention here. In my case, a print server is always the source of the printer in question. This does not mean that this solution won’t work for you if you’re dealing with a shared printer of another kind, it only means you’ll be modifying that source, instead of an actual print server in a domain environment.

  • Log onto the Print Server
  • Select the printer in question
  • Browse to the ‘Tools’ tab
  • Open the ‘Drivers Options’
  • Browse to the ‘Network Settings’ tab
  • Select “Bidirectional Communications”
  • (Configuration Sharing will default to “Available”)

As previously mentioned, this is not the only answer, just one that has worked in multiple situations for me. Other noted possibilities include replacing the driver in question with a newer release, removing the printer from a peer-to-peer setup to a network, or installing the printer locally.

I hope after applying this solution you no longer get the “printer driver cannot connect to the network print server” error but if you found another fix, please feel free to share what’s worked for you!