HP printers are undoubtedly feature-rich and high performing. So, if you find something wrong with them, you can feel quite confused. Sometimes, people notice their HP printer printing blank pages. This problem can potentially bring their work activities to a standstill. But before you feel anxious, you must read about the various fixes for it. You can implement many simple measures and make your printer work efficiently again. In this article, you’ll find all the reasons and a detailed troubleshooting guide for this HP printer issue.
Why Is My HP Printer Printing Blank Pages?
The causes of this problem can range from incorrect printing paper size to improperly installed cartridges and corrupt drivers. Knowing about them is essential to troubleshoot the problem.
- Wrong printing paper size – You will get a blank output if you don’t use the right size of paper.
- Software issues can lead to an empty output.
- Clogged printer nozzles – When the ink dries, the nozzles of the HP printer get clogged. It will yield you blank pages.
- Improper printer cartridge installation is also another cause of HP printing blank pages.
- An outdated or faulty printer driver is another culprit.
- Depleted ink levels will never allow you to see quality printouts from your HP device.
Troubleshoot the HP Printer Printing Blank Pages Issue
After understanding the causes, you can begin fixing the problem. Here are the best resolutions you can try out.
1. Use genuine HP cartridges
HP strongly recommends you use only original cartridges from its brand for printing purposes. Original cartridges do not cause any damage to the printer. Moreover, it also enhances the longevity of printer and minimizes the likelihood of printing errors.
2. Inspect ink levels in the printer
The problem of getting blank prints can also be because of the low ink levels in your printer. You can examine the ink levels by following the steps here.
- Insert the plain paper into the printer tray.
- In the Control Panel, hit the button beside the setup icon.
- Navigate to the ‘Tools’ option and hit ‘OK.’
- Select ‘Estimated ink levels’ and hit ‘OK.’
- If the ink levels are low, it may be why your HP printer prints blank pages. In this case, you need new ink cartridges.
3. Update the driver
The driver is a program that allows your hardware and computer to work optimally. If it is not installed correctly, you’ll face many issues like the printer printing blank pages. You must update your driver whenever you find any problem with your printer. Here are the steps to install the HP driver manually.
- Navigate to the HP support website.
- Locate the driver that corresponds with your Windows version.
- Download the driver. After downloading the correct drivers, double-tap on the downloaded files.
- Now install it by following the instructions appearing on your screen.
4. Inspect the ink cartridges
Your printer can give you a blank output when the cartridges don’t work optimally. So, you must check if they are clogged and if the connection between them and your HP printer is weak.
Blocked or clogged ink cartridges prevent your printer from functioning. So, you must clean them with the control panel of your device. If the connection between your HP cartridges and printer is flimsy, then also you’ll face many issues. To reinstall cartridges, follow these points.
- Remove the cartridges.
- Examine if any of them are defective.
- If there are any damaged ones, replace them.
- But if all the cartridges are in decent condition, reinstall them.
- Check that the cartridges are fine and print a page.
5. Align the HP cartridges
Misaligned cartridges can prompt your printer to function erratically. You will complain “my HP printer is printing blank pages” because of this reason.
So align the cartridges to receive a good output.
- Firstly, turn on your printer and load the paper.
- Hit the button beside the ‘Setup‘ icon. Its present in the lower-left part of the control panel.
- Using the right arrow button, choose ‘Tools‘ followed by ‘OK.’
- Use the right arrow button again to choose ‘Align Printer.’
- Now touch ‘OK.’ Your printer will give you an alignment page.
- Lift the lid of the device.
- Position the alignment page with its printer side down on the right part of the scanning glass.
- Close the lid and hit ‘OK.’
- Wait till your printing device scans the alignment sheet.
6. Clean the printhead via an automated tool
You can employ an automated tool to clean your printhead. It will make your HP device give you a quality output.
- Firstly load white paper into the tray.
- Now hit the button next to the wrench icon of ‘Setup.’
- Now hit the right arrow button and opt for ‘Tools‘ followed by ‘OK.’
- Using the right arrow button, choose ‘Clean Printhead‘ and then touch ‘OK.’ Your printer will commence the cleaning task.
- A test page will get printed after the cleaning process. Review its quality. It must be as per your preferences.
7. Execute the troubleshooter.
Windows 10 users who find their HP printer printing blank pages can launch the troubleshooter to fix the issue. Follow the points below to run the troubleshooter.
- Navigate to the ‘Settings‘ of your device, and choose ‘Update & Security.’
- In the left-pane menu, click ‘Troubleshoot.’
- In the right-pane menu, tap ‘Printer.’
- Lastly, hit ‘Run the troubleshooter.’ The troubleshooter will take some time to detect the problem and fix it.
8. Adjust the print spooler service.
You may notice that your HP printer is printing blank pages when the print spooler files are damaged. So, configure the print spooler service to resolve the problem.
- Tap the Windows key + R simultaneously.
- Input’ services.msc’ in the Run dialog box and click ‘OK‘.
- Locate the ‘Print Spooler’ service in the ‘Services’ window.
- Double-click on ‘Print Spooler‘ and hit ‘Stop.’
- Confirm the changes by clicking ‘OK.’
- Open the File Explorer.
- Navigate to this location: C:\Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERS. Empty the entire folder.
- Navigate to ‘Services‘ and double-click ‘Print Spooler.’
- Hit ‘Start‘ when the new window appears.
- The startup type must be ‘Automatic.’
- Tap ‘OK.’
Final Words
Now, on finding your HP printer printing blank pages, you know the various techniques you can implement. All of them are effective in yielding you the results you desire. If you want a more speedy resolution it’s best to connect with professional printer technical support services. The technicians will resolve all your HP printer not printing problems in the shortest time.