Print jobs skipping pages — memory fix & rendering repair

Joe B.

Reviewed for technical accuracy

Specialities: Windows 11/10, macOS (Sonoma/Ventura/Monterey), Printers, Networking, Office Equipment

Print job missing pages on Windows 10/Windows 11 or Mac — HP, Epson, Canon, Brother

Technician

Hey! Let’s stop your print jobs skipping pages. Tell me the brand — HP, Epson, Canon, or Brother — and whether the issue is in PDF, Word, Excel, or browser prints. Also share if you see any messages like “Out of memory”, PCL XL error or PostScript limitcheck. These point to a printer memory / rendering problem in the driver or spooler.

Customer

Windows 11 with an HP LaserJet. Long PDFs print but some pages are missing — e.g., I send 30 pages and only 22 print. No paper jams, the job shows “Completed successfully.”

Technician

Understood. Printer skipping pages with “job completed” usually means the device or driver failed to render complex pages (big images, transparencies, embedded fonts). Typical causes:
• Low printer memory or memory fragmentation on the device controller.
• Mismatch between PCL/PostScript/XPS driver and the printer’s interpreter (RIP).
• Damaged spool file in the Print Spooler or Windows using a Microsoft IPP Class Driver instead of the vendor driver.
• PDF transparency/overprints or subset fonts that exceed PS Error: limitcheck or cause PCL XL error.
Plan: switch to a compatible driver mode, rasterize (“Print as image”) for heavy PDFs, clear the spooler, update firmware/driver, and tune memory settings (resolution/compression).

Customer

Where do I change the driver mode? I see PCL6 now.

Technician

Windows 10/Windows 11 — swap driver & reduce memory load:
1) Settings → Bluetooth & devices → Printers & scanners → your printer → Printer properties → tab Advanced → New Driver… → choose the vendor’s PostScript or PCL5 variant (try PS first for PDFs).
2) In Printing preferences: set Graphics to RIP once or Send TrueType as bitmap, lower Resolution to 600 dpi, and enable Image compression (reduces memory per page).
3) If the queue uses Microsoft IPP Class Driver, remove it and install the HP/Epson/Canon/Brother full driver package — class drivers often cause missing or blank pages on complex jobs.
4) Clear the Print Spooler: stop the service, purge %systemroot%\System32\spool\PRINTERS, start the service, then re‑print.

Customer

We also have Macs and some pages vanish there too — mostly vector‑heavy PDFs exported from Illustrator.

Technician

macOS — fix rendering/skipped pages: In the print dialog choose Advanced (or from Acrobat: Print → Advanced) and tick Print as Image (rasterize at 300–600 dpi). If pages print correctly, it’s a PostScript transparency or font issue. Next steps:
• Re‑add the printer as AirPrint or the vendor PS/UFRII/BR‑Script queue (not Generic).
• Under Options & Supplies → Driver make sure the correct driver is selected; avoid Generic PostScript for complex PDFs.
• In Illustrator/Acrobat, flatten transparency, embed fonts, or export a PDF/X‑4 or high‑compatibility PDF.

Customer

Can low printer memory really skip just a few pages?

Technician

Yes. On many HP/Epson/Canon/Brother devices, when the page buffer overflows, the controller ejects the page and advances to the next — you get a print job missing pages without errors. Memory‑heavy scenarios:
• 1200 dpi photos, large gradients, or layered PDFs.
• Massive fonts/subsets, complex transparency/overprint, or spot colors.
• PS jobs hitting Error: limitcheck / VMerror or PCL jobs throwing PCL XL error.
Workarounds: lower DPI, switch to PostScript, enable rasterize/print as image, or add RAM/expand storage where supported.

Customer

Brand tips? We use HP LaserJet, Epson Workforce, a Canon imageRUNNER, and a Brother HL.

