The 54 Standard Network error can arise for a number of reasons such as a bad network cable or a fault within the printer. If the fault lies with the printer, it is most likely to be in the network firmware.

The standard network firmware on a Lexmark printer is stored in a Non-Volatile RAM chip (NVRAM) on the controller board (formatter board or Raster Image Processing (RIP) board). If the printer has an optional internal print server installed in one of its expansion slots , the error may refer to a problem with the NVRAM chip on the optional board.

Sometimes the network firmware can be corrupted by a power surge or other network communications problem. In such situations, it may be possible to fix the problem by reinstalling the network firmware. The following procedure is suggested by Lexmark (Lexmark Knowledge Base).

1. When you encounter this error, the first thing to do is to power the printer off. Let it sit turned off for at least 15 seconds and then power it back on.
2. If the 54 error does not return, continue using the printer. The issue may have been caused by a temporary communication problem.



3. If powering off and on the printer does not clear the error or if the 54 error returns, there is a network communication failure. The failure may be with the printer, or with one or more of the computers or cables.



4. First check to see if this is a printer hardware problem:


• Power off the printer.
• Disconnect all communication cables from the printer. Leave the power cord as the ONLY cord or cable going into the printer.
• Power on the printer. See if the error returns.
• If you can turn on the printer and the printer displays Ready, the hardware of the printer is probably okay.
  If the error returns, there is a problem with one of the cards/boards inside the printer.


5. If the 54 error returns without any cables installed, check to see if the error was caused by a network card that was not fully installed:



• Power off the printer again.
• Reseat/reinstall any and all optional network cards in the printer.
• Power the printer back on.
• If this does not clear the error message, power off the printer again.
• This time, REMOVE all of the optional network cards in the printer.
• Power the printer back on. If the 54 error goes away now, the problem is with one of the optional network cards.
• If you have more than one of these cards, reinstall them one at a time. Note: Have the printer turned off when you install each network card.
• When you see the 54 error, you have found the problem card.


6. Even if the hardware of the printer appears to be the cause of the 54 error, we still recommend you try upgrading the firmware on the network card. This is especially true if your printer is out of warranty and you have to pay for service. For directions on how to do this, click here.



• Power off the printer and reconnect the cables.
• Power the printer back on and continue using it.
• If the printer worked fine with no cables installed and the error returns after you reconnect the cables, there is a problem with either the cables or the computer/software.
• If the 54 error is intermittent, try a new set of cables.
• If the 54 error continues to return intermittently after the cables have been replaced, you probably have a software problem. Try reinstalling the network firmware. For directions on how to do this, click here.


7. If you receive this 54 error and you have no optional network cards installed AND there are no cables connected to the printer, there is an issue with the main network-ready controller board in the printer. Note: If the main board is the cause of the failure, the error will always read 54 Standard Network.

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