Why is My Printer Printing So Slow all of a Sudden
Your printer has been working fine until recently.
Suddenly, you notice that your printer experiences very slow printing or even stops printing altogether.
Sounds familiar?
This might seem inconvenient, but it can also cause serious problems. If you don’t take action soon, you may face costly repairs!
So what should you do to resolve the “why is my printer printing so slow all of a sudden” issue?
In this article, we’ll discuss exactly the same thing – the slow printing issues that people face and their solutions:
What Causes a Printer to Print Slow and How do you fix a Slow Printing issue Step-by-Step
There can be a few different reasons for slow printing. You just need to be aware of the possibilities and troubleshoot one by one.
Let’s see Step-by-Step, what are the common possible reasons for printer being very slow:
Step 1: Check if you have a Network Connectivity issue
First things to check would be off-the-printer factors!
If you’ve suddenly diagnosed your printer with slow printing issue, it could be because your network has become congested.
To fix this problem, first check the network cable is in good condition. Or if you are using a wireless connection, troubleshoot the connection for issues like signal strength.
Most old printers use either an Ethernet cable or a USB cable. Advanced printers have wi-fi or Bluetooth connectivity as well.
To fix network issues simply disconnect and reconnect to the network router or modem.
If you’re still having trouble, consider resetting your modem.
If that too doesn’t help, you can make sure the problem is with the printer. So let’s now look at the on-printer-factors one by one.
Step 2: The Slow Printing may be caused due to a Paper Jam
One of the most common cause of slow printing speed is a paper jam.
If you notice that your printer prints slowly all of a sudden, check if any pages are stuck inside the feeder.
Most printers show a paper jam alert and stop printing, but sometimes they don’t detect the paper if it is of a smaller size or too thin.
Pull out the page(s) one at a time and try again. Carefully look for any small bits of paper stuck somewhere inside.
If this doesn’t resolve the issue, let’s move on to the next one.
Step 3: It’s been a while since the printer was rebooted
If it’s not been unplugged for long, there is a chance that your printer badly needs a restart.
Simply rebooting kind of refreshes electronic devices and it works most of the time!
Try unplugging it from the power source, wait for a few seconds and plug it back in again.
If this too doesn’t fix it, let’s check some other possibilities…
Step 4: You’re using an outdated firmware or driver software
This is more probable to happen as your printer gets older. But it can happen even if you’ve got a new printer, don’t panic!
It could be a simple issue with a pending software or firmware update, or may also be caused due to a recent OS update, that caused a compatibility issue with the printer driver.
Try resetting the device and check if any driver updates are available. If not, try downloading the latest version of the printer driver and reinstall it.
If this doesn’t fix the problem, it’s better to contact the customer support if your printer is a new one.
Else, let’s move on to the next one.
Step 5: Check the Printer Cartridge or Ink Levels
Sometimes if your printer is running low on ink or toner can cause the problem.
Some printers are designed to slow down to conserve ink consumption when the ink or toner level goes below a threshold.
Also, try checking if the cartridge has dried out. If so, just treat it with some warm water, it should come away easily.
If the cartridge cleaning doesn’t work, it may be required to replace it.
Step 6: Check the Print Settings if everything is alright
Sometimes the cause of slow printing speeds is just using a wrong paper type or printing mode.
Or even if you have selected to print in a very high quality, or you’re printing in color mode, it can take longer to print.
If the high quality or color print is not required, just try lowering the settings or reset to the default print settings and you should be fine.
In order to change to the default setting, click on “Settings” and then select “Printer Preferences” from the drop down menu.
If you’ve switched to a different printer, check whether it supports the same file types.
Step 7: Print Spooler Service must be Restarted
The Windows Print Spooler Service (spoolsv.exe) is responsible for managing the print jobs submitted by applications like Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.
If this service becomes unresponsive, it will cause problems with any application that uses it. To fix this problem, restart the spooler service.
Step 8: Printing Large Files can Result in Slow Printing
Printing large files can also cause slow printing issues.
If you’re printing a large document or photo, it can take longer to print. This is because the printer has to process a lot of data before it can print the file.
To fix this issue, you can try breaking the file into smaller sections if possible, and printing them separately.
You can also try reducing the size of the file by compressing it. This should help to speed up the printing process.
Step 9: Sometimes, Just a Head Clean Up is More than Enough
Try to get a head cleanup process done and print a test page. You can see the slow printing issue is fixed.
Don’t ask why, it just works!
In addition, make sure to clean out the paper tray and other parts of your printer. Also, try using a new cartridge, if possible.
Why isn’t my HP printer printing in a clear manner?
The most common cause of poor print quality is ink cartridge failure.
If you notice that your cartridges are running out quickly, it may be time to replace them.
What is printer spooling, and how does it work?
Printer spooling refers to the process by which printers place print order in queue and manage multiple requests.
Printers have very little memory, so they rely on intermediary software for spooling in order to carry out the print jobs effectively.
How to fix Brother printer slow printing error in windows 10
On Windows, search for printers by typing “printers.”
Click Printers & Scanners in the list of results to open the page for printers and scanners.
On the printer’s page, click on the printer’s name. Then, click Manage. Click Print Preferences.
Choose either “Paper” for the paper type or “Paper” if you want Make sure Plain paper is selected in the Type or Paper Type drop down menu.
Next, adjust the printer settings to increase printing speed.
For Brother printers, click on the Print Quality field. Select either Draft or Normal.
Click OK or Apply if you want to confirm the change. Print a page. If the problem persists, continue to the following steps.
Why are the prints on my HP Photosmart printer blurry?
The most common cause of this problem is a damaged photo sensor chip.
This causes the printer to print out images at a lower resolution than intended.
If you don’t know what to look for, it’s best to take it into a repair shop.
Why is my wireless printer printing so slow
Wireless printers are usually slower than wired ones because they use less power and do not use wires to connect them to other devices.
However, wireless printers can be faster when they are connected directly to a computer or smartphone via Bluetooth.
If you want to speed up your wireless printer, try turning off some features such as automatic color correction, or turning off the auto-duplex feature.
Wrapping Up
It’s possible that a variety of factors are contributing to your printer slowness. By knowing the exact reasons Why is my Printer Printing So Slow all of a Sudden, and following this step-by-step troubleshooting process, you can definitely fix the issue.
We hope this article was useful to you, and if you have any questions, please ask them in the comment section below.
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