Why Is My Printer Printing Blank Pages and How To Fix It?

Printers are not the most sophisticated tools to use. But they can be very difficult to handle when anything goes wrong even slightly. Hence, understanding how to handle the troubles of printers is as important as learning how to use them.

Printing blank pages is one of the most common problems faced by users. This may affect our work greatly and make things difficult. It is really hard to understand why our perfectly working printer is showing such a strange phenomenon, maybe all of a sudden. 

But not anymore! Here, we have tried to cover almost every detail regarding the printer malfunction where it prints blank pages. Read the complete article to understand the various reasons for this issue and easy solutions to fix it. 

Why Is My Printer Printing Blank Pages?

There can be multiple reasons for a printer printing blank pages rather than your required content. It can be an error with your printer or the computer. Here are some common reasons for a printer printing blank pages:

• Your printer is placed on a tilted or angled surface. 
• You are using old or low ink cartridges.
• The yellow tapes from the cartridges were not removed before installation. 
• You use paper that does not meet product specifications (like transparencies).
• The nozzles of cartridges are clogged. 
• The cartridges have displaced from their proper place. 
• The paper layout, orientation, or size are incorrect in your printer software settings. 
• The wrong number of papers are inserted into the input tray.
• The document you want to be printed contains blank pages. 

In addition to these issues, printer driver problems can also cause the printing of blank pages. 

Printer Driver Problems 

Printer driver errors are most common among every printer and the error “Windows failed to recognize the new hardware” has been seen at least once by most users. The major reasons for this error are:

• The printer driver has not been installed properly. 
• The driver is not compatible with the connected device. 
• The driver is entered incorrectly in the Windows registry.
• There is a malware infection in your driver files. 

Two major errors are occurring as a result of driver issues they are:

1. “Windows Explorer has encountered a problem and needs to close. We are sorry for any inconvenience.”
2. “Spooler Subsystem has stopped working”. 

One or many of these situations can contribute to the incorrect functioning of your printer. Understanding the issue is the first step you need to do while encountering the problem. 

What to do if your Printer Is Printing Blank Pages?

When your printer prints blank pages, don’t make a big fuss out of it and run to the store to fix the issue. It is quite common and there are many ways to resolve it. Some of the solutions that you can try out are mentioned below. 

Solution 1: Restarting your printer 

Switching off the printer device and back on again is the first method you should try for any error with the printer. It may be because of a slight connectivity issue that can be resolved by this action. Follow the given steps to restart your printer:

• Click and hold your printer power button and wait for it to switch off.
• Remove the power cord from the socket and reconnect it after 3 minutes.
• Turn on the device by pressing the power button.

Solution 2: Fixing ink cartridge issues 

There can be many Ink cartridge issues. The issue where the printer prints blank pages can be caused by any of the ink cartridge problems.

Empty Cartridges 

Make sure that your ink cartridges are not empty from the last usage. Enough toner level is necessary for printing. Check the ink level in regular intervals to ensure that empty ink will not affect your work.

Dislodged Cartridge 

If your cartridge is disoriented from its actual position, it can prevent printing. Removing and reinstalling the cartridges may help in resolving this issue by completing the circuit and putting things to normal.

Air trapped inside the cartridge

If there is air trapped inside the cartridge, it can prevent proper printing. For preventing this, make sure that the yellow tape from the cartridges is removed before installation. Also, you can try wrapping the cartridge in an absorbent paper towel and shaking lightly.  

Solution 3: Clean the Print Head

Clogging of print heads can also be a reason to print blank pages. You can unclog the print head using manual or automatic methods.

Automatic Cleaning

If you own an inkjet printer, then you can use the automatic cleaning feature to unclog the print head. The printer’s automatic cleaning cycle can be activated from the control panel of your printer or the Printer Properties of your computer. If the simple cleaning doesn’t work, use the deep cleaning feature.

Manual Cleaning

You can also try cleaning the print head manually by using a smooth cloth dipped in warm water. Use protective gloves if you are cleaning the removable print heads to avoid direct contact with the ink.

Solution 4: Updating your printer driver 

Installing the latest printer driver or updating the existing driver can rectify any issues regarding the driver. 

Installing the latest driver 

Installing the latest version from the device folder may help in resolving its issues. 

From the printers folder:

For installation, follow the given steps:

Step 1: Search for Device Manager in the desktop search panel.

Step 2: Find the Printer queues option.

Step 3: Right-click on the driver you want to install.

Step 4: Select Properties and then Advanced.

Step 5: Select the New Driver Tab. 

Step 6: Then, follow the instructions given for complete installation. 

From the manufacturer:

For the installation of a new driver from the manufacturer, follow the given steps:

Step 1: Visit the printer manufacturer’s website.

Step 2: Search for printer drivers.

Step 3: Choose the right driver.

Step 4: Download and install the driver. 

Update the driver 

After installation, you will automatically receive notifications for updates. Here is how you can set up the update in Windows:

Step 1: Click on the Start icon.

Step 2: Search for Update in the search bar. 

Step 3: Click on the Check for updates option.

Step 4: From the available updates, you can choose the correct driver and click update. 

Solution 5: Configuring the Print Spooler Service

Restarting the Printer Spooler in Windows is a solution to the printer issues. This is because when the files in the printer spooler are numerous, the interaction with the computer and printer will be flawed which can lead to defective printing. For restarting the printer spooler in Windows 10, follow the steps given below:

• Click on the search bar on Windows desktop.
• Type services.msc and press enter. 
• Find Print Spooler from the menu.
• Choose the option Restart the service from the left pane.
• The service will be restarted. 

Solution 6: Running the Troubleshooting for your Printer 

Troubleshooting your printer is a great way to resolve any printer-related issues. You can troubleshoot common problems using Windows 10 troubleshooter. Here are the steps to follow while troubleshooting with Windows. 

• Right-click on the Windows Start button.
• Choose Settings and go to Update & Security.

• Click on the Troubleshooting option from the left pane. 

• Choose the Additional Troubleshooters option from there and click on Printer.
• Tap on Run the Troubleshooter and choose your printer from the list. 

The troubleshooting will then begin to detect any issues and recommend the right solutions. 

Conclusion 

Having blank pages come in between your prints is one of the most annoying issues in printers. This can interrupt our work and cause a great deal of difficulty. If a completely blank page goes unnoticed, it can result in the loss of important content that we require. When you have to print urgent documents, always make sure that no page is blank.

Taking troubleshooting precautions is a great way to avoid this blank page printing problem. Ensure that the print head is clean, the ink toner is sufficiently full, the driver is properly installed, and all connections are made. In most cases, if you take necessary precautions, blank page printing can be prevented.

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