Does your HP printer keep printing blank pages? We understand this problem gives you a certain amount of nightmare, but it is a very error. One should fix it at their own convenience. Yes! We understand that your HP printer has ink but prints blank pages. That’s why we have curated this post, to provide all sorts of possible fixes.
Before that let’s answer some of your questions before we head for a solution :.
Why is my HP Printer Printing Blank Pages?
There are various causes of this problem. Let’s understand each cause one of one :
Empty Ink Cartridge – It is possible that your ink cartridge is empty or dried up. It happens when you are using your printer after a long time. At times, the ink-levels may not get highlighted on the printer’s indicators. If you’re using the printer after a decent hiatus, always check the ink cartridge. Always ensure that there is enough ink to sustain the printing task. If not, it’s time to change.
When your ink cartridge is electronically isolated – Even an ink cartridge has enough ammo to print pages but still, your HP printer printing blank pages. The reason being, a cartridge may have partially or fully lost electrical contact with the printer. The simplest hack is realigning the cartridge again. This may complete an electrical circuit and ensure the machine prints as normal.
Incorrect Paper Size – If you have accidentally changed the paper size settings for a certain task without resetting to its default dimensions. In such cases, the HP printer only prints blank pages. Go into Print Preview or the print settings and make sure the correct paper size is selected.
Clogged Nozzles – When enough carbon builds on the inside of the nozzle it can start to narrow the width of the nozzle opening. Thus begins to impede the flow of ink on the paper which could clog the nozzle.
Print Spooler issue – As you all know, the print spooler is the software program that manages the print jobs that are currently waiting to be printed. It manages the queue of all print jobs currently being sent to the computer printer. If the print spooler gets corrupted, it affects the functionality of the printer.
As we have given you enough reasons for what causes ‘hp printer printing blank pages’ issue, let’s understand how to resolve this problem without taking your printer to any nearest service center.
How to fix HP Printer that Prints Blank Pages?
There are in total five solutions to get rid of this problem. Please make sure that you follow these steps in the order it is mentioned here. Let’s get started
Solution # 1 – Run the Window Printer Troubleshooter
If your HP printer is only printing blank pages, then try to run the troubleshooting program. A printer troubleshooter is a Microsoft in-built utility program that can automatically detect the trouble and diagnose accordingly. This hack applies to the Windows operating system 7 or higher versions. Here are the steps :
- Press the Windows icon key on your keyboard and type ‘troubleshooting’ in the search field.
- Select the ‘Troubleshooting’ option from the given list.
- In the ‘Hardware and Sound’ section, click to select ‘Use a printer’ option.
- A new window pop up appears that says ‘printer troubleshooting problem’. Click the Next button to proceed.
- A troubleshoot program to start running on the system, detecting the potential problem along with auto-instruction that will appear on the screen. Wait until it finishes.
- Once the troubleshooting is done, test a printing task to see if it fixes the problem.
Solution # 2 – Update your Printer Driver
Another reason for your HP printer is printing blank pages is when your printer related drivers are outdated. Any driver in the system helps to maintain the connection between the operating system and the peripherals attached to it. It is essential as always, to update your drivers. Therefore, an outdated printer’s drivers lead to many errors, thus affecting the functionality of your printer. To update the printer’s driver on Windows 7 or above, follow these steps :
- Go to Control Panel tab
- In the ‘Hardware and Sound’ section, click to select Device Manager. It will show the list of all aligned hardware on your machine.
- Click to select your HP printer model from the list. Right-click to choose the ‘Update Driver’ button.
- By clicking on the Update Driver button, your system will automatically search for the updates available in your external storage.
- In case, you don’t see the ‘Update Drivers’ option, visit the HP support website to download its latest version in relevance to your HP model.
- Once the driver is updated, reboot the system to save the configuration.
- Restart the printer as well, wait until it remains silent and idle.
- Test to print a page, and see if it resolves the problem.
If not, follow the next solution where we try to configure print spooler service.
Solution # 3 – Configure Print Spooler Service
Still, the HP printer keeps printing blank pages? Such an issue occurs when the print spooler setup files are damaged, corrupted, or may be missing from the system. Try to restore your print spooler service files. Do the following :
- Hit the Window icon button and press typer ‘service’ in the search field.
- Select the ‘services’ application from the list.
- A new window pops up. From the list of options available, double click on Print Spooler.
- A print spooler properties window will appear. Hit the Stop button and then click OK.
- Now go to My Computers tab. If you can’t locate it simply press windows and ‘E’ key together.
- Go to C drive>Windows folder>System 32 folder>spool folder>PRINTERS folder.
- Once you click the PRINTERS folder, you would be prompted by permission to click Continue.
- Delete all the files from the folder. These files are actually the print data history and the cached data. This will also remove all the tasks that are waiting to be printed.
- Once done, go to the Service tab again by typing ‘Services’ in the field app.
- Double click Print Spooler.
- A print spooler properties window will appear. Hit the Start button and then click OK.
- Try to print a page to see if it resolves this concern.
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Solution # 4 – Check Your Ink Cartridge
If your HP printer keeps printing blank pages, you should access the health of your ink cartridges.
- Check whether your ink cartridges are clogged – A clogged ink cartridge may bar your printer from functioning properly. To fix that, clean your cartridge from the printer’s control panel or clean it manually.
- Asses the ink level on your printer – If you are getting a blank page issue, assess the ink level. It could be a dropping ink level or an empty cartridge which is causing such trouble. On most of the HP printers, ink levels can be reviewed from the in-built indicators.
- Remove and reinstall Ink Cartridge – Any dysfunctional ink cartridge is also the potential reason behind any printer delivering blank pages. Remove your ink cartridges to check if any of them are defective. If you find any damaged cartridges, replace it. It could be that your ink cartridge must be in good shape, but the source of problem could be a poor connection with your printer. To fix it, remove and reinstall the cartridge.
If still, all the above solution didn’t fix your issue, then it’s time to seek professional help. Reach out to our technical team at Errosdoc.com. Our specialists will take the stock of the situation and willingly provide you a lasting solution…all for free! Let us know what other tech-related errors you’re experiencing within the comment section below.