Errors and problems in printers are not unusual. One of the widely encountered errors is printer printing blank pages. While printing several documents, you may find that your printer suddenly starts printing blank pages. Now the question is what is the logic behind such a phenomenon.

So let’s inform you that the most obvious reason behind this issue is empty cartridges. It is an inbuilt component of some printers to stop printing with a low level of ink in the cartridges. Not only these are the only reasons for this issue. There are many more causes behind the problem.

Reasons Behind Printer Printing Blank Pages

• Your printer may not support the size of paper you are using.
• Clogged nozzles in the printhead can lead to a low yield of cartridges.
• If the diameter of your printer nozzle is small, then the ink can get clogged easily. As a result, the printer fails to print.
• Ink in the cartridges dries up when you do not print on a regular basis. Hence, you get blank pages only.
• The printer may produce blank pages if you have not installed compatible drivers for your printer.
• Similarly, outdated, corrupted or faulty drivers can cause the same issue.
• Incorrect installation of cartridges in your printer can affect the printing work.
• You may face this problem if your printer does not have genuine cartridges.

Solutions To Fix HP Printer Printing Blank Pages

The problem is definitely very annoying especially if faced during busy working hours. If you wish to try and resolve the problem by yourself, go through mentioned fixes below.

Check Paper Size

1. Go to ‘Control Panel’ and open ‘Devices and Printers.’
2. Right-click on your printer and select ‘Print Preview.’
3. Check the paper size selected in the print settings. Change the paper size if it does not match with the size of the paper you are using.

Buy Genuine Cartridges

If you are using local cartridges, then you will need to replace them. They can not only stop your printer from printing but also cause a variety of problems.

1. Buy genuine cartridges from the manufacturer of your printer.
2. Check the authenticity and insert the cartridges into your printer.
3. Make a print test and if the printer continues to print blank pages, then move on to the next method.

Inspect And Replace The Cartridges

It involves the following steps:

1) Check The Ink Level In Cartridges

1. At first, place a sheet in the paper tray of your printer.
2. Press the ‘-‘ button beside the setup icon in the Control Panel.
3. Use the right-arrow button to select ‘Tool’ and press ‘OK’ button.
4. Press the right-arrow button once again to check the ‘Estimated ink levels.’
5. See the estimated ink level graphics to determine whether any of the cartridges are running short on ink or not.

2) Replace Empty or Low Ink Cartridges

1. Load a paper into your printer and power on the device.
2. Open the cartridge door and gently pull out the cartridges.
3. Check the icon on the cartridge and the cartridge slot in the printer. After that, place the cartridge to its appropriate slot.
4. Push the cartridge forward to set it properly in its respective slot. Repeat the same steps for replacing the rest of the cartridges.

3) Align The Printer

1. Power on the printer and load a paper in its paper tray.
2. Press the ‘-‘ button beside the setup icon in the Control Panel.
3. Use the right-arrow button to select ‘Tool’ and hit the ‘OK’ button.
4. Press the right-arrow once more to select ‘Align Printer’ and press ‘OK.’
5. Lift the printer lid and place the printed side of the alignment page on the right-front corner of the scanner glass.
6. Close the lid, press ‘OK’ and wait for the printer to finish the alignment process.

Clean Printhead

1. Turn on your printer and feed a white sheet into it.
2. Press the ‘-‘ button beside the setup icon in the Control Panel.
3. Touch the right-arrow button to select ‘Tool’ and press ‘OK.’
4. Press the right-arrow button to select ‘Clean Printhead’ and press ‘OK.’

Now check whether your printer is generating a printed page or not. If not, then follow the same procedures to conduct a second level cleaning.

Replace The Corrupted Cartridge

1. Load a white paper into the input tray and turn on your printer.
2. Open the cartridge door and gently pull out the cartridges.
3. Remove the new cartridge from its packaging and remove the plastic tape.
4. Check the icon on the cartridge and the cartridge slot in the printer. After that, put the cartridge to its appropriate slot.
5. Put the cartridge forward to set it properly in its respective slot.
6. Repeat the same steps for other cartridges also.
7. Now perform the same steps as you have in the first solution to carry on the alignment process.

Change Incompatible Printer Drivers And Update Them

Every system has a dedicated driver developed for them. Using an incompatible one, not only stops your printer from functioning properly but also can cause further system issues.

Automatic Update

1. Access ‘Control Panel’ and open ‘Devices and Printers.’
2. Select your printer from the list of devices and right-click on the printer and select ‘Properties.’
3. Now choose ‘New Driver’ and follow the wizard to download the driver.
4. Then select ‘Installer’ to set up the driver and reboot your computer.

Manual update

1. Go to Control Panel and choose ‘Hardware and sound.’
2. Click on ‘Device Manager’ and select ‘Imaging devices.’
3. Type the name of your printer manufacturer’s website. Enter the product name of the recommended driver and select ‘Downloaded drivers’.
4. Once your computer has downloaded the driver, run the installer to complete the setup process.