Epson L3150, L3250, and L3251 Do Not Print, Copy, Scan, or the Lights Are Flashing: What to Do in Windows 10 and Windows 11

Last Updated on 14.04.2026 by DriverNew

This guide applies to the Epson L3150, Epson L3250, and Epson L3251.

When this guide will help

The driver is installed, but the printer does not print.
A document is sent to print, but no sheet comes out.
Documents remain in the print queue.
Printing over Wi-Fi does not work.
Scanning over Wi-Fi does not work.
Epson Scan 2 does not start or does not detect the scanner.
The printer prints blank pages.
There are streaks, gaps, or incorrect colors in prints.
The printer does not pick up paper or shows a paper jam.
The printer makes noise, but does not copy.
The lights on the printer are flashing and it is not clear what that means.

Official ways to check and solve problems

If the printer does not print after driver installation

Step 1. Restart the printer and the computer

Turn the printer off with the power button.
If the printer is connected by USB, do not disconnect the USB cable. It must remain connected both to the printer and to the computer.
Disconnect only the printer power cable from the outlet for 30 seconds.
Plug the power back in.
Turn the printer on.
Restart the computer.

Step 2. If the printer is connected by USB, connect it directly to the computer

Make sure the USB cable is firmly connected both to the printer and to the computer.
If the printer is connected through a USB hub or USB splitter, disconnect it.
Connect the printer directly to a USB port on the computer.
If that does not help, move the cable to another USB port.
If you have another USB cable, try it.

Step 3. Make Epson the default printer

Windows 11:
Start > Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners.

Windows 10:
Start > Settings > Devices > Printers & scanners.

Find Epson L3150, Epson L3250, or Epson L3251.
Open that printer page.
Click Set as default, if that button is available.

If the button is not available, find the switch Let Windows manage my default printer and turn it off. Then select your Epson again and click Set as default.

Step 4. Check whether offline mode is enabled

Open the print queue window.
At the top of the window, click Printer.
Make sure Work Offline and Pause Printing are turned off.

If there is a check mark next to either item, click it to turn that mode off.

Step 5. Open the print queue and remove everything unnecessary

Windows 11:
Start > Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners > your Epson > Open print queue.

Windows 10:
Start > Settings > Devices > Printers & scanners > your Epson > Open queue.

After that, a window opens with the list of documents Windows is trying to print.

If documents are listed, delete all of them.
Wait 10 to 15 seconds.
Try printing one simple document.

Step 6. Restart the Windows print service

Press Win + R.
Type services.msc.
Press Enter.
Find Print Spooler in the list.
Right-click that entry.
Select Restart.

Step 7. If the printer is connected by USB, check where Windows is sending the print job

Press Win + R.
Type control printers.
Press Enter.
In the window that opens, right-click your Epson.
Select Printer properties.
Open the Ports tab.

For a USB connection, one of these is usually the correct choice:

USB001;
USB002;
or another port labeled USB Virtual Printer Port.

If LPT1 is selected, that is usually the wrong setting for this printer.

Select the correct USB port.
Click Apply.
Click OK.
Try printing again.

Step 8. If necessary, remove the printer and add it again

Windows 11:
Start > Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners.

Windows 10:
Start > Settings > Devices > Printers & scanners.

Select your Epson.
Click Remove.
Restart the computer.
Reconnect the printer by USB or set it up again over Wi-Fi.
Add the printer again through Printers & scanners.

If printing over Wi-Fi does not work

Make sure the printer is turned on.
Check whether the Wi-Fi light is on. If it is off, the printer is not connected to the wireless network.
Make sure the computer and printer are connected to the same Wi-Fi network.
If the router works only on the 5 GHz band, enable 2.4 GHz or dual band mode.
If the router uses one network name for 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz, give the two bands different names if possible.
Check whether the router has Privacy Separator or a similar device isolation feature enabled.
Restart the router.

If the printer is connected to a new network or a new router, set up the printer connection to that network again.

How to print network information

For Epson L3150: press and hold the Network Status button for at least 7 seconds to print the network status sheet.

For Epson L3250 and L3251: press the Network Status button to print the network connection report.

If the printout shows that the connection is missing or unstable, restore the network connection first and then test printing again.

If documents remain in the print queue

Open the print queue.
Delete all documents from the list.
Restart the Print Spooler service.
Restart the printer and the computer.
Try printing only one short document again.

If the problem repeats, check whether old or extra printer entries remain in Windows. If they do, remove them.

If the printer prints blank pages

Make sure the document really contains text or an image.
Check the ink level in the tanks. The level must be above the lower line.
Make sure the correct paper size is selected both in the document and in the print settings.
If the driver has a Skip Blank Page setting, check whether it is appropriate for your task.
Run a nozzle check.
If the nozzle check shows gaps, run print head cleaning.

If there is no improvement after cleaning, you can repeat it once more. If nothing changes after three cleanings in a row, turn the printer off and wait at least 12 hours. Then run the nozzle check again.

If prints have streaks, gaps, or incorrect colors

Check the ink level.
Make sure the correct paper type is selected in the print settings.
Check that grayscale printing is not enabled if you need color printing.
Run a nozzle check.
If the nozzle check shows gaps, run print head cleaning.
If the lines still look uneven after cleaning, run print head alignment.

If the printer has not been used for a long time and normal cleaning does not help, a deeper cleaning option may be available in the Epson software. Use it only as a last step because it consumes more ink.

If the printer does not pick up paper or shows a paper jam

Remove all paper from the tray.
Check for wrinkled, damp, or overly thin sheets.
Load the paper again in the center of the rear paper feeder.
Move the edge guide to the edge of the paper.
Make sure the stack is not too high.
Place the printer on a flat surface.

