Printer Not Found
Your printer is powered on and plugged into the network, but a scan doesn't find it. In almost every case the printer has a fixed factory IP address that isn't on your network yet — here's how to spot it and fix it.
Why this happens
Star and Epson printers usually arrive set to DHCP, so they automatically get an address on your network and appear in a scan. Many lower-cost / generic printers instead ship with a static address baked in at the factory (for example 192.168.1.87). If that address isn't on your network's range, nothing can reach the printer until its network settings are changed — and a scan can't see it, because scans only look at your own network's address range.
Step 1 — Find the printer's current IP address
Every receipt printer can print its own network settings — no computer needed:
- Most printers: turn the printer off, then hold the Feed button while turning it back on. Keep holding until a status/self-test receipt prints.
- Some models have a small recessed button on the network/interface panel — press it briefly while powered on.
Read the IP Address from the printed sheet. If it looks nothing like your other devices' addresses (your computer's address is on the same network as your router), the printer is on a factory default and needs Step 2.
Common factory addresses
| Factory IP | Typically |
|---|---|
| 192.168.123.100 | Rongta and many JK-series Ethernet modules |
| 192.168.1.87 | Xprinter / HPRT family and rebrands |
| 192.168.1.100 | Assorted generic ESC/POS modules |
| 192.168.0.87 | Xprinter variants |
| 192.168.192.168 | Epson TM series fallback when DHCP gets no answer |
Step 2 — Put the printer on your network
Pick whichever of these is easiest for you:
Option A — Set it to DHCP (recommended)
Most of these printers have a web page for settings. To reach it once, temporarily give a computer a second IP address on the printer's network, open the printer's page in a browser, and switch IP configuration to DHCP / Automatic. Then power-cycle the printer and it will pick up an address on your network. Your printer's manual (or its maker's configuration utility) shows the exact page and password, if any.
Option B — Use the manufacturer's utility
Epson's EpsonNet Config, Star's configuration tools, and most generic-printer vendors' utilities can find a printer by broadcast regardless of its IP and reassign it to DHCP or an address on your network. This avoids changing your computer's network settings.
Option C — Add it by IP for now
If you can't change the printer right away, you can still add it in the bridge under + Manual using the IP and MAC address from the self-test sheet. The bridge will show it as Not on this network and it won't print until the printer is actually reachable — but once you move it onto your network, the bridge updates the address automatically. No re-adding needed.
Still stuck?
- Confirm the printer's network light is lit and the cable is seated at both ends (try a different switch port).
- A printer connected by both USB and Ethernet may answer on only one at a time — use a single connection.
- If you use a Raspberry Pi bridge, it's often easiest to plug the printer into the same switch as the Pi and configure it from a laptop on that switch.