If Photoshop says “There was an error opening your printer. Printing functions will not be available until you have selected a printer and reopened any documents,” it cannot initialize or access a printer. That does not automatically mean the printer is broken: the cause may be its driver or connection, Photoshop preferences, a plug-in, or an older Photoshop bug. First check whether the printer works from another app; that quickly shows where to focus.
First, find out whether the problem is Photoshop or the printer
Print a test page from your operating system, then try printing a file from another app, such as Photos, Preview, a browser, Word, or Acrobat.
- If printing fails from every app: troubleshoot the printer, its connection, the operating system’s print service, the print queue, or the driver. Photoshop is unlikely to be the only problem.
- If other apps print successfully: continue with the Photoshop checks below. The driver can still be involved, but the evidence points toward Photoshop or its interaction with the driver.
This comparison follows Adobe’s troubleshooting approach of testing a simple Photoshop image and a separate application to distinguish document, application, and system problems (Adobe’s archived Photoshop troubleshooting guide).
Try the quick printer and connection checks
- Save your work and quit Photoshop.
- Check that the printer is powered on and has no displayed error. Confirm it is not paused or marked offline in the operating system.
- Open the system print queue and clear jobs that are stuck or no longer needed. If several entries exist for the same printer, make sure you are using the current one rather than an obsolete duplicate.
- Restart the computer. Turn the printer off, wait briefly, then turn it back on.
- Open Photoshop, choose File > Print, and select the intended printer. In the printer’s setup or properties, confirm the paper size and orientation.
If a network printer fails but a direct USB connection is available, try USB as a diagnostic. Printing over USB but not the network points toward network discovery or network printing rather than Photoshop’s basic ability to print.
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Update Photoshop and install the right printer driver
Install available Photoshop updates through the Creative Cloud desktop app, then restart Photoshop and try again. Update the operating system through its normal update settings as well. Adobe’s general troubleshooting guidance recommends keeping the app and operating system current and notes that bug fixes are focused on the current Photoshop version (Adobe Photoshop troubleshooting).
If the printer still fails in Photoshop—or in other apps—get the driver from the printer manufacturer’s support page. Match it to the exact printer model, operating-system version, and computer architecture. Avoid third-party driver-download and driver-updater sites. If the manufacturer’s instructions require removing the old printer entry, follow those instructions, install the driver, and add the printer again. A generic operating-system driver may print basic jobs but lack controls for features such as paper, color, borderless printing, or resolution.
On Windows ARM computers, a driver made for conventional Windows hardware may not be compatible. Adobe advises checking with the printer manufacturer for an ARM-compatible driver (Adobe’s Windows ARM guidance).
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Test a new, simple Photoshop document
A small test separates a problem with one document from a broader Photoshop printing failure. Create a new RGB document measuring 2 × 2 inches at 72 ppi, add one simple painted mark, and try to print it. Adobe’s archived troubleshooting guide uses this format as a basic test image (Adobe’s archived guide).
- The test prints, but the original does not: the original file may be damaged or unusually complex. Make a duplicate and test a flattened copy or export the duplicate as a PDF or JPEG. These are diagnostic workarounds, not guaranteed fixes; exporting can change print settings, scaling, transparency, or color handling. Do not flatten or overwrite your editable original.
- The test also fails, while other apps print: focus on Photoshop preferences, plug-ins, or its interaction with the printer driver.
- The test and other apps fail: return to the printer connection, queue, operating-system print service, and driver.
Reset Photoshop preferences only after basic checks
Damaged preferences can cause Photoshop errors and abnormal behavior. Resetting them is a reasonable next step when the printer works elsewhere but Photoshop does not. It can also remove customized settings, so first back up custom brushes, actions, workspaces, and other presets that are not synced.
- Save open work and quit Photoshop.
- Use the preference-reset option or startup reset command documented for your Photoshop version and operating system. The exact control and shortcut can vary, so follow Adobe’s current instructions rather than relying on a shortcut for another release.
- Reopen Photoshop and test printing before restoring custom settings or presets.
Photoshop stores version-specific presets and settings, so handle backups and migration carefully (Adobe’s preset migration guidance). Adobe also includes preference restoration in its general troubleshooting recommendations (Adobe Photoshop troubleshooting).
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Check for plug-in or user-account interference
If preferences did not help, temporarily launch Photoshop with third-party plug-ins disabled if your version provides that option. If printing starts working, re-enable plug-ins in batches to identify the conflict, then update or remove the incompatible plug-in. Do not delete plug-ins before testing. Adobe identifies outdated, incompatible, or incorrectly installed plug-ins as possible causes of Photoshop problems (Adobe Photoshop troubleshooting).
If the failure persists, test Photoshop in safe mode or from a new operating-system user account, following Adobe’s guidance. If another account can print, permissions or user-level configuration may be involved. An IT administrator can help with account permissions or managed devices.
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Do not start by editing the registry. Adobe documented a specific historical Windows Photoshop issue involving the OverridePhysicalMemoryMB registry value and says it was fixed in Photoshop CC 19.1.5, released in June 2018. That is context for an old release, not a current update recommendation or a universal fix for today’s Photoshop versions (Adobe’s documentation of the legacy issue).
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Only investigate this if you use an older Windows Photoshop installation and the value was previously created as part of that documented workaround. Quit Photoshop and back up the registry before making any change; if you are unsure, consult an IT professional. In regedit.exe, Adobe’s historical paths include these version keys:
HKEY_CURRENT_USERSOFTWAREAdobePhotoshop120.0HKEY_CURRENT_USERSOFTWAREAdobePhotoshop110.0HKEY_CURRENT_USERSOFTWAREAdobePhotoshop100.0HKEY_CURRENT_USERSOFTWAREAdobePhotoshop90.0HKEY_CURRENT_USERSOFTWAREAdobePhotoshop80.0
If the documented OverridePhysicalMemoryMB value exists under the relevant old Photoshop key, Adobe’s historical instruction is to remove that value and restart Photoshop. Do not create, delete, or change unrelated registry entries.
If printing works but the output is wrong
A printer-opening error happens before normal print settings are available. If Photoshop opens its print dialog and produces a page, troubleshoot the output separately. Check printer selection, paper size, orientation, image position, and scale in File > Print (Adobe’s Photoshop printing instructions).
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For color problems, choose deliberately between Photoshop Manages Colors and Printer Manages Colors. If Photoshop manages color, choose an ICC profile for the specific printer, ink, and paper combination, and configure the printer driver so it does not apply a second color correction. Double color management can produce inaccurate results. Adobe explains the profile and color-management workflow in its printing color-management guidance.
PostScript-specific troubleshooting is relevant only if your printer supports PostScript. In that case, verify the current driver and printer description (PPD). Adobe notes that complex clipping paths can cause Limitcheck or general PostScript errors, particularly on high-resolution devices; simplifying paths can help test that case (Adobe’s guidance on Photoshop images and PostScript errors).
When to contact Adobe, the printer maker, or IT
Use the test results to choose where to escalate: contact the printer manufacturer if the device fails from multiple apps or its model-specific driver is missing; contact Adobe Support if the printer works elsewhere but a current Photoshop installation still fails after preference and plug-in tests; ask an IT administrator about managed computers, permissions, or network print services.
Have these details ready: Photoshop version, Windows or macOS version, printer model, USB or network connection, whether another app prints, whether the small new Photoshop document prints, whether a preference reset changed the result, and the exact error text or a screenshot.
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