Printer Printing Blank Pages: How to Fix It

When your printer produces blank pages instead of your document, it’s one of the more baffling problems — the printer is clearly working, but nothing comes out. The cause is almost always one of four things, and each has a quick fix.

Cause 1: Empty or Dried-Out Ink Cartridge

This is the most common reason for blank pages. Even if your ink level shows as having some left, cartridges can become blocked or dried out — especially if the printer hasn’t been used in a while.

Fix: Run the printer’s built-in cleaning cycle

1. On the printer itself, look for a maintenance or settings menu (usually accessed via the printer’s screen or buttons).
2. Select Clean printhead or Print head cleaning.
3. Run the cleaning cycle and then print a test page.

You can also do this from Windows:

1. Go to Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners.
2. Click your printer and select Printer preferences or open the printer’s software from the system tray.
3. Look for a Maintenance tab and run a head cleaning.

If cleaning doesn’t help after two attempts, the cartridge may need replacing.

Cause 2: Incorrectly Installed Ink Cartridge

A cartridge that isn’t properly seated can print as if it were empty.

1. Open the printer cover and remove each cartridge.
2. Check for protective tape or film on the cartridge nozzle — new cartridges have this and it must be removed before use.
3. Reinsert each cartridge firmly until you hear or feel it click into place.
4. Close the cover and run a test print.

Cause 3: Wrong Paper Type Setting

Some printers apply very little ink when set to print on a paper type that requires light coverage (like glossy photo paper) but you’ve loaded standard paper. Check the print settings:

1. Open the document you want to print and press Ctrl + P.
2. Click More settings or Printer properties.
3. Make sure the Paper type matches what you’ve loaded (e.g. Plain Paper).
4. Also check the print quality isn’t set to Draft or Economy mode — increase it to Standard or Normal.

Cause 4: Printer Driver or Software Issue

Occasionally a driver glitch causes jobs to be sent to the printer with no content.

1. Cancel any pending print jobs (see our guide: How to Clear a Stuck Print Queue).
2. Restart the Print Spooler service (press Windows key + R, type services.msc, right-click Print Spooler and select Restart).
3. Try printing again.

If that doesn’t help, reinstall the printer driver by downloading a fresh copy from the manufacturer’s website.

Cause 5: The Document Itself Is the Problem

Sometimes the issue isn’t the printer at all — the document has white text on a white background, or the content doesn’t print for formatting reasons.

• Try printing a different document or a test page from Windows to confirm the printer itself works.
• If the test page prints fine, check the document’s formatting (font colour, margins, page setup).
• Try printing it from a different application or export it as a PDF first and print the PDF.

How to Print a Test Page in Windows

1. Go to Settings > Printers & scanners and click your printer.
2. Select Printer properties.
3. On the General tab, click Print Test Page.

If the test page prints fine, the printer is working and the problem is with your document or application settings.

Related Guides

• How to Clear a Stuck Print Queue in Windows
• Printer Spooler Error: How to Fix It
• Printer Showing Offline — How to Fix It