Why Does My Printer Print Weird Random Symbols Or Characters? – 6 Causes Troubleshooting Guide

Using your printer is meant to be a straightforward process. Once you hit ‘print’, the printer will recreate your document on paper. But what happens when the document comes out with random symbols and characters replacing the alphabets? This guide covers the fastest fixes for gibberish, from clearing corrupted spoolers to resolving font substitution and driver errors.

Quick Fix: Why is my printer printing Weird symbols?

If your printer is producing gibberish, code, or random characters, follow these steps to reset the communication. Details for each are listed below.

1. Perform a Hard Reset: Unplug the printer for 60 seconds to clear its internal buffer.
2. Clear the Print Queue: Cancel all pending documents in your computer’s print spooler settings.
3. Use Print as Image: If printing a PDF, go to Advanced Settings and select Print as Image to bypass font translation errors.
4. Update the Driver: Ensure you are using the specific PCL6 or PostScript driver for your exact printer model.
5. Check Connection: Replace USB cables or move your wireless printer closer to the router to prevent data corruption.

Related Read: What Causes Vertical and Horizontal Lines When I’m Printing?

Why Does My Printer Print Gibberish?

When your printer fails to produce the correct document but prints weird random symbols and characters instead, the problem isn’t with the printer hardware. The most likely causes are related to the software of your printer. Connectivity issues and Wi-Fi may also play a role.

Hard Power Reset

Resetting, also called rebooting, forces the printer to start over without any minor errors. Like other kinds of electronic devices, printers can sometimes experience glitches. These are short-term, minor errors that have no apparent cause but can affect the printer’s ability to function correctly. Resetting the printer will clear minor glitches by forcing the device to start over fresh.

How to Fix It: Power cycling. For a basic reset, disconnect the printer from its power source and wait a full minute or two before plugging it back in. This is not the same as turning it off. You must actually unplug it.

Read: Why Does My Printer Say No Paper When There Is Paper? – Troubleshooting Guide

Troubleshooting Software

Manufacturers install printer management software that allows you to monitor the device and access its features. One such feature is troubleshooting, which triggers the printer to check itself for problems.

Follow the steps in your printer software through the main menu, or through the device software on your computer. Run the self-test and self-troubleshooting features to identify more details about the error to help you fix it quickly.

Stuck Print Queue

Sometimes the “gibberish” is stuck in the printer’s buffer, so even if you fix the driver, the printer keeps printing the old bad data. Purge the Spooler Memory. If your printer continues to print symbols even after a reboot, there is likely a corrupted job stuck in the Windows Print Spooler. How to Fix:

• Go to Services.msc, find ‘Print Spooler,’ click Stop
• Delete the files in C:\Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERS before restarting the service.
• This completely clears the ‘brain’ of the printer.

Printing Program Problem (Device side)

Printers rely on several different kinds of software. Aside from drivers and printer management programs, you’ll also use a program to edit your document and send print instructions from. Common examples of that include your word processing program or a PDF document viewer.

Glitches or errors in the printing program will send incorrect data to the printer, which results in the gibberish that comes out on paper. Common reasons behind those errors include software that’s incompatible or outdated. How to fix:

• Quick Test: Use a different program to open your document and print it from there instead. For example, you can open a word document in Google Docs, or copy something into excel/sheets and try to print it from there. If the document is printed correctly, the program is to blame.
• Download the latest version of the software you use to view and print your document. Suppose the program has no menu option for downloading updates. In that case, you can go to the program’s main website to download the latest version and install it manually (i.e., update your computer app/program itself)
• If that doesn’t help, uninstall the program entirely. Then reinstall the latest version. Uninstalling the previous version might be necessary to remove all its errors that affect your printing.

Font Substitution

Often, a printer prints gibberish simply because it doesn’t recognize a specific font (especially in PDFs).

Check for Font Substitution issues. If your document uses a unique or ‘non-standard’ font, the printer may not have that font stored in its memory. To bypass this, go to your PDF print settings and select Print as Image. This forces the computer to handle the rendering, sending a picture of the document to the printer, instead of text that needs to be translated.

Printer Driver Problem (Printer Side)

The printer driver is software that allows your computer and printer to communicate clearly. The driver’s purpose is to convert your documents into data that the printer can understand and replicate.

When the driver sends correct data to the printer, the printer can then deposit ink onto paper that’s precisely the same as what you see on your computer screen. Printer drivers can function incorrectly if they’re outdated, faulty, or incompatible. How to fix it:

• First, you must ensure that you’ve installed the correct printer driver. Each printer model has a compatible driver to ensure it functions correctly. 
• Also, make sure the driver is up-to-date. Go to settings or the home screen to find updates for your printer. Driver updates clear any known errors that existed in previous versions, which is why it’s crucial to download the latest version.To avoid future issues, it is recommended to set to “auto-update” for printer software.

You can do both by visiting the manufacturer’s website. In addition, there will be a download page where you can download the latest driver version that’s compatible with your printer model.

PostScript vs. PCL Drivers

Ensure you are using the correct Driver Language. Most HP and professional printers use either PCL6 or PostScript drivers. If you have a PostScript driver installed but the printer is expecting PCL, it will print endless pages of code and symbols. Visit the manufacturer’s site and try switching from a ‘Universal’ driver to a model-specific ‘PCL6’ driver to resolve translation errors.

Wireless Communication Problem

Printer models on the market have wireless capabilities that include 1) wireless printers (which can connect to devices directly without wires) and 2) WiFi printers (those that connect to your home or office wireless network). These printers add convenience and flexibility thanks to the absence of printer cables.

It is possible that the data being sent wirelessly to the printer is becoming corrupted. As a result, the device prints documents based on that incorrect data, which consists of gibberish.

Related Read: How to Connect Printer to Starlink Wi-fi

How to fix it: The quickest way to resolve wireless communication errors is to delete (not just disable) the connection and start over. So, delete the printer’s connection to your wireless router or computer and reinstall it as a new printer.

At the same time, ensure that the printer is within signal range and remove anything that might cause interference. That includes other devices and home appliances like microwave ovens, which give off signals that can interfere with your wireless printer.

You can connect your wireless printer to the computer with a cabled connection as a short-term fix. That will help you print documents with a wired connection and confirm if the problem is indeed with the wireless network.

Related Read: Brother Printers Connectivity Issues

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What Causes Printing Issues?

Printing issues are typically software or hardware related. Software-related causes include outdated printer drivers or errors in the software you use to view and print documents. Hardware issues include paper jams and wireless connectivity problems.

How Do Printers Connect Wirelessly?

Printers can establish direct connections to your devices to function wirelessly. Alternatively, WiFi printers can do the same by connecting to your local WiFi network, where it can be shared with multiple computers.

Why Is My WiFi Printer Cutting In And Out?

Your WiFi printer is cutting in and out (also known as having an ‘intermittent’ connection) because the WiFi signal is weak or experiencing interference. Move the printer closer to the WiFi router and relocate devices or appliances that cause signal interference.

How Do I Know If My Printer Uses Ink Or Toner?

A printer that uses ink will have cartridges with liquid in them. Printer ink remains in liquid form until it’s deposited on paper and dries. Toner, however, is a dry powder. That powder stays inside the toner cartridge or drum, but you’ll often see some trace of it inside the printer.

What Is The Difference Between Ink And Toner?