Share via

Why does LPDSVC periodically stop accepting printer jobs?

Vassil Daskalov 1 Reputation point
2023-04-21T15:10:30.71+00:00

Hello. I'm having a weird problem with LPR-compatible network printing in Windows. So, I have a machine running Windows 10 Professional, which is named COMP62, and its IP address is 192.168.1.62 . This machine has IPv6 disabled. It has LPDSVC installed and is used as LPR-compatible network print server. It has a printer Epson LX-350 attached, which is named as "Epson1" in the Printers Folder, and is shared as "EPSON". Other Windows machines on the network need to print on this printer. They access the printer using a "Standard TCP/IP port", set to connect to hostname COMP62, protocol LPR, port 515, Queue Name=EPSON. This setup actually works, rather amazingly. However, it works for only about two weeks, after which it stops working. Now it doesn't work. I'll try to describe the symptoms. First and foremost, the print jobs don't get printed. Executed from COMP62, the commands "lpq -S 192.168.1.62 -P epson" and "lpq -S 192.168.1.62 -P epson1" return "specified printer does not exist". Executed from COMP62, the commands "lpq -S 127.0.0.1 -P epson" and "lpq -S 127.0.0.1 -P epson1" do work, returning an empty list of jobs. Executed from COMP62, the commands "lpq -S ::1 -P epson" and "lpq -S ::1 -P epson1" do work, returning an empty list of jobs. Executed from other machines, the commands "lpq -S 192.168.1.62 -P epson" and "lpq -S 192.168.1.62 -P epson1" return "specified printer does not exist". Executed from other machines, the commands "lpq -S COMP62 -P epson" and "lpq -S COMP62 -P epson1" return "specified printer does not exist". In the event log on COMP62, there are events with event ID 4009, with text like "The Line Printer Daemon (LPD) service refused a print job from 192.168.1.78 for printer \192.168.1.62\epson because the specified printer does not exist on this computer. Retry printing from the client using the correct printer name." The printer "EPSON", however, exists on COMP62 and prints locally without a problem. This is the second time when the problem happened. The first time, I couldn't find a solution, but I reinstalled Windows on COMP62 and voila, the problem disappeared... for two weeks. I wonder, is there another solution than reinstalling Windows, because, to be honest, it's tedious. I'm adding "Windows Server Printing" tag because, although the problem happens in Windows 10, I believe that the protocols involved are present in Windows Server without any change, so the problem will most probably be relevant to Windows Server too.

Windows for business | Windows Client for IT Pros | Networking | Network connectivity and file sharing
Windows for business | Windows Server | User experience | Print jobs
0 comments

4 answers

Sort by: Most helpful
Most helpful Newest Oldest
  1. Limitless Technology 45,011 Reputation points
    2023-04-24T14:11:05.52+00:00

    Hi, I'd be happy to help you out with your question. Sorry for the inconvenience caused. There are a few potential causes of this issue. It's possible that there's a problem with the LPDSVC service itself, the printer driver or configuration, or the network connection between your machines. To start with, I recommend restarting the LPDSVC service on COMP62 by going to the Services app in Windows and finding the "Line Printer Daemon" service. Click "Restart" and see if that resolves the issue. If that doesn't work, you may need to reinstall the printer driver on COMP62 or reconfigure the printer settings. You can also check the network connection between your machines by pinging COMP62 from the other machines to make sure the connection is working properly. If none of these solutions work, reinstalling Windows on COMP62 may be necessary as a last resort. Just make sure to back up any important data beforehand to avoid losing any files. If you have any other questions or need assistance with anything, please don't hesitate to let me know. I'm here to help.

    If the reply was helpful, please don’t forget to upvote or accept as answer, thank you.

    0 comments
  2. Vassil Daskalov 1 Reputation point
    2023-04-27T15:11:53.5966667+00:00

    Hello. Thanks you for the suggestions. I'll try to apply them and see what happens.

    Sorry for the inconvenience caused.

    Why, did you participate in the creation of LPDSVC? :)

    There are a few potential causes of this issue. It's possible that there's a problem with the LPDSVC service itself, the printer driver or configuration, or the network connection between your machines.

    IMHO, the network is fine at that location, and about the driver, I don't remember it acting funky except in this case. The must be the LPDSVC itself, its lack of proper documentation, and its apparent tendency to bind to the network interfaces of its liking, but NOT to the rest of them, for some weird reason.

    To start with, I recommend restarting the LPDSVC service on COMP62 by going to the Services app in Windows and finding the "Line Printer Daemon" service. Click "Restart" and see if that resolves the issue.

    Yeah, I restarted the service itself and the whole machine multiple times, without any effect.

    you may need to reinstall the printer driver on COMP62 or reconfigure the printer settings.

    I uninstalled the driver, then reinstalled it, and connected the printer to another USB port. Didn't help.

    You can also check the network connection between your machines by pinging COMP62 from the other machines to make sure the connection is working properly

    Yes, the network seems to work just fine. Ping times with large packets between machines are low and stable. I have no reason to suspect the network at all.

    reinstalling Windows on COMP62 may be necessary as a last resort

    Yes, I thought so. It will most probably solve the problem... but I wondered if there was another solution.

    Thanks for your answer.

    0 comments
  3. Heriberto Macedo 0 Reputation points
    2025-07-01T21:13:05.91+00:00

    Hello Vasil

    Nice to meet you, did you found a solution for this problem?

    its happening to me but at Windows Print server , not on computer.

    0 comments
  4. Alan Morris 1,341 Reputation points
    2025-10-01T12:56:33.81+00:00

    I made sure Windows LPD was placed on the deprecation list with the release of Windows 8 / Server 2012. No one ever removed the installer so you can still us LPD. I actually used it every day, but it had very little care from the team authoring the service and after the spooler team took ownership had even less care. There are other free LPD services in the wild. That's how I convinced the Windows Server team to mark for deprecation. Let me know if you want an alternate but you may already figured this out. Thanks

    0 comments

Your answer

Answers can be marked as 'Accepted' by the question author and 'Recommended' by moderators, which helps users know the answer solved the author's problem.