Printer is printing random pages

[GinaP1]

Printer continues to print randomly the same thing, some type of basic configuration coding page with a bunch of random characters, including smiley faces, diamonds, greater than and less than signs, quotation marks. Something like the following:  😊🔷😊  😊😊n adminqueryBasicCfg<?xml version="1.0" encoding=UTF-8"?> <request ver1111

After this there may be other random printing with even more symbols but no specific words. Any advice on how to stop this? It started yesterday when I connected a USB cable to my printer because I've been having issues with my wifi. I still have wifi turned on so I can use the InstaInk service. Could that be the problem?

[zoey7886 · Accepted solution]

@GinaP1, Welcome to the HP Support Community! 

Thanks for reaching out about your query regarding Random Printing Issues on HP OfficeJet 8015e!

We're thrilled to have the opportunity to assist you and provide a solution. 

If your HP OfficeJet 8015e printer is randomly printing pages filled with random characters and symbols, this issue may be due to a configuration or driver error. Here are some steps to troubleshoot and resolve this problem:

Cancel Print Jobs:

• Open the printer queue on your computer.
• Cancel all pending print jobs to stop current print tasks.

Restart Printer and Computer:

• Turn off your printer and computer.
• Wait for about 30 seconds and turn them back on.

Update or Reinstall Printer Driver:

• Go to the HP support page for the OfficeJet 8015e and download the latest printer drivers compatible with Windows 10 32-bit.
• Uninstall the current printer driver from your computer and install the latest one.

Check Printer Configuration:

• Make sure the printer settings are correctly set to print documents and not any configuration pages.
• Restore the printer to default settings if necessary.

Inspect the Printer Queue:

• Occasionally, corrupted files in the print queue may cause random characters to print. Check the print queue and clear any stuck or unusual print jobs.

Firmware Update:

• Check if there is a firmware update available for your printer model on the HP support website and update if necessary.

Printer Self-Test:

• Print a self-test page directly from the printer to check if the issue lies with the printer hardware. Instructions can be found in the user manual or HP support website.

Connect via USB:

• If you're printing wirelessly, try connecting the printer to your computer via a USB cable to ensure a stable connection. 

Hope this helps!

Take care, and have an amazing day! 

Did we resolve the issue? If yes, Please consider marking this post as "Accepted Solution" and click "Yes" to give us a helpful vote - your feedback keeps us going! 

Regards,

[GinaP1]

Thank you so much Zoey! I followed all your steps (except the factory reset) and this seems to have helped. I'll continue to monitor and report back if we're still getting the random page printing. Have a wonderful weekend!

[zoey7886]

@GinaP1, Thanks for letting us help you out! If you're all set, please mark this post as 'Accepted Solution' so I can do a virtual happy dance! 

If you need anything else, I'm all ears (or rather, all text). Just let me know! 

You're awesome, and I'm honored to have been your go-to guide today! 

Stay fantastic, and have an amazing day ahead! 

Regards, 

[GinaP1]

I wanted to wait a bit to make sure my random printing issue was resolved, but it is not. I've tried going through the steps you provided multiple times; factory reset, driver and firmware download from the HP website, cancel all print jobs, remove device, re-install and go through the set-up process again, remove the HP Smart app and re-install to make sure i have the latest version, turn the printer off/on, restart the computer, unplug and plug after 30secs to 1min, print Self-Test page. After all these things, it will appear to be working for an hour or so, then the random printing begins again, so I just turn the printer off.

I'm connected to USB and still have WiFi on, because this seems to be the only way my InstaInk account will sync, could that be the issue? I've been having problems printing from WiFi, so I switched to USB, now my printer is going crazy. 

[zoey7886]

@GinaP1, thanks for the update — I totally get how frustrating this must be, especially after trying so many fixes!

The issue you’re describing sounds like the printer might be receiving mixed signals from both USB and Wi-Fi connections, especially if the driver or port configuration is getting confused between the two. This could explain the random printing of what looks like raw data or configuration commands.

Here’s what I’d suggest:

1. Choose one connection method (at least temporarily):
Since Wi-Fi has been giving you trouble, stick with USB only for now, and disable Wi-Fi on the printer via the control panel. This will help isolate the issue.

2. Remove and reinstall cleanly:

Unplug the USB cable.

Remove the printer from your devices list.

Uninstall all HP software (especially HP Smart and old drivers).

Reboot.

Reinstall the latest driver from HP’s support site (not via Windows auto-install).

Reconnect the USB when prompted.

3. Disable "Enable bidirectional support" (in Printer Properties > Ports tab) — this sometimes helps with odd print behavior.

If this stabilizes the printer, we can then look into getting Wi-Fi working again for InstaInk sync without causing chaos.

Hope this helps! 

Take care, and have an amazing day!  

Did we resolve the issue? If yes, Please consider marking this post as "Accepted Solution" and click "Yes" to give us a helpful vote - your feedback keeps us going!  

Regards, 

[GinaP1]

Thank you so much Zoey! I believe you have helped resolve my issue. I will close this out for now. If anything changes, I'll re-engage, but for now everything is working as it should. I've even been able to convert back to WiFi. I think with all the proper driver and firmware downloads, and other steps you had me take, even making sure I had the latest version of the HP Smart app downloaded, all of that helped to ensure I was working efficiently. Thank you so much for your patience and step-by-step instructions. You are appreciated!

[zoey7886]

@GinaP1, Thanks for letting us help you out! If you're all set, please mark this post as 'Accepted Solution' so I can do a virtual happy dance! 

If you need anything else, I'm all ears (or rather, all text). Just let me know! 

You're awesome, and I'm honored to have been your go-to guide today! 

Stay fantastic, and have an amazing day ahead! 

Regards,