If the printer feeds multiple sheets at once:

Remove the paper.
Straighten the edges of the stack slightly.
Load the paper again.

If paper is jammed:

Cancel printing on the computer.
Carefully remove the jammed paper completely.
Check that no torn scraps remain inside.
Press B&W Copy or Color Copy to clear the error.

If the printer makes noise but does not copy

Run a nozzle check.
If the nozzle check shows gaps, run print head cleaning.
If the nozzle check does not print, check whether the printer software is installed correctly.
Make sure the printer is standing level and not tilted.

If the printer makes noise from time to time when you are not using it, that may be normal maintenance.

If Epson Scan 2 does not start or does not detect the scanner

Epson Scan 2 is usually installed together with the scanner driver or from the driver and utility package for your device.

After installation, these two programs usually appear:

Epson Scan 2 — the main scanning program.
Epson Scan 2 Utility — the program for selecting the scanner and checking the connection.

Shortcuts for these programs may appear only in the Start menu. Desktop shortcuts may not be created.

Make sure the device is turned on.
Make sure the USB cable or Wi-Fi network is working normally.
If the device is connected through a USB hub, connect it directly to the computer.
If the computer was in sleep mode, fully wake it up and launch Epson Scan 2 again.
Open the Start menu and launch Epson Scan 2 Utility.
Make sure the correct printer model is selected.
If scanning still does not work, in Epson Scan 2 Utility open the Other tab and click Reset.
After that, launch Epson Scan 2 again.

If the printer is connected over the network and scanning over Wi-Fi does not work, use Epson Scan 2 Utility to check and reset the connection. If scanning stopped working after a Windows update, reinstall the scanner driver and Epson Scan 2 from the support page for your model.

If the printer was just filled with ink for the first time

After the first fill, the printer charges the print head.

During this process, the power light may flash and the ink light may stay on. Do not turn the printer off until charging is finished.

If the process does not finish within about 20 minutes, turn the printer off, turn it on again, and check whether charging continues. If charging still does not finish, contact support.

If this is not the first fill, such a long process is usually not considered normal. If the printer keeps flashing for a long time, shows an error, or does not print after a normal refill, move to the troubleshooting steps above.

What the lights mean on Epson L3150, L3250, and L3251

The power light is on: the printer is turned on.
The power light is flashing: the printer is performing an operation. Wait until the flashing stops before turning the printer off.
The Wi-Fi light is on: the printer is connected to the wireless network.
The Wi-Fi Direct light is on: the printer is connected to a device through Wi-Fi Direct.
The ink light is on: the initial ink charging may not be complete.
The paper light is on: there is no paper or multiple sheets were fed. Load paper and press B&W Copy or Color Copy.
The paper light is flashing: there may be a paper jam. Remove the paper and press B&W Copy or Color Copy.
The Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi Direct lights are flashing: a Wi-Fi error occurred. Press Wi-Fi to clear the error and try connecting again.
All lights are flashing: a printer error occurred. Check whether there is paper or packing material inside, then turn the printer off and on again.
The ink and paper lights are on: the printer may have been turned off incorrectly. Press B&W Copy or Color Copy, then run a nozzle check and delete all stuck documents from the print queue.
The ink and paper lights flash at the same time: the service life of the waste ink pad is near the end or already ended.
The ink and paper lights are on, as well as Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi Direct: a firmware update error occurred. Connect the printer by USB and run the update again.

How to check the printer without a computer

Turn the printer off.
Load a few sheets of plain paper.
Press and hold Stop.
Without releasing it, press Power.
When the printer turns on, release both buttons.

The printer should print a test sheet.

The test sheet printed normally. That means the printer itself is working. The problem should be looked for in Windows, the cable, the settings, or the network.
The test sheet has gaps. You need to clean the print head.
The test sheet did not print at all. There may be a printer hardware problem.

How to clean the print head using the button on the printer

Make sure the printer is not showing an error.
Load a few sheets of plain paper.
Press and hold Stop for about 5 seconds.

Cleaning starts. During cleaning, the power light flashes. Do not turn the printer off until cleaning is complete.

After cleaning, run the nozzle check again. If there is no improvement after three cleanings in a row, turn the printer off and wait at least 12 hours. Then repeat the check.

Additional user tips

Important: this section contains unofficial user tips. They often help, but they are not part of Epson’s official instructions. First complete the official checks, and only then move to these options.

If you use USB, connect the printer to a rear USB port on the system unit instead of a front one.
If printing or scanning over Wi-Fi works unstably, temporarily disable VPN on the computer.
If the router broadcasts one shared network for 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz, try temporarily connecting the computer to the 2.4 GHz network.
If the printer disappears from Wi-Fi after changing the router, remove the old printer entry from Windows and install the device again.
If several similar Epson entries remain in Windows, remove the extra ones and keep only one working printer.
If print quality improved after cleaning but gaps still remain, do not run many cleanings in a row. Let the printer sit for a few hours, and only then test again.
If Epson Scan 2 does not detect the scanner, open Epson Scan 2 Utility first, check the selected device there, and only then launch Epson Scan 2.
If one document gets stuck again and again, first try printing a plain text file. This helps determine whether the problem is with the printer itself or only with one specific program.

When it is better to contact service

The test sheet will not print at all without a computer.
Print quality does not improve after several cleanings.
The paper light keeps flashing after the jammed paper was removed.
The printer keeps showing an error for a long time after a normal refill.
The waste ink pad related lights are flashing.
Printing, copying, or scanning still does not work after removing and adding the printer again.

Brief conclusion

First check the connection, USB or Wi-Fi, the print queue, offline mode, and the default printer in Windows. If that does not help, print a test sheet without a computer. If printing works but scanning does not start, first open Epson Scan 2 Utility and check whether your device is selected there.