HP Laserjet keeps on printing garbage characters

[ScottReeve]

I tried to send a test page to my Epson R200 Inkjet printer, but it got
sent to the wrong printer (I was still working out the kinks with my
new print server).

So now the HP LaserJet 1100 has this print job that it thinks it has to
finish. It prints a handful of strange characters on a page and this
goes on and on and on...

I turned the printer off overnight and powered it up this morning and
the same thing - page after page of the same stuff.

I went into the "Printers and Faxes" window (I'm using XP) and it shows
0 documents for both printers.

Any idea on how I can stop this printing? Is there any kind of reset
button on the HP?

TIA,

Scott Reeve

 

[Martin S.]

The printer has the print job, or the print server has the print job?

 

[Arthur Entlich]

The HP printer should have a button sequence to flush the memory. It is
likely that the information is "stuck" in the printer memory at this
point, not in the computer (if you checked the printing queue and found
it empty). Make sure that the computer printer queue is indeed empty,
and if not, make sure to clear it, but if that doesn't resolve it you
need to address the printer.

If you know how to get an internal test page from the printer, that
might automatically flush the memory of the printer.

Otherwise, do you have the owner's manual for the printer (in hardware
or on CD)?

It is likely also available for download somewhere on the HP website.

There is probably a method to flush the memory within the printer. It
may not need a full reset.

Art

 

[George E. Cawthon]

Kill the brain! For an HP that means you have to
unplug the printer. If that doesn't get rid of
the info, then it is in the que and you go to the
control panel and delete it.
Strange characters use to may mean that the info
was sent to a printer by an incompatible printer
driver. Not sure if that occurs with XP.

 

[ato_zee]

I turned the printer off overnight and powered it up this morning and
the same thing - page after page of the same stuff.

You turned it on with the data connection unplugged ??????

If not, it is probably getting garbage or the tail of a spooled job.

If it keeps on printing with no input then it's kaput.

 

[Tony]

I tried to send a test page to my Epson R200 Inkjet printer, but it got
sent to the wrong printer (I was still working out the kinks with my
new print server).

So now the HP LaserJet 1100 has this print job that it thinks it has to
finish. It prints a handful of strange characters on a page and this
goes on and on and on...

I turned the printer off overnight and powered it up this morning and
the same thing - page after page of the same stuff.

I went into the "Printers and Faxes" window (I'm using XP) and it shows
0 documents for both printers.

Any idea on how I can stop this printing? Is there any kind of reset
button on the HP?

TIA,

Scott Reeve

As ato_zee has said......if the printer data cable is disconnected and you
power the printer off and back on and the problem continues then you have a
printer failure, probably the formatter. There is no reset procedure that will
help.
You can check to see if is the formatter by removing it, if the printer still
tries to print with no formatter installed or data cable attached then it is
the main logic board. In either case you are looking at a cost greater than a
second hand LJ1100. If you really want to diagnose the problem I can provide
you with the necessary details but I think you are better off dumping it due to
the cost of spare parts and there is a bit of mechanical disassembly to do to
remove the formatter.
Tony

 

[ScottReeve]

Thanks for all of the suggestions.

Power-cycling the print server did the trick. (obviously that's where
the job was - in memory in the print server).

 

[Martin S.]

I thought so...

 

[Arthur Entlich]

Glad to hear it's fixed. I missed the fact you were using a print server.

Art