If your HP printer is not printing, it is a good idea to first check if the printer is properly connected to your laptop or computer. If this is not the case, the printer cannot communicate with the computer and receive no information about the print job in return. To check the connection, open your computer's control panel and select "printers". Now you need to find the right HP printer. It is only properly connected to the computer when the printer status is "ready". If the status is "offline", there must be a connection error. hp printer will not print black and white.