In this article, we will provide you with proven solutions to the HP printer printing half page problem.
Table of Contents
Why Is My HP Printer Printing Half Pages [Reasons] – HP Printer Printing Half Page
If you are asking “why is my HP printer only printing half page?” The following are reasons for this occurrence:
i. Print spooler issues (Windows computers).
ii. The GPU is overloaded (later Mac models).
iii. Faulty USB port.
iv. Faulty USB cable.
v. Issues with your wireless connection.
v. Automatic checking or skew detection.
vi. The loaded sheet of paper is not completely blank.
vi. Your HP printer says it is out of ink.
vii. The text or photo is blurry.
viii. Paper jam
We recommend that you read this article: HP Paper Jam Error Codes [How to Fix] to learn how to fix your HP paper jam errors.
My HP Printer Prints Half Page [Solutions] – HP Printer Printing Half Page
If your HP printer is printing half a page, do the following solutions to resolve the problem.
1. Clear the Print Spooler Files (Windows Only) – HP Printer Printing Half Page
To clear the print spooler files, follow the steps below:
Step 1: Right-click on the Windows/Start icon on the taskbar.
Step 2: Click on “Run.”
Step 3: Type this in the dialog box: services.msc
The Services window will open.
Step 4: Scroll down until you find “Print Spooler.”
Step 5: Right-click on “Print Spooler.”
Step 6: Click on “Stop.”
This action will stop your computer’s print spooler service.
Step 7: Leave the Print Spooler window open.
Step 8: Click on “Start.”
This action will restart the print spooler service.
Step 9: Open File Explorer by clicking on the “My Computer” icon on the desktop or click on the Folder icon on the taskbar if it is pinned.
Step 10: Click on the address bar when the File Explorer opens.
Step 11: Type this in the address bar: C:\WINDOWS\system32\spool\PRINTERS
Step 12: Highlight all the files in this new folder by pressing the “ctrl” and “A” keys on your keyboard at the same time.
Step 13: Press the “Delete” key on your keyboard to delete the files.
Step 14: Close the File Explorer window.
Step 15: Go back to the “Services” window.
Step 16: Right-click on “Print Spooler.”
Step 17: Click on “Start.”
Step 18: Exit the window.
Try to print again.
If your HP printer is only printing half a page even after doing the above, try the next solution.
2. Reduce the Load on the GPU (Mac Only) – HP Printer Printing Half Page
Newer MacOS versions from 10.15 utilize the Graphic Processing Unit (GPU) for several processing activities.
Because of this, the GPU can get overloaded thereby leading to an image processing spool failure. This is why your HP printer is only printing half a page on Mac.
Setups that utilize more than one monitor tend to encounter this error the most since the GPU cannot power the monitors at once.
Therefore, you need to reduce the load on the GPU by doing the following:
i. Remove additional monitors from your setup.
ii. Close applications that demand the GPU to perform a lot of processing while you print. Some of these applications include raw/graphics processing apps, games, and even some browsers.
If reducing the GPU load doesn’t resolve the problem, move on to the next solution.
3. Check the USB Cable and Port – HP Printer Printing Half Page
The USB cable in use might be damaged which is why your HP printer prints half a page and then stops. If this problem keeps occurring, you need to check the cable if it is damaged. If you find any damage, replace the cable.
If your HP printer prints half a page and stops even after replacing the USB cable, then you need to check the USB port you are using. It is possible that the USB port is damaged. To confirm if this is the case, plug the USB cable into a different port on your computer.
If using a different port doesn’t resolve the problem, try the next solution.
For Mac users, before trying the next solution, reset your Mac’s printing system to see if that will resolve the problem. Bear in mind that such action will cause you to lose all your print profiles and settings.
To reset the printing system of your Mac, click this link: HP Printer Won’t Print on Mac [Solved], and then follow the steps we shared under the “Reset your Mac’s Printing System – HP Printer Won’t Print on Mac” section.
4. Check your Wireless Connection – HP Printer Printing Half Page
If you are using a wireless network connection to print, then issues with the wireless connection might be the reason your HP printer is only printing half a page.
To check your wireless connection and confirm that everything is working as it should, do the following troubleshooting:
i. Confirm that your HP printer is connected to the right wireless network.
ii. Confirm that your HP printer and computer are on the same network.
iii. Ensure that printer and computer are within the signal range of the router.
if you are certain that the wireless connection is okay, but you are still encountering the issue under discussion, try the next solution.
5. Turn Off Automatic Checks & Skew Detection – HP Printer Printing Half Page
Certain features such as automatic checks and skew detection enable the printer to be fed correctly into your printer. In the event that the printer detects that the loaded paper is not aligned but skewed, certain printers will only print half the page and then eject the paper.
If you have such features, you need to turn them off if your HP printer prints half the page regularly. So, you need to disable automatic checks like automatic nozzle check, skew detection, etc.
After disabling the automatic checks and skew detection, see if the problem is fixed.
If it is not, do the next solution.
6. Use a Blank Sheet – HP Printer Printing Half Page
This might sound obvious, but some folks think that they can print on an already printed paper. When they try this, their printer ends up printing just half the page.
Therefore, if your HP printer is printing half a page only, check if the loaded paper is blank. If it is not, replace the paper with blank sheets and then try to print the document again.
If you still encounter the issue, do the solution below.
7. Check your Cartridges – HP Printer Printing Half Page
To check your cartridges, do these steps:
Step 1: Click on the search icon on the taskbar.
Step 2: Type your HP printer name and model.
Step 3: From the search results, click on your HP printer.
This action will open the HP Printer Assistant.
Step 4: Click on the tab labeled “Estimated Cartridge Levels.”
