If you recently switched from laser to inkjet printer, you should not worry much, as inkjets are generally slower than lasers. Many users reported the issue while the printer is running low on ink levels or when the network connection is weak. In this article, we will go through several ways to fix this issue.
Probable Causes of the Issue
Fixes for Printer Printing Slow
There are many scenarios why your printer is printing slower. You can restart your printer as a preliminary fix. However, it may not always work. There are some other proven fixes that work to fix a slow printing printer. Let’s get straight into them.
Give Rest to Your Printer
The first thing you can do is give rest to your printer. If you have been using your printer for an extended period, it can overheat and slow down to protect itself from damage. You can unplug the printer from the electric socket, let it rest for a few minutes, turn it on again and try printing. If overheating was causing the issue, you should no longer face a problem.
Check What You Are Printing
The size of the document does matter when it comes to the printing speed. If you are printing a large-size document, your computer can take a bit longer to process the file, ultimately decreasing the printing speed. If possible, you can try reducing the size of the file before printing. But note that decreasing the size may degrade the quality, so please act appropriately. You may switch to a laser printer if you want a faster speed than inkjet ones.
Check Your Internet Speed
If you are communicating with the printer via Wi-Fi, a slow Internet connection can be another cause why you face laggy printing. Verify if the net is slow to handle the print jobs. If you have other downloading tasks or Internet-hungry applications running on your computer, please close them until you finish your printing job. Moreover, if you use a USB cable to connect your computer to a printer, consider checking the cables for any damage, like wear and tear. Also, try changing the ports and see if the issue is within the ports.
Check Paper Tray and Cartridges
Lower ink levels and insufficient paper in the paper tray are other reasons for slow printing. Inspect if you have sufficient paper in the tray and ink in the cartridges. If you see the ink levels are too low, you can consider refilling the ink or installing the new cartridges. Most printers utilize more than one cartridge. Typically printers use two or four cartridge combinations. Printing using a single cartridge can consume a lot of time so make sure there is sufficient ink on every cartridge.
Use Draft Quality Printing
The quality of printing you have set for your printer also matters when it comes to speed. If you set high-quality printing, it consumes more ink and takes longer to print than when you do with the draft quality. If you can sacrifice quality for speed, you can proceed with changing the print quality from your printer settings. If not, that’s okay; you need to wait for quite a long to get your document printed. Most printers have the option available to change print quality. Here, I will use the Epson L110 series printer for elucidation.
Restart Print Spooler
A print spooler is a small application that handles all the printing commands you give to the printer placing them in the printer queues. When you give a lot of printing commands at once, print spooler may stop responding and create issues. It may lead to slow printing. You can try restarting the service and checking if it solves the problem. Follow the steps below:
Disable Quiet Mode
Printers do produce sound while printing. So, intending to reduce noise, some printers, like HP and Epson, have integrated a Quiet mode feature. When this mode is enabled, it reduces the level of noise the printer produces while printing. But, keep in mind that it also reduces the printing speed. Here’s how to disable the Quiet mode on Epson L110 Series printer:
Enable Bidirectional Printing
Some printers like that from Primera also have a bidirectional printing feature. When this feature is enabled on your printer settings, the print heads spray ink in either of the directions they move. This helps speed up your printing process. You can turn it on if you are facing slower printing. Here’s how:
Update Your Printer Drivers
Printer drivers are responsible for coordinating your computer and printer. But if they are corrupted or out-of-date, it can create issues with printing, and you may encounter a slower printing process. Depending upon your manufacturer, you can easily search and download the latest printer drivers. Or you can also use Device Manager for updating the drivers. Here’s how:
Update the Printer Firmware
Firmware is a small program that runs on the device itself. In the case of a printer, if its firmware is outdated, it can start acting slow. You can visit the manufacturer’s website and easily download and install the up-to-date firmware. Or, use the integrated updater tool to update the firmware.
Seek Professional Assistance
If you are still unable to figure out what is causing your printer to print slower, there may probably be some major hardware issue. Since dismantling and repairing printers is a bit difficult job and needs proficiency, you can consult a professional and ask to look over it.
