Printers are quite interesting instruments; they translate what we want into a physical form. Now and then they do have problems that may be related to them, the device sending the print, or the user. One problem that might be encountered is the printer keeps pausing during printing. This can be a problem because it takes up valuable time, especially when you are printing a lot of pages.
Fix Printer keeps pausing during printing
Printers can develop problems that cause them to work below what is expected. Users usually expect a printer to work continuously on a document that was sent to it. when a printer pauses or keeps pausing, this indicates that something may be wrong with the printer. Below are some reasons why your printer pauses when printing, along with the solutions.
- Print queue
- Very large document
- Low or depleted printer supplies
- Low-quality printer supplies
- Corrupt data
- Driver problems
1] Print queue
When you send a document to the printer to be printed, it goes through several steps. The document goes from the software that you were working on into the spool file on the disk, it then moves from the spool file. The operating system and the printer driver then communicate to get the file printed.
You can view the files in the print queue, by opening the print queue on the print management software. You can see the list of jobs waiting to be printed. Here you can pause or delete jobs that are waiting to be printed. If your print job keeps pausing check if another user placed your job on pause, especially if you are using a network printer.
Read: Backup Printer Drivers and Queues using Printer Migration Tool
2] Very large document
The document you send to the printer can be very large in page count, data, or both. Very large jobs can cause your printer to pause between pages printed to process the next page. Remember that printers do not have very large memory like your computer so large jobs can slow it down. You can check the print tray and see the pages printed. You can check to see what pages are remaining to be printed. This can tell you what pages are slowing down the printer or making it pause between printing. Depending on the printer that you have, you can increase the memory so that it can handle large jobs more easily. If the data is large, you may attempt to resize images in documents before sending them to the printer.
Read: Fix a Printer that won’t feed paper through
3] Low or depleted printer supplies
Your printer may pause during printing if it is low on paper, ink, or toner. The printer will pause until the supplies are replenished. Some printers may have difficulties picking up the paper if the number of papers in the tray is low. The mechanism that picks up the paper may have problems picking up the paper if they are too low in the tray. After a few attempts the printer will pause and give an error. If you realize that your printer will pause if the paper is low, keep it topped up to avoid this problem.
Read: How to list all the installed Printers on Windows computer
4] Low-quality printer supplies
Your printer may pause during printing if the ink, toner, or paper is not of good quality. If the paper is not proper for your printer, your printer may have problems picking it up or printing on it. Paper that is not recommended for your printer may have surfaces that the printer cannot hold or print on. The printer will attempt to print but will pause after a few attempts. Ink and toner that is not recommended for your printer may cause the printer to pause and give an error message.
5] Corrupt data
If the data in the document that you sent to the printer is corrupt, it can cause the printer to pause because it cannot interpret the data. You may see a document taking a very long time to complete printing regardless of the size. You can look at pages that have already been printed; the page that remains may have corrupt data. The corrupt data may be graphics in the document or corrupt font. You can cancel the print and send the document page by page. You will then be able to isolate the page and the data that is corrupt. You will then have to change the graphics and font that are causing the problem.
6] Driver problems
Your printer may pause during printing if there is a problem with the software. If the driver is not compatible with your computer’s hardware and software, it could cause your print jobs to pause or stop completely. You can restart your printer and computer to see if the problem is resolved. If the problem persists and affects multiple computers and multiple documents, you should check for updates for your printer driver.
Read: Scanner and Printer won’t work at the same time
How do I keep my printer from skipping lines?
The printer may skip lines if the head of the print cartridge is contaminated. You can fix this by doing the following.
- Unplug the printer from the power outlet.
- Open the printer’s cartridge access cover and remove each of the cartridges.
- Find the copper-colored contact on the cartridge and check for contaminants or blemishes.
- Use a clean, dry, lint-free cloth to wipe the contact using an upward motion away from the nozzle.
Why is my printer idle when it should be printing?
The printer may be idle when it should be printing for a few reasons. The current print request may be large and the printer is processing it. The printer has a fault which may be due to mechanical or a problem with supplies. If the printer is on a network, a networking problem may be interrupting the printing process.
