Test page prints, but your documents don’t?
The printer clearly works. The problem is usually in the app, the file, or the print settings.
What happens when you try to print a document?
1 of 2Likely cause
Likely cause: the app is sending the job to a different printer, or the print dialog is not completing.
- 1In the print dialog, read the printer name and pick your printer by name instead of the default entry.
- 2Set your printer as the default printer in your system’s printer settings.
- 3Try printing from a different app, such as a web browser or a plain text editor.
- 4Restart the app, then restart the computer and try again.
Likely cause
Likely cause: a stuck or paused job is blocking the print queue.
- 1Open the printer’s queue from your system’s printer settings.
- 2Cancel every job in the list, including any marked paused or error.
- 3Turn the printer off and on, then send one small document.
- 4If it still sits in the queue, follow our print queue guide.
Likely cause
Likely cause: that file or app has a problem, not the printer.
- 1Open the file again and look for a very large image or an unusual font that could be choking the job.
- 2Save or export the file as a PDF, then print the PDF.
- 3Choose a lower print quality or the "print as image" option if your app offers it.
- 4Update the app, then try again.
Most likely causes
Wrong printer selected
Apps often remember an old printer, a PDF printer or a fax entry. The test page went to the right device, but your document went somewhere else.
A stuck job in the queue
One failed job can hold up every job behind it. The test page may have printed before the stall began.
A problem with the file or the app
A damaged file, a very heavy graphic or an outdated app can fail while simple jobs succeed.
Print settings that do not match
A paper size, tray or two-sided setting the printer cannot honor can make a job wait without printing.
What to try, in order
- 1Check the printer name in the print dialogChoose your printer by name. Do not rely on the default entry the app suggests.
- 2Clear the print queueCancel all waiting jobs from the printer’s queue, then restart the printer.
- 3Print a different file from a different appA web page or a plain text file is a good quick test. If it prints, the first file or app is the cause.
- 4Check paper size and tray settingsMatch the paper size in the dialog to the paper loaded. Turn off two-sided printing as a test.
Do not reinstall the whole system or the printer first. Start with the printer choice and the queue, which fix most cases.
When to stop and replace
If the test page prints but every document from every app still fails after clearing the queue and checking settings, the driver may be damaged. Move on to the driver and connection guide. If the printer also shows errors on its own screen, contact the manufacturer’s support.
Inkjet or laser?
Inkjet printers
Inkjet printers can pause a job when a cartridge is flagged as empty or not recognized, even if the test page printed. Check the printer’s messages, then print our black-and-white page to confirm basic output.
Print a black-and-white test pageWhy a test page works and documents do not
A printer’s built-in test page is simple and often starts at the printer or the system itself. Your own documents take a longer route: the app builds the page, the print dialog picks a printer and settings, the system adds the job to a queue, and only then does the printer receive it. A problem at any of those stages can stop documents while the test page still prints.
Start with the printer choice
Open the print dialog and read the printer name carefully. Many people have a PDF printer, an old network printer or a fax entry in the list. Choose your printer by name, then set it as the default in your system’s printer settings. Our Windows guide and Mac guide show where printers are listed.
Look at the queue
One stuck job holds up everything after it. Open the printer’s queue from your system’s printer settings, cancel all jobs, then turn the printer off and on. Send one small document. If jobs keep stalling, read print job stuck in queue.
Rule out the file and the app
Try a web page, a text file and a PDF. If only one file fails, the file is the problem. If one app fails, update it or print from another. You can use a ready-made file from our test page PDF hub to take your own documents out of the picture.
Check settings that can block a job
A paper size the printer is not holding, a missing tray or a two-sided setting the printer lacks can make a job wait. Match the dialog to the paper you loaded and turn two-sided printing off for a test.
When it still fails
If nothing prints from any app, the driver or the connection may be at fault. Read driver or connection issue, or browse the full list of printer problems.
Good questions
Why does my printer print a test page but not documents?
Does a printed test page mean the driver is fine?
Should I print a PDF instead?
How do I clear the queue?
Related problems
- Print job stuck in queueJobs sit in the queue and never print.
- Driver or connection issueThe printer is not found or will not connect.
- Printer is offlineYour computer says the printer is offline.
