Print jobs stop, then start over from the beginning

[LKPrintStuff]

We've been wasting paper and ink and frustration because lately multi-page print jobs are stopping mid-page at a random place, then restarting from the beginning much later.   We connect to the printer through our home wi-fi.  I've had this happen from two different computers, so it's either a problem with our home network or the printer itself.  We also have repeated problems that our older Windows 10 machine shows the printer as offline when it is connected to the wi-fi.  I don't know if that is related issue or not.  Anyone ever have this problem?

Addendum: We also have the Web Services (ePrint) continually saying that it cannot connect, but when I email to the eprint address for our printer, it works fine.  All these strange things could be related, I don't know.  

[Sneha_01]

Hi @LKPrintStuff 

Welcome to HP Support Community.

Thank you for posting your query, I will be glad to help you.

It sounds like you’re experiencing a frustrating combination of issues with your printer, including print jobs stopping and starting over, connection problems with your older Windows 10 machine, and issues with the Web Services (ePrint). These could all be related to either network instability or printer configuration issues, so let's try a few steps to address the problem.

1. Check Wi-Fi Connection Stability

• Wi-Fi Interference: If your printer and computers are using Wi-Fi, network interference could be causing the print jobs to stop. Try moving the printer closer to your Wi-Fi router to reduce the distance or eliminate any obstructions. Also, check if there’s a lot of interference from other devices on the network (e.g., microwaves, baby monitors, other wireless devices).
• Bandwidth/Network Load: Ensure that your home network is not overloaded. If other devices are using a lot of bandwidth (such as streaming video, large file downloads), it could affect the printer's ability to maintain a stable connection.

2. Reboot Your Printer and Router

• Restart Router: Power cycle your router (turn it off for about 30 seconds, then turn it back on). This can sometimes resolve network issues.
• Restart Printer: Power cycle the printer by turning it off, unplugging it for 30 seconds, and then turning it back on. This can clear up any temporary network connection issues.
• Reconnect Printer to Wi-Fi: If the printer is still having connection issues, go to the printer's settings and reconnect it to the Wi-Fi network. Make sure you’re connecting to the correct Wi-Fi band (2.4GHz vs. 5GHz) if your router supports both.

3. Update Printer Firmware

• Check if there are any firmware updates available for your printer. Printer manufacturers often release updates that fix bugs or improve connectivity. You can check for updates directly from the printer's control panel (if supported) or through the printer's software on your computer (like HP Smart or the HP Printer Assistant).
• If you're unable to find a way to check for updates through the printer or software, visit the printer manufacturer’s support page, search for your model, and see if there’s a firmware update available.

4. Check Printer Queue and Restart Print Spooler

• Clear Printer Queue: If the printer queue gets stuck, it can cause print jobs to back up and lead to issues like restarting prints. Open the Print Queue on your computer and clear any pending print jobs.
• Restart Print Spooler: On your Windows 10 machine, restarting the Print Spooler service may help fix issues with printing. Here’s how:
  1. Open the Run dialog (Windows + R) and type services.msc, then press Enter.
  2. Scroll down and find Print Spooler in the list.
  3. Right-click Print Spooler and select Restart.

I hope this helps.

Take care and have a good day.

Please mark this post as “Accepted Solution” if the issue is resolved and if you feel this reply was helpful click “Yes”.

Rachel571

HP Support

[LKPrintStuff]

Thank you for your response.   I will share what I've done with the four suggestions you sent, and other things I've tried:

1. Check Wi-Fi Connection Stability

This could be at the root of the problem, but I don't know why.  We switched to optical fiber network a few years ago, but the problem has only just started in the last few months.  You suggested "Try moving the printer closer to your Wi-Fi router to reduce the distance or eliminate any obstructions. "  The printer and router are actually very close together, and I was concerned they weren't the minimum 5 feet apart I was surprised to read about in on of the HP help pages.  I don't think the positioning is the issue since it hasn't changed in years.  As for overloaded network, I can't say that this happens during any sort of load.  It only happens with larger print jobs, even those where it was just two pages printing 40 times where I thought the buffer would be able to hold everything it needed.

