Unable to communicate with the printer at this time
System Preferences > Printers & Scanners
When you try to add a printer, or try to print to one you have added, you get this error message:
An error occurred while trying to add the selected printer.
Unable to communicate with the printer at this time.
I had this same problem with a pair of Macs (Studio and M1 mini). Same network, same printers, same version of macOS. One computer prints fine, the other returns this error. The bizarre part is that the computer correctly checks for, and reports, ink levels! So the error message is in error!
Two unrelated problems can cause this.
The first is an incomplete installation of printer drivers.
The solution for me was to re-install macOS Monterey on the problem computer.
To do this, you need to start in Recovery Mode.
With an M1 computer, turn off the computer. Then restart it while holding power button for 6 seconds. On the screen that appears, choose Options. Then Reinstall Monterey.
The second is caused by Xfinity/Comcast.
Our printer (in this case, an Epson) operates on 802.11 b at 2.4GHz.
A few months ago, without warning, XFinity split the Wi-Fi signal on its in-home routers — into two channels, 2.4GHz and 5GHz. It removed 802.11 b from the 2.4GHz band! SOLUTION: Using the web interface that Xfinity provides, access the settings for the cable “modem” and add 802.11 b to the 2.4GHz channel.
These answers might not work for everyone. But I hope it gives everyone some clues.
Mac mini 2018 or later