Your printer’s estimated cartridge levels will then be displayed.
If the cartridge is low or empty, then you need to replace it.
If the cartridge ink/toner level is still sufficient, then you need to check the expiry date of the cartridge.
Expired cartridges might not function properly and might be the reason your HP printer is only printing half of the page. In such a case, you need to replace the cartridge.
If your cartridge has enough ink and it hasn’t expired but your HP printer is printing half a page vertically, try the next solution.
8. Check Your Printer Configurations – HP Printer Printing Half Page
To check your printer configurations, do the following steps:
Step 1: Press the “Windows” and “R” keys on your keyboard at the same time.
This action will open the Run command.
Step 2: In the Run dialog box, type “control.”
Step 3: Click on “OK” or press the “Enter” key on your keyboard.
This action will open your computer’s control panel.
Step 4: Click on “Hardware and Sound.”
Step 5: Click on “Devices and Printers.”
Step 6: Right-click on your HP printer.
Step 7: Click on “Printer Preferences.”
Step 8: Click on the dropdown for “Original Size and Output Size.”
Step 9: Choose the page size that matches the size of paper you loaded into your printer’s input tray for both dropdowns.
Step 10: Click on “Apply.”
Check if you can print normally.
If you still encounter the problem, do the next solution.
9. Check the Document Page Size (Microsoft Word) – HP Printer Printing Half Page
To check the document’s page size, follow these steps:
Step 1: Open Microsoft Word.
Step 2: Click on the tab labeled “Layout.”
Step 3: Click on the dropdown for “Size.”
Step 4: Choose the correct page size.
Step 5: Print the document.
If the problem persists, do the next solution.
10. Print from Another Application – HP Printer Printing Half Page
The application you might be printing from might be corrupted. Therefore, if your HP printer keeps printing half the page, you should try to use a different application to print the file.
You can also save the document as a PDF before printing it.
If using another application does not resolve this issue, try the next solution.
11. Uninstall the Recent Update – HP Printer Printing Half Page
If you recently updated your computer, do the following steps to uninstall the recent update:
Step 1: Click on the Windows/Start icon on the taskbar.
Step 2: Click on the “Settings” icon.
Step 3: Click “Update & Security.”
Step 4: Navigate to “Update.”
Step 5: Click on the button labeled “View Update History.”
Step 6: Click “Uninstall updates.”
Step 7: Locate the recent update, and then choose it.
Step 8: Click “Uninstall.”
Step 9: When you get a prompt asking you to restart the computer, click “Yes.”
If your HP printer is printing half pages even after doing the above, try the next solution.
12. Remove and then Reinstall your HP Printer Driver – HP Printer Printing Half Page
To remove and then reinstall your HP printer driver, do these steps:
Step 1: Press the “Windows” and “R” keys on your keyboard at the same time.
This action will open the Run command.
Step 2: In the Run dialog box, type “control.”
Step 3: Click on “OK” or press the “Enter” key on your keyboard.
Step 4: When the control panel window opens, click “Hardware and Sound.”
Step 5: Click “Printers and Devices.”
Step 6: Choose your HP printer.
Step 7: Click “Printer Server Properties.”
Step 8: When the new window opens, click on the tab labeled “Drivers.”
Step 9: From the installed printers list, choose your HP printer.
Step 10: Click on the button labeled “Remove.”
Step 11: Choose the “Remove Driver Only” option.
Step 12: Click “OK.”
Step 13: Click “Yes.”
Step 14: Restart your computer.
Step 15: Go to the Official HP Software & Drivers Download Page.
Step 16: Enter your HP printer model.
Step 17: Click on the “Submit” button.
Step 18: Follow the on-screen instructions to download the driver.
Ensure that you download the full feature software instead of the basic feature.
Step 19: When the download is complete, run the HP printer setup software.
Step 20: Choose the option: “Connect a new printer.”
Step 21: Follow the instructions on the screen to install your HP printer.
Step 22: When the installation is complete, print a document to verify if the error is resolved.
If the steps above don’t resolve the issue, try the final solution.
13. Contact HP – HP Printer Printing Half Page
If you cannot resolve the problem with any of the solutions we have shared so far, then you need to contact HP Customer Support for further assistance.
The solutions above cover HP Printer only printing half-page problems for (but not exclusive to) HP Laser printers, HP envy printers, and HP DeskJet printers such as DeskJet 2540 and 2700.
HP Printer Print Half Letters [Solved]
If your HP printer prints half letters, try the following solutions:
1. Perform a Hard Reset
To perform a hard reset on your HP printer, click this link: How to Do Hard Reset on HP Printer – How to Reset HP Printer, and then follow the instructions that best suit your HP printer.
If that doesn’t resolve the problem, try the next solution.
2. Clean your Printer and Cartridge Copper Contacts
To clean your printer and cartridge copper contacts, click this link: HP Printer Won’t Print [Proven Solutions] and then follow the steps under the “How to Clean the Copper Contacts” section.
If the problem persists after cleaning the copper contacts, do the next solution.
3. Clean the Printer’s Printhead
To clean your HP printer’s printhead, click this: The Printhead is Dirty – HP Printer Printing Blank Pages, and then follow the instructions under any of the methods we shared.
After cleaning the printhead, check if the problem is resolved.
If the problem remains unresolved, do the next solution.
4. Update your HP Printer Driver
To update your HP printer driver, click this link: HP Printer Won’t Stop Printing [Proven Solutions], and then follow the steps we shared under the “Update your HP Printer Driver” section.
If your HP printer is printing half sentences even after updating the printer driver, we recommend that you contact HP Customer Support for further assistance.
