Network printing is extremely slow — speed it up (Wi-Fi/Ethernet)

Joe B.

Expert ★★★★★ 27,853 satisfied customers

Specialities: Networking (Wi-Fi/Ethernet), Windows 10/11, macOS, Printers, Office Equipment

Network printing slow on Windows 10/11 or macOS — Wi-Fi printing takes too long? Here’s how to speed it up

Technician

Hey! Let’s fix network printing that’s slow. Tell me: Are you on Windows 10, Windows 11, or macOS? Is the printer on Wi-Fi or Ethernet? And does the delay happen when sending the job (spooling), before the first page, or between pages?

Customer

Windows 11 laptops on Wi-Fi. HP Color LaserJet on Ethernet. Jobs sit in the queue for 1–2 minutes. Wi-Fi printing takes too long, but USB is fine. It says “spooling”.

Technician

Got it. Classic signs of a printer spooler slow on network. Usual culprits:
• DNS or IP resolution delay (clients searching for the printer).
• Wi-Fi congestion / power-save causing low throughput.
• Wrong protocol/driver (WSD/SMB over WAN, RAW vs IPP mismatch).
• Outdated or universal driver; color management processing on the PC.
• Jumbo frames or duplex mismatch on Ethernet switches.
We’ll optimize network settings for printing speed and update printer driver to fix slow printing.

Customer

Where do we start on Windows 11? I also have a few Windows 10 machines.

Technician

5-minute speed-up for network printing (Windows 10/11):
1) Give the printer a static IP / DHCP reservation. This removes DNS hunts that slow spooling.
2) Re-add using TCP/IP (RAW 9100 or IPP) — avoid WSD/auto discovery. Control Panel → Devices & Printers → Add → “The printer that I want isn’t listed” → “Add a printer using a TCP/IP address”.
3) Install the model-specific driver from HP/Epson/Canon/Brother (not “Class”/Universal) to update printer driver and fix slow printing.
4) In Printer Properties → Advanced, set Spool print documents and tick Start printing after last page (helps big photo jobs).
5) Test again. If Wi-Fi printing takes too long, we’ll tune the WLAN next.

Customer

Better but still slow over Wi-Fi. Ethernet from a desktop is faster. Any wireless tweaks?

Technician

Wi-Fi speedups for printing:
• Put printer on 5 GHz (not 2.4 GHz) and a fixed channel; disable power-save/eco on the printer’s Wi-Fi.
• On laptops, set the Wi-Fi adapter to Maximum Performance (no sleep/roaming aggressiveness high).
• If the AP supports it, enable WMM and keep legacy rates off.
• Avoid guest/VLANs that force the job through a firewall proxy; keep clients and printer in the same subnet.
If wireless is still flaky, consider wiring the printer (Ethernet) and leaving clients on Wi-Fi — usually the quickest win.

Customer

What about pure Ethernet? Sometimes the first page takes 30–40 seconds.

Technician

Ethernet printing delay fix:
• Lock switch ports to Auto/Auto on both ends; avoid forced 100/Full mismatches.
• Disable Jumbo Frames on the printer NIC and client if your network isn’t end-to-end jumbo.
• Point the queue at the printer’s static IP (not hostname), and use RAW 9100 or IPP.
• In driver prefs, turn off bidirectional support temporarily to test (can reduce status polling delays).
• Firmware update on the printer often improves IPP/HTTPS handshake time.

Customer

We also print large photos. Sometimes they crawl. Any settings for that?

Technician

Speed up large photo jobs:
• Use the vendor’s PS/PCL or XPS driver (model-specific) — avoid generic “Class” drivers.
• In Advanced → Printing Defaults, set Spooler to Start printing after last page for chunked transfer.
• Reduce Color Management on the PC (let printer handle color when possible).
• For macOS, choose AirPrint/IPP first; if features are required, install the vendor package but keep IPP queue.

Customer

Some Windows 10 PCs still lag. Could the Print Spooler be the issue?

Technician

Printer spooler slow on Windows — quick reset:
• Services → Print Spooler → Stop.
• Delete files inside C:\Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERS.
• Start the service, then re-add the TCP/IP printer with the latest driver. This often fixes network printing slow Windows 10 PCs instantly.

Customer

Anything I should change on the server/share? We publish the queue from a Windows print server.

Technician

Server/shared queue tips:
• Use Type 4 or model-specific drivers on the server; keep client-side rendering enabled.
• Ensure the share points to the printer’s static IP; disable WSD ports.
• Keep one queue per device; remove old queues and ghost ports.
• If WAN links are involved, deploy a branch queue that prints locally instead of backhauling over VPN.

Customer

macOS users also complain. Any quick mac tips?

Technician

Speed up printing on macOS:
• Remove old queues and add via IPP (AirPrint/Secure AirPrint) to cut handshake delays.
• In the printer’s web UI, enable Bonjour/AirPrint; keep the Mac and printer on the same subnet.
• Avoid legacy LPD/SMB queues for performance; prefer IPP/RAW 9100.

Customer

After static IP + driver update it’s fast. Any final steps to keep it that way?

Technician

Summary: For network printing slow on Windows 10/11 and macOS — assign a static IP, add a TCP/IP (RAW 9100 or IPP) port, update the model-specific driver, and tune Wi-Fi/Ethernet settings. Need help applying this to HP/Epson/Canon/Brother in your network? Open the chat — I’ll walk you through it live.

Quick answer: the accepted fix

Accepted fix for slow network printing (Wi-Fi/Ethernet): give the printer a static IP, remove old queues, then add a TCP/IP port using RAW 9100 or IPP. Update the printer driver to the model-specific package and optimize Wi-Fi/Ethernet settings. This resolves most network printing slow on Windows 10/11 and macOS cases.

FAQ

Step-by-step (Windows 10/Windows 11)

1. Assign the printer a static IP/DHCP reservation.
2. Remove old queues; add a Standard TCP/IP Port (RAW 9100 or IPP) to the static IP.
3. Install the model-specific driver (HP/Epson/Canon/Brother).
4. Optional: reset the Print Spooler cache and test again.

macOS quick setup

1. Delete old queues in Printers & Scanners.
2. Add the printer via the IP tab using IPP (AirPrint) to its static IP.
3. Install vendor package only if you need features; keep IPP for speed.

Sources

• Microsoft — Fix printer problems in Windows
• Apple — Add a printer to your printer list
• Microsoft — Print Server guidance
• HP — Drivers & firmware
• Epson — Software & drivers
• Brother — Drivers & utilities
• Canon — Drivers & downloads

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