when printing 2-sided, first page is garbled

[thomasb6]

HP Laserjet MFP M234dw.  When printing 2-sided, the first page always comes out garbled.  If I print one-sided, all pages print OK.

[SmithaP]

@thomasb6 
Welcome to the HP Support Community!

If your HP LaserJet MFP M234dwe printer produces garbled output when printing two-sided but not one-sided, the issue could be related to driver settings or print spooler configuration. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help resolve this problem:

1. Update Printer Drivers:

   • Ensure that you have the latest printer drivers installed. Visit the HP Support website to download the latest drivers for the HP LaserJet MFP M234dwe compatible with Windows 11.
   • Install the drivers and restart your computer.

2. Check Print Settings:

   • When selecting the print options, ensure that the correct two-sided (duplex) printing settings are chosen.
   • Access Printer Properties from the print dialog box and verify that the page orientation and paper size are set correctly.

3. Print Spooler Service:

   • Sometimes clearing the print spooler can help resolve issues. To do this:
     • Press Win + R, type services.msc, and press Enter.
     • Scroll down to Print Spooler, right-click it, and select Stop.
     • Navigate to C:\Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERS and delete all files in this folder.
     • Go back to the Services window, right-click Print Spooler again, and select Start.

4. Firmware Update:

   • Check if there is a firmware update available for your printer model on the HP Support website. Firmware updates can resolve various printing issues.

5. Print a Test Page:

   • After updating drivers and firmware, try printing a test page with two-sided settings to see if the issue persists.

   • Change Print Spool Preferences:

     • Go to Control Panel > Devices and Printers.
     • Right-click on your HP printer and select Printer Properties.
     • In the Advanced tab, try changing the spool settings. You might want to select Print directly to printer as a troubleshooting step to see if it resolves the garbled print on two-sided jobs.

   • Try Different Applications:

     • Print a two-sided document from different applications (like Microsoft Word, Adobe Acrobat) to determine if the issue is application-specific.

Please share an update after trying these steps so we can assist you further, if required.