Windows print spooler always errors half-way through a document

Question

On Windows XP SP3, I am trying to print a PDF which shows up in the print spooler as 2.14MB. I can see the "size" column go up from "0MB/2.14MB" to "1.18MB/2.14MB" but it always stops there. After a moment, the status changes to "Error - Printing".

Smaller documents print just fine. The printer is an HP Laserjet 1200 - I don't even know how old it is. I printed this same document yesterday and nothing has changed on the PC or printer (the PC is a network print server).

So the only thing that I can think of is that the RAM in the printer is failing (it has 8MB, so it should be able to print a 2MB document). Does that make sense? Is there a way I can test it?

Answer 1

There isn't an easy way to test the memory without replacing the memory. It is possible that something along the network connection is having problems. I would plug in the printer directly to your computer to see if that makes a difference (installing drivers as needed).

I have also seen a computer refuse to print certain PDF's in the past. Try hooking the printer into another machine (USB) and printing out the same document.

If it fails thorough all of that, it might be time to find a new printer. The 2100 was introduced in 2001 so it is 10 years old now.