What this means

When your printer spits out pages of random symbols, the hardware is not broken. It received data it cannot interpret, meaning it is dumping raw hex data onto the paper or failing at font translation.

Do not assume the machine is dying or your cartridges are ruined. You are dealing with a communication breakdown. Driver mismatches, corrupt print queues, and damaged spooler files cause this. Using a generic operating system driver instead of the manufacturer driver will also trigger symbol output.

Check your physical and network connections next. Faulty or unshielded USB cables drop data and turn documents into garbage characters. If you print over a network, switch away from WSD ports and use Standard TCP/IP to stop data corruption. Printer firmware corruption also causes unexpected character rendering.

Common causes

  • Incorrect printer driver installed
  • Corrupted print spooler queue
  • Faulty USB or network cable connection
  • Incorrect port settings such as WSD versus standard TCP/IP
  • Application specific printing bugs
  • Outdated printer firmware

What to check first

  1. 1Check if the issue happens with all applications or just one specific program
  2. 2Check if restarting the printer and computer clears the queue

Step-by-step fix

  1. 1

    Clear the Print Spooler and Restart

    Cancel all current print jobs, restart both your computer and the printer, then try printing a simple test page.

    Unplugging the printer while it is processing can cause data corruption.

  2. 2

    Reinstall the Printer Driver

    Remove the printer from your computer settings, download the latest official driver from the manufacturer website, and install it fresh.

    Do not use generic third party driver installers.

  3. 3

    Change the Printer Port Protocol

    Open printer properties on your computer, navigate to the ports tab, and switch from a WSD port to a Standard TCP/IP port if using a network printer.

    Incorrect port settings will disconnect the printer entirely.

  4. 4

    Replace the Connection Cable

    Unplug the current USB cable and replace it with a certified high speed USB cable, or reconnect the Ethernet cable securely.

    Damaged cables can cause data packet corruption.

  5. 5

    Print as Image in Adobe Reader

    If the issue only happens with PDF files, open the print menu, click advanced settings, and select print as image before sending the job.

    Printing as image may take longer for large documents.

When to contact a professional

You have replaced the driver, cleared the spooler, and tested multiple computers. If the printer still spits out gibberish from its internal menus or a self test page, call IT support. Your internal hardware is failing. Unplug the printer from the wall immediately for safety. If the machine is still under warranty, stop here. Opening it up will void your coverage.