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I have a laptop which I have recently upgraded to Windows 11. I now seem to have two versions of the printer (HP Envy 5541, from the HP Envy 5540 series) available from MS Word; one which doesn't print at all (fails with no error message), the other labelled 'scan only' will print grayscale only.

I can still print successfully and in colour from my Android phone via the HP Smart App.

I have reinstalled the HP Smart App to Windows 11.

I have also reinstalled the full drivers from the HP website which show as 'HP Envy 5540 Series Basic Device Software 40.15.1230.21319' in 'Apps & Features'.

How can I regain colour printing ability on my Windows 11 laptop?

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  • Have you tried installing the HP Smart App on Windows 11? You will have to provide us more information on which drivers you have installed specifically for a more informative answer.
    – Ramhound
    Commented Feb 25, 2022 at 13:12
  • @Ramhound thank you - updates above in the question :-)
    – EleventhDoctor
    Commented Feb 25, 2022 at 13:29

2 Answers 2

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+100

I have a laptop which I have recently upgraded to Windows 11. I now seem to have two versions of the printer (HP Envy 5541) available from MS Word; one which doesn't print at all (fails with no error message), the other labelled 'scan only' will print grayscale only.

You upgraded (likely from Windows 10) and this was not a Windows 11 fresh install.

I suggest a full reinstall of the printer.

(1) First delete Print Queues.

Open cmd.exe with Run as Administrator.

Type net stop spooler then press “Enter“. Type del %systemroot%\System32\spool\printers* /Q then press “Enter“. Type net start spooler then press “Enter“. The print queue on your Windows should now be cleared.

(2) Remove printers: Open Control Panel, Devices and Printers, and remove all HP Envy 5541 Printers.

(3) Uninstall printer and printer support apps: Open Control Panel, Programs and Features, and uninstall the HP Envy 5541 Printer and any (and all) HP Envy 5541 support Apps.

(4) Restart the Computer

Now add the printer from Control Panel, Devices and Printers.

The printer should now print properly.

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  • The REALLY important thing is to REBOOT before trying to add the printer back. You might want to extra emphasize that in the answer
    – Tonny
    Commented Feb 25, 2022 at 13:43
  • Thank you - I did make a separate and emphasized point about restarting before adding the printer at the end.
    – anon
    Commented Feb 25, 2022 at 14:26
  • Good job! Many people seem to assume since Windows doesn't ask for a reboot (or gives the option to "reboot later") a reboot isn't needed at all (or can be skipped without consequences). Can't hurt to make it very explicit.
    – Tonny
    Commented Feb 25, 2022 at 14:29
  • +10000 Hooray, this worked! I spent hours painstakingly applying all the advice from HP forums and their various fixing tools, but to no avail. Here is the solution! There is a gratitude bounty coming @John as soon as this question is eligible. Many many thanks!
    – EleventhDoctor
    Commented Feb 26, 2022 at 20:51
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    I have had to do the same from time to time. My own HP 8610 finally seems to have decent drivers for later Windows 10 and now Windows 11.
    – anon
    Commented Apr 9, 2022 at 14:29
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Instead of selecting the HP Envy 5540 series printer when printing from an application, select 'HP Smart' from the list of printers in your application and use that. It seems that 'HP Smart' is a proxy that runs your printer for you.

This will restore all the colour and double-sided features, as well as offering refinements such as booklet printing.

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