How To Stop a Printer Printing Blank Pages

Last Updated on August 14, 2023 by Christian Ralph

How To Stop a Printer Printing Blank Pages

There are few things more frustrating than carefully putting together an important document or file and pressing print, only for the printer to send out a completely blank sheet of paper, as fresh-faced as the day it left the ream. There are a few things that could be the cause of this problem, including:

1. Empty ink or toner cartridges that need replacing
2. Ink or toner cartridges that have become dislodged from their proper place
3. The wrong paper size loaded in the input tray
4. Clogged printer head nozzles causing a build-up of blocked ink or toner
5. Blank pages in the document you’re printing
6. Outdated Print Drivers

Read on to find out how to rectify these problems quickly and get back to printing without any issues.

Before you start, ensure your printer is placed on a flat, even surface. A printer placed on an angle can lead to poor connections with cartridges and cables and could potentially be the cause of your blank page issue.

Empty Print Cartridges

We don’t want to sound condescending, but have you checked the ink/toner levels in your cartridges? They may have completely depleted since you last used the printer. Check the ink/toner levels and replace when necessary.

High-capacity cartridges can help extend the time between supply replenishment whilst at the same time lowering your cost per page basis for increased cost efficiency.

Their higher yields mean improved running costs and cuts down on potential down time by reducing the frequency of user interventions.

Restart Your Printer and PC

It may take an action as simple as restarting your printer and PC to resolve your blank page woes. Restarting your printer and PC can clear any issues that may be causing blank page printing.

Disconnected Cartridge

Even if your cartridge is full and ready for action, it may have become slightly dislodged and no longer in full electrical contact with the printer. The easiest way to rectify this potential problem is to simply remove and reinstall the cartridges. This may complete the electrical circuit and ensure everything runs and prints as normal.

Be aware ink and toner cartridges can feature a tamper resistant tape placed over nozzles or microchips placed on the cartridge itself. This tape will need to be removed to ensure an unbroken connection between printer and cartridge.

This is an easily overlooked aspect of toner installation and could be a potential cause of your printing issues.

Additionally, when installing cartridges, ensure each cartridge is correctly aligned and firmly in place to ensure correct operation.

It’s also worth noting that non-genuine inks and toner cartridges can lead to a variety of printing issues. That’s why we always recommend genuine manufacturer supplies for optimal printer operation.

Clogged Nozzles

This issue is confined to inkjet printers only so if you’re using a laser printer then this issue won’t be the cause of your blank page issue.

This problem is particularly likely to affect people who use their printer quite infrequently, with hardened ink potentially clogging up the nozzles. If your printer has a ‘Print Head Nozzle Check’ option, select that, and let the machine clear the nozzles. This should remove any blockages and help the ink to flow freely once again.

An alternative to traditional inkjet models are laser printers. Laser printers achieve the same high-quality results as their conventional inkjet counterparts and are also capable of achieving significantly higher print speeds. For more information, check out our best laser printers.

Outdated Print Drivers

A potential cause of blank pages is outdated printer drivers. Printer drivers are dedicated programs which allow for communication between your computer and printer, and to translate the information in your document into a printable format that the printer understands.

Each printer uses a specific print driver dependent on the printer’s manufacturer and the operating system the printer is being used with.

An outdated driver or cases where a universal driver is being used, can lead to communication issues between your printer and computer and may be a potential cause of blank page printing.

The most up to date printer drivers will be available for download from your printer manufacturer’s support website.

For more information regarding updating or installing printer drivers please contact your printer manufacturers technical support line.

There are Blank Pages in the Document

If you are printing a multi-page document, there may be some blank pages included to break up sections which are impossible to delete or omit from the document. Fortunately, both Windows and Mac have developed steps to ensure your printer completely ignores blank pages and gets stuck straight into the good stuff.

Windows 10:

1. Open Settings, then choose Devices and Printers & Scanners, then select your printer
2. Click Manage, then Printing Preferences
3. Select Skip Blank Page
4. Save your settings by clicking OK

macOS:

1. Choose System Preferences from Finder, then Print & Scan, Print & Fax or Printers & Scanners (the option will depend on the OS)
2. Choose Options & Supplies, then Driver or Options, then set Skip Blank Page to on and click OK

Scanners:

1. Select Options & Supplies
2. Click either Driver or Options
3. Tick the Skip Blank Page and click OK

Following these steps should ensure your print outs are no longer dogged by blank pages – providing wall-to-wall info.

Why Choose Printerland

Printerland stocks a broad range of printers and supplies from leading manufacturers including Xerox, HP, Kyocera and more. With printing solutions available for all budgets and use cases, you can find a model that suits your own individual needs.

All our models are available for instant purchase directly from the Printerland website or if you require further advice, don’t hesitate to contact one of our printer experts.