2. Reboot Your Printer and Router

Doing this has helped, but certainly is a work around and not a long term solution.  After the reboot and waiting a while (like an hour sometimes), the job that stopped in the middle starts over again from the beginning, wasting more paper.

3. Update Printer Firmware

The firmware is up to date, and has been since I first saw the problem.

4. Check Printer Queue and Restart Print Spooler

There is no backlog in the queue, and the problematic jobs just show 'error printing" or similar, until they restart themselves at random times.  I have cleared the queue to avoid this sometimes, and reprinted just the pages I didn't have.  If we still have problems with jobs from the Windows 10 machine, I will try this restart spooler method, but the problem is also happening from Windows 11 machine.

In addition, what I've done it assign a FIXED IP ADDRESS to the printer (following instructions I found in another HP communitiy post with similar symptoms.)  I have also hard-wired the Windows 10 machine to the router rather than using WiFi.   I haven't had a big print job since making these changes.  I hope they help, even if I don't know why this problem started.

Thanks again.

[Sneha_01]

Hi @LKPrintStuff,

Thanks for the detailed update! It looks like you’ve already taken some solid steps in trying to resolve the issue, but I understand that it’s still persistent. Let's dive deeper into a few more things that could be contributing to the problem and what else you might try.

1. Wi-Fi Network & Bandwidth (Fiber Optic):

While the router placement and the fiber optic connection should generally support higher speeds, it's possible that your printer might be affected by network congestion or interference. Although you're using a fixed IP address now, there could be temporary drops in connection during larger print jobs that aren’t obvious right away. Here’s what you can do:

• Check for Interference: If you have a dual-band router, it might help to switch your printer to the 5 GHz band (if it’s currently on the 2.4 GHz) for less congestion and better performance with large data transmissions like printing.
• Wi-Fi Signal Stability: Even with fiber, heavy usage by multiple devices or intermittent signal drops could impact print jobs. Tools like Wi-Fi Analyzer can help you check for the best channel and signal strength in your environment.

The fact that it’s only happening with larger print jobs may indicate that the printer's communication with the network is getting disrupted when sending a larger data stream. The buffer might be overloaded, especially if there are multiple devices accessing the router at once.

2. Print Spooler & Network Stability:

Since you're already aware of the printer queue and the spooler, and it's also happening with Windows 11, this suggests that the issue isn't isolated to a specific computer or OS.

• Spooler Settings: Make sure that the spooler settings on both machines are configured to “Start printing after last page is spooled.” If the setting is “Start printing immediately,” the print job could be interrupted by network instability or slow communication, which would cause it to restart.
• Clear Temporary Files: Try clearing out temporary files in C:\Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERS (for both Windows 10 and 11). Occasionally, corrupted files in the printer queue can cause issues with large or complex print jobs.

3. Revisit the Printer’s IP and Connection Stability:

Fixed IP: The fixed IP address approach should certainly help prevent the printer from getting "lost" on the network and dropping the connection. But keep in mind that printer drivers can sometimes have issues communicating over a specific IP if there’s any fluctuation in network stability.

Check Network Logs: Look for network logs in your router’s settings to see if there are any drops in connection during printing, or if there’s any indication that the router might be temporarily unable to communicate with the printer.Router Firmware Update:

It’s possible that the router's firmware could be out of date and not handling certain types of traffic efficiently. Check if your router has any available firmware updates that might improve network stability.

I hope this helps.

Please mark this post as “Accepted Solution” if the issue is resolved and if you feel this reply was helpful click “Yes”.

[LKPrintStuff]

Thank you for this list of possible causes and how to address them.   It is great to see help beyond the typical "turn it off and on again" approach.  Much Appreciated!  We did just have the problem happen again, this time from my daughter's computer and printing to the photo tray, so the Fixed IP address hasn't solved the issue.  It will take me some time, but I will try to work through your suggestions and see what I can see.  I'll have to do this when I have a chunk of time to devote.  Again, thank you.  I'll update this thread once I've had time to investigate further.

[Sneha_01]

Hi @LKPrintStuff,

Thank you for your response, 

Please feel free to reply to us and we will be more than happy to help you.

Please mark this post as “Accepted Solution” if the issue is resolved and if you feel this reply was helpful click “Yes”.

Take care and have a great day ahead!

Sneha_01

HP Support