Having a communication error on the Epson printer is quite normal. When you print or scan something from the windows or mac pc, you might see the communication or one of the following errors on the screen.
- The printer is paused.
- The printer is not printing.
- Epson printer is offline.
These errors indicate that your computer is unable to communicate with the printer. So you need to fix the connection between the computer and printer. If you don’t have any idea about how to fix the connection between printer and computer. Please stay tuned with this article to fix the Epson printer communication error. 
Why does the Epson printer say there is a communication error?
Here are some fundamental reasons why the Epson printer keeps showing the printing paused or communication error.
- The printer is powered off.
- The loose connection or USB cable is faulty.
- Wireless signals are dropping.
- The printer is not connected to the Network Anymore.
- The computer is sending the print command to the wrong printer.
- Printers & computers are not available on the same Network.
- Windows firewall or Security related issues.
- Epson printer driver-related issues.
- Printer firmware requires an update.
How Do I Fix The Epson Printer Communication Error On the Windows Or Mac Computer?
Power cycle the printer & computer-
When your Epson printer is unable to connect to the computer, please make sure that your printer is not in sleep or hibernate mode. If so, you need to press the power button once to make it active.
If that doesn’t help, you need to power cycle the printer and computer in the following manner.
- First of all, Power off the Epson printer by pushing the power button.
- Now Shutdown your computer and router as well.
- Wait for a minute; now power on the printer.
- Now Power on the router and computer as well.
After connecting the printer to the computer, You should reboot the printer again, and it will start working fine for you then.
Check the cable connection-
If you have connected the printer to the computer through a USB wire. Make sure that the connection is not loose. If the connection is loose, your computer will not detect the printer, and it keeps showing you the device is not recognized or Epson printer offline error at the bottom taskbar.
In that case, you should disconnect the printer cable from the computer and then connect it to the other available USB port.
Now reboot the printer and computer once and then retry to print the documents again.
Replace the USB cable –
If the connection doesn’t seem loose, the Epson printer still shows communication errors on the windows or mac computer. Please ensure that the USB cable is not broken. If you find the cracks on the Cable or Cable are a bit old, you can easily buy a new cable from the amazon store.
Connect the printer to the wireless Network-
If you are getting the communication error on the Epson wireless printer. Please ensure that the printer is connected to the wireless Network.
When a printer is connected to the wireless network, you will see the Solid green WIFI light. If your printer is showing the orange wireless indicator, you need to connect it to the wireless Network.
- Power on the Epson printer.
- Press the menu button.
- Go to the wifi Or wifi Setup Option.
- Click on the wifi setup wizard option.
- Here, you need to select the wireless network name.
- Enter the network key and then press the ok button.
Finally, your printer will be connected to the wifi; if you have trouble with wifi setup, please visit: why does Epson printer not connect to the wifi?
Check the network connection-
If your printer and computer are connected to the Network, your computer keeps showing printing is paused or communication error. You need to check the following things.
- Ensure that the printer & computer are available on the same Network.
- Check the Wireless signal strength in the computer and printer. They should be obtaining a decent amount of signals.
- Assure that the printer & routers are getting the ip address from the router.
Run the printer troubleshooting program –
When you receive the ‘Epson printer communication error’ on windows 10 or 11, you need to run the printer troubleshooting problem.
- Open Run Box (Press Windows + R)
- Type Control in the box and press the ok button.
- Click on the troubleshooting.
- Press The Use a printer option.
- Once the printer troubleshooter is opened, you need to click on the Next button.
- Now choose the printer from the list and click on the Next button.
- Once you see some suggestions, press the apply to fix button.
Disable the Firewalls & Antivirus-
Sometimes the windows firewall & antiviruses might block the communication process. Due to this, a computer will keep showing you the communication error on the Epson printer while printing or scanning something from the Epson printer.
So If the printer and computer are connected, but your printer is still showing you the unable to communicate error, you need to turn off the firewall/antivirus program on the computer for 15 minutes. Now give a new printer command to your computer.
Guide to disable the firewall on windows 10 or 11 PC-
- Open the control panel.
- Click on the Windows Defender firewall.
- Click on the turn windows defender firewall on or off.
- Select turn off windows firewall for public and private networks.
- Press the ok button.
Guide to disable the firewall on MAC computer-
- Go to the system preference.
- Click on the Security & privacy option.
- Press the firewall tab.
- Here, you need to press the turn-off firewall button.
- Finally, press the ok button.
Reinstall the Printer Driver-
Several times, users get the communication error on the Epson printer because of the driver problems. So you need to uninstall the Epson driver from the computer and then install the new driver.
For Windows computer-
- Open the Run Box.
- Type APPWIZ.CPL
- Press the Ok button.
- Select the Epson printer.
- Click on the Uninstall button.
- Now press the Yes button on the printer utility.
- Follow the instructions to uninstall the printer.
For Mac users-
- Open the system preferences.
- Click on the Printer & scanners, Print & Fax, Print & scan
- Select the Epson printer.
- Click on the – button.
Once your printer is removed from the computer, you must install the latest driver, which you can easily download from the Epson store.
Update the printer-
Sometimes, the Epson printer keeps showing communication errors because of firmware issues. When printer files are outdated, it will generate a lot of bugs, including communication errors.
So if you are currently having trouble with the communication error on the Epson printer, you need to update the Epson printer firmware. After that, your device will start working fine on your computer.
Reset the printer to the factory settings-
After you keep getting the communication error after making the above changes, there is some technical fault with the printer. You need to reset the printer to the factory settings to fix that bug. Now set up the printer again, and then it will start working fine for you.