Common symptoms
- The printer feeds paper but nothing appears on the page.
- Only some documents print blank.
- The first page is blank but later pages print.
- Color prints blank while black text still works, or the reverse.
Likely causes
- Empty or incorrectly installed ink or toner.
- Protective tape left on a new cartridge.
- Clogged print head or dried ink after long idle periods.
- Wrong paper size, blank page in the document, or incorrect driver selection.
What to try next
- Print a black and white test page and a color test page to see whether any channel prints.
- Check ink or toner levels and confirm new cartridges have no protective tape.
- Run the printer’s cleaning cycle or print-head maintenance utility.
- Try printing from another app or browser to rule out a document problem.
- Confirm the selected printer, paper size, and page range in the print dialog.
How to reduce repeat problems
- Remove cartridge seals before installation.
- Keep printer firmware and drivers current.
- Print a simple test page before large jobs if the printer has been idle.