If your printer suddenly starts printing blank pages, it may not necessarily be that you’ve run out of ink. Try these potential fixes first.

It can be distressing when you need documents printed, but your printer won’t comply. And if it is printing blank pages all of a sudden, the problem might not be immediately apparent.

But there are a few fixes and workarounds you can try to stop your printer from printing blank pages. Here’s what you can do to get your printer working properly again.

To check whether the problem is with your printer, run a test print. This can help you isolate the underlying issue. Maybe the print heads are not aligned, or there is inconsistent ink flow. Printing a test page can help you find out.

Here’s how to print a test page on Windows:

Follow these steps to print a test page on Mac:

Many times, a simple reset can resolve the issue. Restarting your printer and rebooting your PC may clear up the issue that causes your printer to print blank pages. Here’s what you should do:

The first step here is to ensure your ink cartridges are installed properly. Refer to your printer manual to remove and inspect them for any damage or incorrect installation.

If your cartridge is new, check to see whether the protective plastic has been taken off as it should be. Once you’ve made sure that your printer’s cartridges are properly fitted, check their ink levels.

Follow these steps to check ink levels on Windows:

Here’s how to check printer ink levels on Mac:

Some printers allow you to check these levels directly from the screen on the printer. Here’s how to do that:

If the levels are low, you may need to change your ink or toner cartridges. Consult your manual on how to install printer cartridges.

The print head sits on the bottom of the cartridge and sprays ink onto the paper through microscopic holes. These tiny holes can get clogged, leading to imperfect or disordered printing. Simple clogs can often be cleared up by running a cleaning cycle, and here’s how. Just make sure to have paper inserted in the printing in-tray.

With more serious clogs, you’ll need to get hands-on. You can try cleaning the offending cartridge with a paper towel and moistening it with an alcohol-based solvent. Just make sure not to handle the electrical contacts on your cartridge, as this might render it unusable.

If your printer’s cartridges have not been installed properly, it could lead to misaligned or skewed printing. To align your printer’s cartridges, follow these steps on Windows:

Again, make sure to have paper inserted into the printer before you start.

Running a troubleshooter for your printer should, in most cases, be able to identify and resolve the issue. Here’s how to run the printer troubleshooter:

Printer manufacturers often update their drivers. To keep your printer up to date, visit the driver webpage of your printer’s manufacturer and look for your model. Download and install the latest printer drivers and print a one-page document to check whether this has resolved the problem.

If you have conflicting drivers on your Mac, follow this guide on finding and correcting potential driver conflicts.

Printer spooling generally allows for printing tasks to be completed faster and in the background, so they don’t use a lot of resources at once. But sometimes, it can also lead to blank or nearly blank pages being printed. Here’s how to disable printer spooling on Windows.

Certain print settings can play havoc with your prints. Try this Word-specific solution: uncheck the option to print only the data from a form under Microsoft Word’s advanced options.

Some printing errors can be caused due to missing or improperly installed fonts. Check to see whether the document you are trying to print has custom fonts. If it does, you may need to reinstall them for your prints to be accurate. There are many resources online where you can get free fonts.

Errors in printing can cause you a lot of stress, partly because printers are complicated machines. But with these easy troubleshooting tips to solve the issue of your printer printing blank pages, you should be back to normal, hassle-free printing.

Anindra has spent his career writing and editing for the web (tech, video games and health websites) and print (newspaper and magazine content). When not background-editing anything he can get his hands on or that falls upon his ear, he enjoys science fiction, English literature and just about anything that's Quite Interesting.

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