Fault diagnosis
Long wait before anything comes out.
Slow printing is usually about where the page is being processed, not how fast the machine can put ink on paper.
Most slow printing is processing time, not printing speed. If the printer sits silent for a long time and then prints quickly, the delay is in rendering the page — either on your computer or in the printer's memory. Complex graphics, high quality settings and low printer memory all cause it. If it prints slowly and steadily instead, that is a hardware or media setting.
Which kind of slow?
- Long pause, then normal speed — processing. Look at the driver, the file and printer memory.
- Starts promptly but grinds through slowly — the machine is deliberately running slow. Media settings, duplex, or high quality mode.
- First page slow, rest normal — warm-up. Normal on a laser from cold.
- Only over the network — a network problem, not a printer one.
Processing delays
Where rendering happens
Many drivers offer a choice: render the page on the computer and send a finished image, or send instructions for the printer to render. Sending a full-page image is a large amount of data; sending instructions needs a capable printer. Switching between these settings can dramatically change speed in either direction depending on which of the two is the bottleneck.
Complex documents
Transparency, gradients, embedded fonts and high-resolution images make a page expensive to render. A PDF with a scanned image on every page is far heavier than it looks.
Printer memory
Low-memory machines process a complex page in sections. Reducing print resolution for drafts often transforms this.
Deliberately slow
- Heavy media settings — card and labels make the fuser run hotter and the machine slower. Setting heavy stock when you are printing plain paper costs speed for nothing.
- Duplex — double-sided is always slower; the sheet is handled twice
- Best or photo quality — inkjets in particular slow dramatically at high quality. Draft mode is often several times faster and fine for internal documents.
- Quiet mode — many machines have one, and it works by slowing everything down
Network causes
If it is only slow over the network, look at Wi-Fi signal strength or a bad cable rather than the printer. A weak wireless link makes a large job crawl. See Wi-Fi problems.
Quick wins
- Check the media type matches the paper actually loaded
- Use draft or standard quality for everyday documents
- Turn off duplex when you do not need it
- Check quiet mode is not on
- Try the other rendering option in the driver
Common questions
Why does my printer take so long before it starts?
The page is being processed. Complex graphics, high quality settings or limited printer memory all extend that. It is rendering time, not printing speed.
Only the first page is slow.
Warm-up. A laser fuser has to reach temperature before the first page. Entirely normal from cold.
It is slow over Wi-Fi but fine over USB.
Then it is the network, not the printer. Check wireless signal strength at the printer — they are often placed where reception is poor.
Does print quality setting really affect speed?
Significantly, especially on inkjets. Draft is often several times faster than best quality and perfectly adequate for everyday documents.
Tell us what it is doing.
Call and describe the make and the symptom — most jobs are done in a single visit, and we will tell you straight if it is not worth repairing.