HP Designjet Printers - Print Jobs Stuck in Print Queue (Windows)

This document is for HP Designjet Printers and computers with Windows 8 and Windows 10.

The printer cannot print from a computer because a print job is stuck in the Windows print queue. This stuck print job cannot be cancelled or deleted and prevents further print jobs from printing. Clicking Cancel on the job in the queue, does nothing.

Figure : Example of a stuck job in queue that cannot be cancelled

Image: The Windows print spooler window showing a document with the status of "Deleting".

This issue can occur due to a variety of reasons, such as power outages, but always involves the print job spooling process in Windows.

To resolve this problem, perform the steps in this support document to reset your printing environment.

Step 1: Check printers IP address in Windows port settings

Check the printer's IP address in Windows port settings to make sure it's the same as the printer's IP address.

Right-click on the printer icon and select Printer Properties.
Click the Port tab, and then click Configure Port.

Figure : Example of the Ports tab
In the Printer Name or IP Address field, make sure the IP address is the same as the printer.

Figure : Example of the Port Settings menu
If the IP address is incorrect, correct it with the proper IP address and click OK.
Close the Properties window.

Step 1: Delete job files and restart the print spooler

Whenever a print job is sent to the printer a file is created in Windows. Sometimes these files become corrupt and cause problems. To properly reset your printing environment, delete these print job files manually and restart both the computer and the printer.

note:
Restarting PC or the printer spooler cancels all the jobs from other printer as well, so make sure all the printers installed in the PC are idle or wait for them to complete the printing.

Turn off the printer using the power button.
Search Windows for run, and click the Run Windows application in the list of results.
Type services.msc in the Run window, and then press Enter on the keyboard.

The Services menu opens.
Right-click Print Spooler and select Stop.

Figure : Example of stop selection for Print Spooler Service
After the service has been stopped, close the service window and use Windows Explorer to browse to C:\Windows\System32\Spool\PRINTERS.
Delete all files inside the PRINTERS folder.
Restart your computer.
Turn on your printer.
Try printing again and note what happens.
- If the printer prints, you are done.
- If the print job becomes stuck again, continue to the next Step.

Step 2: Reinstall the print driver

If print jobs continue to get stuck when printing, reset the printing software system files by removing and reinstalling the print driver.

If your printer connects to the computer with a USB cable, disconnect the USB cable from the printer.
In Windows, search for and open Devices and Printers.
Right-click the icon for your printer, and then click Remove Device.

The computer uninstalls the printer software.
Restart the computer.
Go to HP Support - Software & Drivers to find and download printer software that matches your model of HP printer.
Install the software according to the instructions on the HP Web site.

note:
If you are using a USB connection, only connect the cable when instructed to do so during the software installation.
Try printing again and note what happens.
- If the printer prints, the issue is resolved.
- If the print job becomes stuck again, continue to the next step.

Step 3: Other things to try

If print jobs continue to get stuck, one of the following sections might help resolve the issue.

See if the printer is paused or offline

If the printer is offline, print jobs remain in queue until the printer becomes active again. Open the print queue window and make sure Pause Printing or Use Printer Offline are not selected. If a checkmark displays next to either item, select the item to clear the checkmark.

Figure : Example of print queue printer settings

Print Queue/Spooler window with the Printer menu open and Pause Printing and Use Printer Offline menu items selected

Temporarily disable your firewall software

Temporarily disable the firewall software on your computer to see if it is interfering with the print job. This is most commonly accomplished by right-clicking the small system tray icon associated with your security software and then selecting Disable firewall or similar. After disabling the firewall clear the print queue and try printing again. If print jobs continue to get stuck, then the firewall is not part of the problem. If your printer prints, then adjust the firewall setting to allow the Windows print spooler service access to the system.

Make sure you re-enable the firewall after you have finished testing.

Log into Windows using another account

Restart the computer and log into Windows using a different Windows account. If the printer works from another account, make sure the account you are trying to print from has the necessary permissions to print.

Use System File Checker

The Windows print spooler service is comprised of system files. Use System File Checker to detect any issues with system files and perform repairs.

Search Windows for command and click Command Prompt in the list of results.
Enter the following into the command line: SFC /scannow

Figure : Example of the command prompt window