Technician

Fix skipped pages — HP / Epson / Canon / Brother:
• HP: Prefer HP PostScript or HP Universal PS for PDFs. In prefs set Send TrueType as Bitmap and Raster Compression=Automatic. Update firmware (fixes PS memory leaks).
• Epson: Install the latest Epson ESC/P‑R or PS module. In Advanced, set High Speed off and Edge smoothing on; try 600 dpi.
• Canon: Use UFR II or PS (for iR/iR‑ADV). In driver: 2‑Pass Processing or Gradation Smoothing; enable Spooling at Host to avoid device memory limits.
• Brother: Switch to BR‑Script (PostScript) queue for PDFs; in Advanced enable Improve Print Output → Print as Raster.

Customer

After Windows Updates the problem returns. Do I need to redo everything?

Technician

Not if we lock it down. Windows may swap your PS/PCL driver to a Class Driver, resurrecting skipping pages. Do this once:
• Remove the queue & driver package (Print Management → All Drivers), reboot.
• Install the manufacturer’s full package (PS/UFR/BR‑Script).
• Optional: in Device Installation Settings prevent automatic driver changes.
• In Printer properties → Advanced, set Start printing after last page is spooled (prevents partial jobs when memory is tight).

Customer

Any app‑specific steps for Acrobat and Word? PDFs with gradients are the worst.

Technician

Adobe Acrobat/Reader: Print → Advanced → enable Print as Image (300–600 dpi). Also set Overprint Simulation=Off and Subset fonts=Embedded.
Microsoft Word/Office: turn on Print drawings created in Word, disable Background printing, and in Printer Properties lower to 600 dpi.
Browsers/Google Docs: use the System dialog (Ctrl+Shift+P/Cmd+Option+P) and choose the PS/raster queue.

Customer

If we must keep 1200 dpi, any other tricks to avoid missing pages?

Technician

Try these advanced memory fixes:
• Switch Spool data format to RAW (not EMF) or vice‑versa depending on the device.
• Enable Send job as bitmap or Host‑based rendering so the PC does the heavy lifting.
• Split huge PDFs into smaller jobs (50–100 MB each).
• Update printer firmware — many vendors patch PS/PCL memory bugs.
• On enterprise models, add RAM/SD storage and enable Page Protect or Auto Continue with retry.

Customer

Great — our 30‑page PDF now prints all 30 pages on both Windows and Mac. Thanks!

Technician

Summary: If your print job is skipping pages or PDF prints with missing pages, fix the rendering/memory path: use the correct PS/PCL driver, clear the spooler, rasterize complex PDFs, lower DPI, and update firmware. For HP/Epson/Canon/Brother, vendor drivers plus Print as Image solve most out‑of‑memory and PCL XL/PostScript errors. Need hands‑on help? Open the chat.

Quick answer: the accepted fix

Accepted fix when print jobs are skipping pages (Windows 10/Windows 11/Mac): switch to the vendor PostScript (or compatible) driver, rasterize the PDF (“Print as image”), clear the Print Spooler, reduce DPI to 600, and update firmware. If required, enable host‑based rendering (Send as Bitmap) or add device memory.

FAQ

Step‑by‑step (Windows 10/11)

1. Open Printers & scanners → your printer → Printer properties → New Driver → choose PostScript (or vendor PCL5) driver.
2. In Printing preferences: set 600 dpi, enable Send as Bitmap / compression, and choose Start printing after last page is spooled.
3. Clear the Print Spooler and reinstall the vendor package if a Class Driver is present.
4. Test from Acrobat with Print as Image; if OK, save a preset.

Step‑by‑step (macOS)

1. Re‑add the printer as AirPrint or vendor PS/UFR queue in System Settings → Printers & Scanners.
2. From Acrobat choose Advanced → Print as Image (300–600 dpi).
3. Flatten transparency / embed fonts when exporting; retest.

Sources

• Microsoft — Troubleshoot printer problems (Windows 10/11)
• Adobe — Troubleshoot PDF printing
• HP — Drivers & Firmware
• Epson — Drivers & Utilities
• Canon — UFR II / PS drivers
• Brother — BR‑Script / firmware

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