HP Deskjet, Photosmart, and All-in-One Printers - Clearing Out Incomplete Print Jobs

Introduction

When print jobs are initiated they are stored in a print job list, also called a print queue. If the printer does not complete the print job, due to a pause (the printer being off-line, or a failed print spooler), the print job will build up in the print queue causing it to become backed up. Follow the steps below to clear out the print queue.

Clearing out the print queue

1. Open the Printer folder by following the steps below.
   • For Window 98, Me, and 2000:
     1. Click Start.
     2. Click Settings.
     3. Click Printers.
   • For Windows XP:
     1. Click Start.
     2. Click Control Panel.
     3. Click Printers and Other Hardware or Printers and Faxes.
         

4. Click Printers and Faxes.
5. Select View Installed Printers.
1. Double-click the Printer to open the print queue.
2. Click Printer in the menu.
3. Select Pause Printing if it is not already selected. This will stop all printing to the printer.
4. Click Printer again and select Purge Print Documents or Cancel All Documents, then click Yes to confirm the action.
5. If there are any documents left in the queue, un-pause the print queue by clicking Printer then Pause Printing to resume printing.
6. Click Printer again, then Cancel All Documents or Purge Print Documents.
7. If there are still documents in the queue, restart the computer.
8. Once the computer has restarted, check the print queue to insure that it is clear. In some instances the queue will still not be clear. Most commonly this happens in Windows NT, Windows 2000 and Windows XP. If this is the case, stop, then restart the printer services by following the steps below.
   • For Windows XP:
     1. Click Start and then Control Panel.
     2. Select Performance and Maintenance.
     3. Select Administrative Tools.
     4. Select Services.
     5. Select Print Spooler to open the properties window.
     6. Click Stop to stop the service. Once the service is stopped click Start to restart the service.
     7. Click OK to close the Print Spooler Properties window.
   • For Windows 2000:
     1. Click Start and then Settings.
     2. Click Control Panel.
     3. Once in control panel, select Administrative Tools.
     4. Double-click the Services icon.
     5. Select Print Spooler .
     6. Double-click Print Spooler to open the properties window.
     7. Click the Stop button to stop the service. Once the service is stopped click Start to restart the service.
     8. Click OK to close the Print Spooler Properties window.
   • For Windows NT 4:
     1. Click Start and then Settings.
     2. Click Control Panel.
     3. Once the Control Panel opens, double-click the Services icon to open the services window.
     4. Select the Spooler service.
     5. Click the Stop button located to the right of the services list.
     6. Once the service is stopped, wait for about ten seconds for Windows to clear all the files.
     7. Click the Start button to restart the spool service.
     8. Once the service has restarted, click the Close button to close the services window.
     9. Close the Control Panel by clicking the X in the upper right corner.

Change Spool Data Format from EMF to RAW

This option will change the Spool Data Format from EMF (Enhanced Metafile) to RAW (Raw data). This will change the way the Windows print spooler handles the print job. These changes will not affect the program or printer functionality. Select the appropriate operating system and follow the steps.

Windows 98 or Me

1. Click Start, Settings, and click Printers.
2. In the Printers window, right-click the appropriate HP printer icon.
3. Click Properties. Select Details tab.
4. Click Spool Settings.
5. Click the down arrow next to Spool Data Format. Change the setting from EMF to RAW.
6. Click OK. Click Apply.
7. Click OK again to close Printer Properties window. Restart Windows and try printing.

Windows 2000

1. Click Start, Settings, and click Printers.
2. In the Printers window, right-click the appropriate HP printer icon.
3. Click Properties. Select Advanced tab.
4. Click Print Processor. Select Raw option. Click Apply.
5. Click OK to close the Printer Properties window. Restart Windows and then try printing.

Windows XP

1. Click Start. Click Control Panel.
2. Select Printers and Faxes
3. Select the appropriate HP printer icon.
4. Right-click the icon and select Properties.
5. Select Advanced tab. Click Print Processor. Select Raw option.
6. Click Apply, then OK.