9 Ways To Fix Your Printer Printing Blank Pages

You hit "Print," everything sounds normal — the rollers turn, the page feeds — but the output is completely blank. No text. No color. Nothing. Blank prints are one of the most confusing printer issues because the device seems to be working, yet nothing ends up on the page.

Here's what usually causes it and how to fix it quickly.

1. Make Sure You're Using the Correct Ink Cartridges

Even if the cartridge physically fits in your printer, it may not actually communicate with it. This happens when:

• the firmware was updated and now blocks non-OEM ink
• the cartridge was "refilled"
• the printer doesn't recognize the chip
• you're using third-party cartridges

Printers can be stingy, and rather than that pack of 6 no-name cartridges you bought online for $20, it'll force you to buy a single cartridge from Canon for $59.99. When the printer can't read the cartridge, it sometimes prints… nothing.

Fix:

Check your printer display or software for warnings like:

• "Cannot detect ink level"
• "Incompatible ink"
• "Unrecognized cartridge"

If you see these, reseat the cartridge or try an OEM one.

2. The Printheads Are Clogged (Most Common Cause)

If you print infrequently, ink dries inside the nozzles. When the nozzles clog, the printer goes through the motions but cannot spray ink — resulting in a blank page.

Fix:

Run:

• Deep Cleaning (only if necessary)
• Nozzle Check
• Printhead Cleaning

Print a test page afterward.

Be aware, the cleaning cycles will use quite a bit of ink so if your cartridges are already low, be ready to replace them soon after you run one. If nothing appears after two or three cycles, the clog may be too severe for the internal cleaning system.

In this case, you can physically clean the cartridges.

CAUTION: If this procedure is performed incorrectly, you run the risk of damaging your ink cartridges and/or your printer!

1. Find a shallow plate and put just enough water to cover the bottom of the cartridge (where the ink comes out). Make sure the water does not touch the ribbon on the front of the cartridge, that's the part that communicates with the printer. If that gets wet, you can either ruin the cartridge or ruin your printer.
2. Take a terry cloth or paper towel and soak it with water. Flatten it out and put it in the water on the plate.
3. Gently place the cartridges ink-side down on the towel. You should see ink oozing out of the cartridges almost immediately.
4. Let it soak for 30 mins or so.
5. Take the cartridges off the towel one by one and CAREFULLY pat them dry with a dust-free cloth.
6. Once the cartridge housing is completely dry, reinstall them in your printer and print a test page.

Note: the first test page might be a little smeared, this is normal. Print another one and check again. If it still isn't working correctly, re-run the process starting with printhead cleaning.

3. Check for Protective Tape or Packing Material

This one happens more often than you'd think. New cartridges come with:

• vent seals
• plastic covers
• bright yellow or orange tape

If any of these remain on the cartridge, ink cannot flow. Remove the cartridge and double-check.

4. Low or Empty Ink — Even if the Printer Says Otherwise

Ink level monitoring is notoriously inaccurate on some models.

You might have:

• a cartridge that ran out mid-job
• an empty color cartridge (even if printing "black only")
• a nearly empty black cartridge

Fix:

Remove the cartridges and visually inspect ink levels if possible.

Replacing low cartridges often fixes blank output immediately.

5. Incorrect Printer Settings

Sometimes the printer is simply told not to print anything.

Check for:

• Draft mode (can produce near-invisible ink levels)
• Wrong output tray
• Blank page separators
• "Print to file" options
• Grayscale vs. Color mismatches

Preview the document before printing to ensure it's not the file itself.

6. Try a Different Document Format

Occasionally, specific files cause blank output — especially certain PDFs or documents with corrupted fonts.

Try printing:

• a web page
• a plain text file
• a screenshot

If those work, your original document is the issue. Exporting it as a PDF usually fixes it.

7. Run a Hard Reset

Turn the printer off, unplug it, and keep it unplugged for 60 seconds. This clears any cached jobs or firmware hiccups that might be interrupting ink delivery.

8. When Your Printer Still Prints Blank Pages…

If nothing fixes the issue, you may be dealing with:

• a failing controller board
• corrupted firmware
• broken purge mechanisms
• dried internal ink absorbers
• a failed printhead

These are common in older or rarely-used inkjets, and repairs often exceed the value of the printer.

9. ...Or skip blank-page troubleshooting forever.

Home printers are fragile — especially if you print a few times a year.

With Have It Printed, your document is printed on commercial equipment that doesn't clog, jam, or run dry.

Upload your file, and we'll print it, mail it, and send tracking. No blank pages. No guesswork.