Fix HP8720 Not Printing from Chromium on Ubuntu

If your HP OfficeJet 8720 prints fine from other apps but refuses to print from Chromium or Google Chrome on Ubuntu, the problem is almost always the browser’s built-in print preview or a missing CUPS driver. This guide walks you through the exact steps to get Chromium printing again, from checking the printer queue to switching to the correct driver.

What You’ll Need

Ubuntu (20.04 or newer) with administrative sudo access
HP OfficeJet 8720 connected via USB or network (Wi-Fi or Ethernet)
Chromium or Google Chrome installed
Basic comfort with the terminal (commands are provided)

Step-by-Step

Verify the printer works outside Chromium. Open the Documents app, print a test page, or use LibreOffice. If it prints there, the issue is browser-specific. If not, fix the printer first (see Troubleshooting).
Check if Chromium sees the printer. Open Chromium, press Ctrl+P, and look at the Destination list. If your HP8720 appears, select it and try printing. If it does not appear, continue.
Restart the CUPS service. In a terminal, run: sudo systemctl restart cups. Then close and reopen Chromium and try printing again.
Clear Chromium’s print preview cache. Go to chrome://settings/printing and click “Open Print Preview” to see if the printer appears. If not, try launching Chromium with a fresh profile: chromium --user-data-dir=/tmp/chromium-test (or google-chrome --user-data-dir=/tmp/chrome-test). If it works there, your main profile is corrupted – reset it by disabling extensions one by one.
Disable Chromium’s built-in print preview. Sometimes the preview blocks the CUPS dialog. Go to chrome://flags, search for “Print Preview”, set it to “Disabled”, and relaunch Chromium. Then try printing – the system dialog should appear.
Reinstall the HP driver. Run sudo apt install hplip to ensure the HP Linux Imaging and Printing software is installed. Then run hp-setup in the terminal and follow the wizard to re-add your printer. Choose “Network” or “USB” as appropriate.
Use the correct driver. In the setup wizard, when asked for the driver, select “HP OfficeJet 8720” from the list. If it’s not listed, choose “PostScript” (the 8720 supports it) or “HP OfficeJet Pro 8720” if available. Avoid the generic “HP Deskjet” driver.
Restart CUPS after driver change. Run sudo systemctl restart cups again, then try printing from Chromium.
Check the printer queue for stuck jobs. Open localhost:631 in a browser, click “Jobs”, and cancel any pending jobs. Stuck jobs can block new ones.
Try the “Save as PDF” workaround. If nothing else works, print to PDF from Chromium, then open the PDF in a viewer and print from there. This is a reliable fallback.

Common Mistakes

Using the wrong driver. The generic “HP Deskjet” driver often fails with the 8720. Always select the specific model or PostScript.
Not restarting CUPS after changes. CUPS caches driver info; a restart is essential after any modification.
Ignoring the print queue. A stuck job can silently block all new print jobs. Always check localhost:631 first.
Assuming it’s a Chromium issue. If the printer fails in other apps too, the problem is the printer or driver, not the browser.
Forgetting to disable extensions. Some ad-blockers or PDF viewers can interfere with printing. Test in incognito mode (with extensions off) to rule this out.

Tips

Keep HPLIP updated: sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade hplip.
Use a network connection instead of USB if possible – it avoids USB sleep issues.
Set the printer as default in CUPS (localhost:631 → Printers → Set As Default) to avoid selection errors.
If you use a firewall, allow port 631 for CUPS: sudo ufw allow 631.
Try the hp-plugin command to install proprietary plugins if HPLIP asks for them.

Troubleshooting

Printer not detected at all. Check the physical connection (USB cable or network). For network printers, verify the IP address is correct via hp-probe or by printing a network configuration page from the printer’s control panel. If using Wi-Fi, ensure the printer is on the same subnet as your computer.

Chromium shows “No destinations found”. This usually means CUPS isn’t running or the printer is not shared. Run sudo systemctl status cups to check. If it’s not active, start it with sudo systemctl start cups. Also, in localhost:631, go to Administration → Printers → check “Share This Printer”.

Print job stuck in queue. Cancel all jobs in localhost:631 → Jobs. If that fails, restart CUPS: sudo systemctl restart cups. If the job still shows, delete the printer and re-add it.

Printing is very slow or prints garbled text. This is a driver issue. Reinstall HPLIP and select the exact model driver. Also try switching from PostScript to PCL (or vice versa) in the driver options.

Chromium crashes when opening print dialog. Disable hardware acceleration in chrome://settings/system and restart Chromium. This is a known issue with some graphics drivers.

After updating Ubuntu, printing stops. Kernel updates can break HPLIP. Reinstall HPLIP and run hp-setup again. If that fails, check the HPLIP website for the latest version.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does my HP8720 print from LibreOffice but not Chromium?

Chromium uses its own print preview and sometimes fails to communicate with CUPS. The fix is usually to disable the built-in preview (Step 5) or reinstall the driver.

Do I need to install HPLIP if I already have a driver?

Yes, HPLIP provides the most reliable support for HP printers on Linux. Even if a basic driver works, HPLIP ensures full functionality.

Can I use the Windows driver with Wine?

No, that’s not recommended. Use the native Linux driver from HPLIP.

How do I check if my printer is connected via IP?

On the printer’s control panel, go to Network Settings → View Network Summary. The IP address will be listed. You can also use hp-probe in the terminal.

Why does the printer show as “idle” but not print?

Check the printer’s display for errors like “Paper Jam” or “Ink Empty”. Also check the CUPS queue for a paused job – right-click the job in localhost:631 and select “Resume”.

Is there a way to print without opening the print dialog?

You can use the command line: lp -d HP8720 filename.pdf. This bypasses Chromium entirely and can be a quick workaround.

General steps for current mainstream versions; menus can differ by device and version. See the disclaimer or report an error.

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