Fix: Printer Printing Blank Pages in Between [HP, Epson, Canon]
If your printer prints extra blank pages, first check its configuration, then tackle the drivers
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Key notes
- Is your printer printing blank pages in between? You're not alone!
- The separators feature can cause a lot of havoc, but other advanced features might be responsible as well.
- If your printer prints extra blank pages, try updating your drivers and check that the cartridges are clean.
We print various documents frequently, but some users reported that their printer runs a blank page between every printed page.
Obviously, the printer printing blank pages in between is no standard scenario and it can be frustrating to deal with. In comes the big question: why does my printer print blank pages in between?
The issue is most likely related to your drivers, so be sure to reinstall or update them. However, the root cause is often tricky to find and you can even deal with a conjunction of factors.
Why does my printer print a blank page after every printed page?
When using your browser to print, third-party extensions can also cause havoc. If your printer prints blank pages every other page, disabling these modules could help.
Improper printer settings, debris or junk accumulated in the cartridges or trays as well as other features can be responsible for printer printing blank pages in between issues.
And speaking of printer issues, here are some common problems that users reported:
- Printer prints blank page after each job
- Printer skipping pages
- HP, Epson, Brother, Canon printer printing extra blank pages, blank pages in between
- Printer runs a blank page between every printed page
- Printer prints blank pages every other page
- Google Docs printing blank pages every other page – If Google Docs is not printing as it should, you might want to quickly clean up the browser’s cache.
- Printer printing blank pages but has ink
- Printer print a blank page first
- Thermal, wireless printer printing blank pages
- Printer prints blank pages but prints test page
This can be an annoying problem, and in today’s article, we’ll show you how to fix it properly. Just check out the solutions listed below.
How do I stop my printer from printing extra blank pages?
- Make sure that your cartridges are clean
- Perform a self-cleaning process
- Update your driver
- Reinstall your printer driver
- Clean your tray solenoid
- Make sure that the separators feature isn’t enabled
- Turn off advanced printing features
- Uncheck the print header/footer option
1. Make sure that your cartridges are clean
If you’re using an ink-jet printer, the problem might be your cartridges. According to users, sometimes your cartridges can get clogged, and that will lead to this problem.
To fix the issue, it’s advised to carefully clean them using a soft cloth. After cleaning the cartridges, check if the problem is still there.
2. Perform a self-cleaning process
- Go to the printer Control Panel and press and hold the Go button for about 3 seconds until all lights are on your printer.
- Once the lights are on release the Go button.
- When the process is finished, check if the problem is still there.
If the printer runs a blank page between every printed page, perhaps you can fix the problem by performing a self-cleaning process.
This is fairly simple to do, and in order to do it, simply follow the steps indicated above.
We have to mention that this process is different for each printer, so you might have to do a bit of research or check your instruction manual in order to see how to perform this procedure.
3. Update your drivers
Printer problems can be caused by outdated drivers, and if the printer runs a blank page between every printed page, we advise you to update your printer driver to the latest version.
To do that, visit the manufacturer’s website and download the latest drivers for your printer. As expected, you need to know the correct model of your printer and which drivers to grab.
If this sounds a bit complicated for you, there are many great third-party tools that can help you with that. Outbyte Driver Updater, for example, is a reliable software tool to take into consideration.
Long story short, it will update all your drivers on your PC with just a couple of clicks.
It can basically keep your system safe from any potential malfunction caused by the installation of the wrong driver version.
Therefore, install it right away using the link below and after your drivers are up to date, check if the problem is still there.
⇒ Get Outbyte Driver Updater
4. Reinstall your printer driver
- Disconnect your printer and turn it off.
2. Open Device Manager. To do that, press Windows Key + X and choose Device Manager from the list.
3. Locate your printer driver, right-click it, and choose Uninstall device.
4. If available, check Remove driver software for this device and click Uninstall.
When your printer runs a blank page between every printed page, the problem is most likely related to your drivers.
If your driver is corrupted, that might lead to this problem. To fix the issue, users are suggesting reinstalling your printer driver.
This is fairly simple to do, and you can do it by following the above steps.
Once you uninstall the printer driver, restart your PC. Once the PC restarts, connect your printer and turn it on. Windows will try to install the default driver for your printer.
If the default driver is installed, check if the problem is still there. If the problem is still there or if the driver wasn’t installed, move to the next solution.
5. Clean your tray solenoid
According to users, if the printer runs a blank page between every printed page, it’s possible that there’s an issue with your tray solenoid.
Sometimes these solenoids can become sticky, and that will cause your printer to use more paper than it needs.
To fix the problem, you need to open your printer and find these two solenoids and clean them. In addition, you might want to clean the solenoid for the duplexer as well.
We have to warn you that this is an advanced procedure, and unless you’re fairly familiar with your printer and its components, we suggest contacting a professional.
It’s also worth mentioning that this process will void your warranty, so if the device is still under warranty, perhaps it would be best to send it to the official repair center.
6. Make sure that the separators feature isn’t enabled
- Press Windows Key + S and choose Control Panel from the list of results.
- When the Control Panel opens, navigate to Devices and Printers.
- Locate your printer, right-click it, and choose Printing Preferences.
- Go to the Paper tab and there you should see the Separators option. Set it to No Separators and save changes.
Many printers support the separators feature, and by using this feature you’ll print a blank page between every printer page.
However, this feature can be disabled easily from printer properties. To do that, just follow the above procedure.
After disabling this feature, the problem should be resolved and everything will start working again.
7. Turn off advanced printing features
- Open the Devices and Printer panel as we showed you in the previous solution.
- Locate your printer, right-click it, and choose Printer preferences.
- Go to the Advanced tab and disable all features.
According to users, if the printer runs a blank page between every printed page, the problem might be the printer’s properties.
Apparently, the advanced printing features can interfere with your printer and cause this problem, but you can disable them by doing as described above.
8. Uncheck the print header/footer option
- Click the Menu button in the top right corner and choose More tools > Extensions.
- Disable all extensions on the list by clicking the switch next to each extension.
- After disabling the extensions, restart Chrome and check if the problem is still there.
Sometimes, such issues can appear while printing documents from Google Chrome. If your printer is printing blank pages in between, it’s possible that the Print header/footer feature is causing this issue.
To fix the problem, simply disable this option while printing from Chrome. If the problem is still there, it’s possible that the problem is caused by your extensions.
To fix this, disable all extensions and check if that solves the issue. If the issue doesn’t appear, enable extensions one by one until you manage to recreate the problem.
In case the issue is still here, you might want to try resetting Chrome to the default and check if that solves the problem.
Which one worked for you? Tell us more in the comments area below.
