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Print Jobs are Stuck in the Print Queue and Do Not Print with USB Printers

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Support details

Issue
If the printer does not complete a print job before other jobs are sent, print jobs can build up in the print queue, causing it to become backed up.
Solution
Use the following steps to clear out the print queue.
NOTE: This document is specific to USB products only. Before you proceed with the following troubleshooting steps, ensure that your hardware is fully functional by printing a self-test page. Refer to the product documentation to get information on printing a self-test page. If the self test does not print correctly and if there are other symptoms, refer to the documentation specific to those symptoms.
Step one: Restart the computer
  1. Click Start .
  2. Click Shut Down .
  3. Click Restart or select Restart from the drop-down menu, if available.
  4. Click OK .
  5. Check the print queue once the machine has restarted.
    • If this step did resolve the issue, you do not need to continue to the next step.
    • If this step did not resolve the issue, continue on to the next step.
Step two: Check the printer cable
  1. Disconnect the USB cable from the printer.
  2. Disconnect the USB cable from the computer.
  3. Leave the cable unplugged for 5-6 seconds.
  4. Reconnect the cable to the printer and computer. Ensure the printer is connected directly to the computer through a USB cable or a powered USB hub.
  5. After reconnecting, the printer should start printing the jobs in queue. Go to step five if you want to stop those jobs from printing.
    NOTE: If the printer is connected through a non-powered USB hub, or if the type of hub is unknown, connect the printer directly to the computer.
    • If this step did resolve the issue, you do not need to continue to the next step.
    • If this step did not resolve the issue, continue on to the next step.
Step three: Check whether the right driver and port are being used
If there is more than one printer configured on the same computer, the printer in use may not be the default printer, or the wrong driver may have been configured. Use these steps to verify the driver configuration:
  1. Click Start .
  2. Click Settings .
  3. Click Printers or Printers and Faxes .
    • In the Windows XP Start Menu, click Start , then Control Panel , and then Printers and Other Hardware , then choose from a list of installed printers in the left menu.
  4. Make sure the correct printer is set to default, denoted by a check mark in a black circle on the icon. If the wrong printer is set to default, right-click the icon for the correct printer and click Set as Default .
    NOTE: The correct printer must be selected from within the application that is issuing the print job. In the application, click File then Print . If the correct printer is not shown as the default, use the drop-down menu to select the correct printer.
  5. If the printer is already set to default, right-click the icon and click Properties .
  6. Verify the printer is using the correct port and driver.
    • For Windows 98 and ME, click the Details tab. The printer should be set to use a DOT4 or the USB00X (where X is replaced by a number) port. The Print using the following driver drop-down list shows the printer driver in use.
    • For Windows 2000 and XP, click the Ports tab. The printer should be set to use a DOT4 or the USB00X (where X is replaced by a number) port. The driver in use is listed next to Model on the same page.
  7. Click OK to close the Printer properties window, then close the Printers window.
    • If this step did resolve the issue, you do not need to continue to the next step.
    • If this step did not resolve the issue, continue on to the next step.
Step four: Check whether the printer is paused or offline
  1. Open the Printers folder.
  2. Right-click the icon of the printer in use and click Open .
  3. Click Printer in the menu and ensure there are no checkmarks next to Pause Printing or Use Printer Offline . If a checkmark is present on either, click the menu option to remove it; if the menu shows Use Printer Online , click that option.
  4. If neither Pause Printing nor Use Printer Offline are checked, press Esc to leave the menu without making changes.
    • If this step did resolve the issue, you do not need to continue to the next step.
    • If this step did not resolve the issue, continue on to the next step.
Step five: Manually clear out the print queue
Follow the steps below to clear the print queue.
  1. Open the Printers folder.
    • For Windows 98, ME, and 2000:
      1. Click Start .
      2. Click Settings .
      3. Click Printers .
    • For Windows XP:
      1. Click Start .
      2. Click Control Panel .
      3. Click Printers and Other Hardware or Printers and Faxes .
        NOTE: If you have the Printers and Faxes option in this screen, skip to step 5 below; if not, continue to the next step.
      4. Click Printers and Faxes .
      5. Select View Installed Printers .
  2. Double-click the printer icon to open the print queue.
  3. Click the Printer menu at the top left corner of the window.
  4. Select Purge Print Documents or Cancel All Documents , and then click Yes to confirm.
  5. If there are still documents in the queue, restart the computer and try printing again after restart.
  6. Check the print queue again to ensure it is clear. If it is not, or if the queue is clear but jobs are still getting stuck after attempting to print, continue troubleshooting.
    • If this step did resolve the issue, you do not need to continue to the next step.
    • If this step did not resolve the issue, continue on to the next step.
Step six: Windows 2000 and XP only - Restart the Print Spooler service
  1. Open Administrative Tools .
    • For Windows 2000:
      1. Click Start .
      2. Click Settings .
      3. Click Control Panel .
      4. Double-click Administrative Tools .
    • For Windows XP:
      1. Click Start .
      2. Click Control Panel .
      3. Click Performance and Maintenance .
      4. Click Administrative Tools
  2. Double-click Services .
  3. Click Print Spooler .
  4. Click Stop to stop the service. Click Start to restart the service.
  5. Click OK .
  6. Restart the computer.
    • If this step did resolve the issue, you do not need to continue to the next step.
    • If this step did not resolve the issue, continue on to the next step.
Step seven: Check the software application
If print jobs from one specific application are backing up, that application may be failing or interfacing with the print driver incorrectly.
Use the following steps to verify whether a specific application is the problem:
  1. Close the application and then re-open it.
  2. Send a print job from the application again.
    NOTE: Most HP all-in-one products do not support printing from a DOS application. Determine if the software application is Windows-based or DOS-based by checking the system requirements of the application.
  3. If the queue backs up again, try printing from Notepad to see if the issue is the application or the driver.
    1. Clear the queue using the previously mentioned steps.
    2. Click Start , then click Programs or All Programs .
    3. Click Accessories , then click Notepad .
    4. Type a few characters of text into Notepad.
    5. Click File , then click Print .
  4. If printing is successful from Notepad but not the application, contact the manufacturer of that application.


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