Why is my printer so slow?

Last Updated on June 16, 2020 by Christian Ralph

How fast a printer can do its job is an essential factor for a business, especially when productivity is pivotal to its success.

Efficiency should be the top priority of any office printer, which is why you shouldn’t put up with speeds that are not to the standard that your business needs. To help, we’ve compiled a comprehensive guide all about what could be slowing your printer down and how to fix those issues.

Using a Wireless Connection

Printing via a wireless network can be a convenience, especially when your work requires you to be on the go. When it comes to time efficiency however, wireless printers can lack the speed that’s capable through a USB or Ethernet connection.

Wireless printers can often be slowed down by networks that have a lot of traffic on them, which can only be improved by either through patience or by manually switching the channel of your wireless router.

There can also be interference from other objects in the room that are obstructing your connection and hindering performance. For example, cordless phones, wireless speakers, or even walls between your printer and the router can all result in slowing down your wireless printer.

If you can sacrifice the flexibility that comes with a wifi printer, a wired connection is the best option for an efficient print speed. If you’re having a connection issue manually or with a wireless network, we shared how to resolve those problems here.

High Resolution Printing

Printing in high resolution is essential when producing images, as the key to printing quality photos without any pixilation is to set your image to print with a high dpi (dots per inch). While this setting produces a smoother image, the downside is that it will take noticeably longer for your printer to do its job.

While this is an understandable trade if you are printing photos on a daily basis, if you primarily work with documents however, you are only going to slow down your machine with no added benefit.

Laser printers usually allow you to adjust their print quality on a scale of one to ten. The default setting will often be around seven or eight, so if you would like to improve performance, trying setting the printer quality to a lower number.

If your printer uses inkjet cartridges, the best way to lower the quality of your print is to manually change your print settings to ‘draft quality’. This should have a measurable impact on your print speed.

Sending Documents in Bulk

When you select a document to print, that data first must be processed by the printer. While this wouldn’t be a significant issue for single print jobs, the more pages that you have sent to print, the longer it will take your machine to process the list and produce your documents.

One way you can cut down the processing time is to send your large print jobs in several batches. To minimise the impact on performance, try sending your documents in segments of five or ten pages.

Using Coloured Ink

When your printer uses coloured ink, colours are combined to replicate the data processed on a print document. Comparing this to black ink prints, where only shades of one colour are used, there is a measurable difference in the time it takes to print.

Changing your print setting to use black ink only will not only improve the time it takes to print documents, but also reduce the amount of ink you use.

When printing a document, it’s always good practice to check your print settings beforehand, even if your document will only be making use of black ink. It’s a common assumption that a printer will not make use of a colour cartridge when only black ink is needed, but this is not true. When a colour cartridge is in use, it will combine various colours to create black.

Outdated Drivers

Having an outdated driver may be the underlying cause of slow print speeds. Periodically, manufacturers will release updated versions of their drivers to improve performance.

Check the website of the manufacturer on occasion to see if an update is available for your printer. Many of these sites will also provide a troubleshooting FAQ to help with all kinds of printer-related issues. Alternatively, you consult our blog on troubleshooting your printer.

Using an Old Printer

Sometimes, the issue of speed can just be down to the age of your printer. If you’ve had the same printer model for a couple of years and its performance has gradually reduced to below acceptable levels for your business, it may be time to invest in a new printer.

If speed is essential for your business, the Xerox ColorQube 8570DT is a worthwhile consideration. As it’s able to print the first page in five seconds, you can be sure that slow print speeds will be a thing of the past.

As you can see, there are several causes of slow print speeds that you can resolve yourself. If the problem however is beyond your control and you feel that the best course of action would be to invest in a new printer, feel free to contact our team on 0800 840 1992 for expert advice for finding the right printer for you.