Printer Started Printing Gibberish After Windows 11 Update

[Sogo4242]

Shortly after updating to Windows 11, whenever I try to print, my printer will only spit out pages upon pages of gibberish until I cancel the program. I've never had problems with my printer before, and I tried jumping through the hoops I found online, diagnosing my printer, ect, only to find that none of them worked. As a last ditch attempt I tried to uninstall Windows 11 only to find it couldn't be uninstalled anymore without basically resetting my whole computer, and I don't want to do that. The HP ENVY Photo 6255 is supposed to be compatible with Windows 11. How do I get it to work?

[Kumar0307]

@Sogo4242, Welcome to the HP Support Community! I’m here to help.

I see that the printer is printing gibberish from your Win 11 PC. To assist you better,

• Which application are you trying to print from? Are you using the HP Smart app?
• Have you tried printing different types of documents like PDF, Word, or Webpages and check if the issue persists?
• Try making a standalone copy from the flatbed glass and check if that works. By this, we can conclude if this is a hardware or a driver issue.

Run HP Print and Scan Doctor to diagnose and fix any driver issue

Click here to download the file. Once downloaded, make sure to run the file to start the installation and click on 'Fix printing'.

Hope this helps! Let me know how it goes. 

Please click “Accept as Solution” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution.

Click on the YES button to reply that the response was helpful and/or to say “Thank You”.

Have a great day! 

[Sogo4242]

Hi, @Kumar0307.

I'm not sure about the application. While I do have HP Smart on my computer, I'm generally just hitting print on whatever I'm trying to print from. I'm not sure if that runs through HP Smart or not.

I have tried printing PDFs, Word Docs, and JPGs. None have printed correctly.

I did make a copy successfully, so it's something happening in the communication from the computer to the printer.

I've tried running the Scan Doctor before. It says that my printer is offline, and then did some weird stuff and maybe successfully updated something before saying it was offline again. The printer continued to print gibberish.

[Kumar0307 · Accepted solution]

@Sogo4242

If the printer is connected wirelessly, follow these steps:

Install the printer using the TCP/IP port:

Check for any pending Windows updates first.

1. On the PC, go to Control panel > Devices and printers > Remove the existing printer entry > click on Add a printer(at the top) 
2. Under 'Choose a device or printer', click on 'The printer I want isn't listed'.
3. Select 'Add a printer using a TCP/IP address'
4. Find the IP address of the printer by tapping on the wireless/ethernet icon on the printer screen
5. Type in the 'IP address in Hostname or IP address' box, click next
6. Proceed to the next steps by following the on-screen instructions.
7. Try printing. Do not use the HP Smart app. Open the File > Print

Let me know how it goes.

Please click “Accept as Solution” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution.

Click on the YES button to reply that the response was helpful and/or to say “Thank You”.

Have a great day! 

[Sogo4242]

Yes, thank you so much, this fixed it! My printer is finally working again! Thank you for all your help!

[Kumar0307]

@Sogo4242

Glad to know that the issue is now resolved. Feel free to contact us with any concerns related to HP products.

Happy to help!