Printer Won’t Print More Than One Job

Print job issues can be aggravating and slow down your productivity, especially if you use a single printer for your entire network or need to print as part of your workflow. If your printer refuses to print more than one job, troubleshooting will be influenced by factors such as whether your printer is networked or stand-alone, the software application you use to generate print jobs, the contents of your print queue, and any error conditions or hardware-related problems that may be interfering with printing.

Connection

Printers can be standalone (attached to your computer directly) or networked. If your printer is linked directly, make sure the connection wire is not frayed and that the printer is plugged in and turned on. If your printer is networked, make sure it is turned on and that the network cable is connected. Check the print server to check it is operational. Send a test print from another machine on the network to determine whether the issue is with the printer or your PC.

Equipment

Look for an error message on the printer’s display. If the display displays a paper jam, you must clear it before proceeding with any subsequent print jobs. Check the application from which you sent the print job to see if any error messages or message boxes are awaiting your action to continue, as these may cause your print jobs to stop. Turn off your printer and disconnect it from the power supply for 30 seconds or more before reconnecting and turning it back on. Flashing lights on your printer may indicate a hardware problem, so consult your printer’s manual to troubleshoot.

Queue

Your print queue displays the status of both the queue, which may be hung, and all tasks submitted to the printer. If the print queue is in Error mode, as indicated by the title bar, you must utilise the Task Manager to terminate the application and resume printing. Examine the job statuses in the queue to discover whether any are pending, paused, have an error, or are stuck. Cancel any stalled or incorrect tasks in the queue and re-submit them to the printer, beginning with the first item in the queue, as this is the one most likely to be causing a problem when just one job will print. If the issue persists, clear the queue.

Software

The issue could be caused by the software application you used to create the print job, such as Word or Excel. Exit the application, restart it, and then resubmit the print jobs. Your printer driver could possibly be the source of the error, especially if you’ve exhausted all other possibilities and the problem still persists. Install the printer drivers again and print a test page. If everything else fails, take the printer to a technician to be repaired.