Printer Prints Random Pages by Itself

Pages that appear when nobody pressed print are unsettling, but there's nearly always an ordinary explanation, and the pages themselves are your best clue. Old documents point to stuck jobs being resent, garbled symbols to a device sending data in the wrong format, unfamiliar documents to email printing or Wi-Fi Direct, and status sheets to the printer's own scheduled reports. This guide shows how to read those clues, trace the source and close the door the jobs come through.

What you might be seeing

• Pages print when nobody sent a job
• Pages of random symbols or code appear
• Old documents print again when the printer wakes
• Unknown documents, ads, faxes or reports turn up

Common causes

Stuck jobs resent

A job stuck in a computer's queue is sent again whenever the printer comes back online.

Another device on the network

A family member's phone, or a computer using the wrong driver, may be sending jobs.

Email or cloud printing

If the printer has its own email address for remote printing, junk mail sent to it can print.

Open Wi-Fi Direct or router forwarding

An unsecured Wi-Fi Direct connection lets nearby devices print, and port forwarding can expose the printer to the internet.

Fax and scheduled reports

Incoming faxes and automatic status or maintenance reports print without anyone pressing print.

How to fix it, step by step

Work through these in order and test a print after each one. Most people are done within the first few steps.

1. Read the pages for clues

   Gather the unexpected pages and study them. A document someone printed earlier points to a stuck job. Lines of symbols or code suggest a device sending the wrong kind of data. Emails, ads or unknown documents suggest remote printing. A fax header or time stamp points to fax, and pages listing ink levels or network details come from the printer's own reports.

2. Clear queues on every device

   On each computer that uses the printer, open its print queue and cancel every document; on Windows, restart Print Spooler in services.msc if jobs won't clear. Check phones and tablets for pending print jobs too. Then switch the printer off and on. If old documents stop reappearing, a stuck job was being resent each time the printer woke.

3. Check the printer's job log

   Many printers keep a record of recent jobs, often showing the sending device's name or IP address. Look in the printer's menu for a job log or usage report, or type the printer's IP address into a browser on your network and find the job history in its built-in web page. Compare them with your router's list of connected devices.

4. Restrict email and cloud printing

   If the printer has an email print address through the manufacturer's service, junk sent to that address can print. In the manufacturer's app or account, switch email printing off if you don't use it, or turn on the allowed senders list so only approved addresses get through. Some services also let you generate a new printer address, which helps if the old one has been exposed.

5. Secure Wi-Fi Direct

   Wi-Fi Direct lets devices connect straight to the printer without your router. Left on with no password or a default one, it lets neighbors or visitors print. In the printer's network or Wi-Fi Direct settings, turn it off if you don't use it, or set a new strong password and require approval for new connections where that option exists.

6. Close router openings to the printer

   Bursts of pages full of garbage text can come from the internet if your router forwards a port to the printer. Sign in to your router's settings and delete any port forwarding rule that points to the printer's address. If nothing on your network depends on it, turn off UPnP so devices can't open ports by themselves. In the printer's settings, also turn off any remote or cloud printing features you don't use.

7. Turn off unwanted fax and report printing

   If faxes are printing, look in the fax settings for junk fax blocking or a blocked numbers list, and turn off automatic answering if you don't use fax at all. For report pages, check the setup or reports menu for automatic reports, such as fax confirmations or network status sheets, and switch off the ones you don't want. A page after automatic cleaning or alignment can be normal.

How to keep it from happening again

• Protect Wi-Fi Direct with a strong password or turn it off
• Never forward router ports to the printer
• Limit email printing to approved senders
• Cancel failed jobs instead of letting them retry