Printing is slow. What should I do?

  • If you print continuously for an extended period, the product may slow down to prevent overheating. Stop printing for at least 30 minutes, but don't turn the product off. When you resume, the product will print at normal speed.

    If you're printing from a computer, try adjusting the following settings in the Windows, Mac OS X 10.5/10.6, or Mac OS X 10.4 printer driver:
    • Print Quality or Quality Option: Selecting a lower quality setting will increase print speeds. Select the lowest quality setting that still produces acceptable print quality.
    • High Speed (Windows only): Make sure this setting is selected.
    • Black/Grayscale or Grayscale: Select this setting if your document doesn't include color.
    • Quiet Mode: Deselect this setting when possible.

      To access this setting in Mac OS X, see General Printing Preferences (Mac OS X 10.5/10.6) or Select Additional Settings (Mac OS X 10.4).

      Note:In Windows, Quiet Mode is an available option (not grayed out) only when the Type setting is set to Plain Paper/Bright White Paper, and the Quality Option or Print Quality setting is set to Text or Normal respectively.
    • In Windows, click the Maintenance tab, then click Speed & Progress to access additional print and copy speed settings.
    You can also try the following to increase print speeds when printing from a computer:
    • Clear space on your hard drive or run a defragmentation utility.
    • Close programs that you're not using.
    • Increase your system's memory.
    • In Windows 7, close the Devices and Printers window before you print.
    • If the product is connected directly to your computer with a USB cable, try to use a high-speed USB 2.0 port.
    • If the product is connected to your network with an Ethernet cable, use a computer and router (or hub or switch) with 100 Base-T ports.
    • If the product is connected to your network wirelessly, use a computer and wireless router or access point with 802.11g or 802.11n. If the signal strength is low, try moving the product and your wireless router or access point closer together. Also avoid placing the product next to a microwave oven, 2.4 GHz cordless phone, or large metal object (such as a filing cabinet).
    • If the product is connected to a USB hub, disconnect unused USB devices.
    If you're using the product as a stand-alone machine to print (for example, to print from a memory card or a device connected to the product's front USB port), make sure the print settings are correct.
Published:  Aug 18, 2010 Was this helpful?​ Thank you for the feedback!
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