Why Is My Printer Printing So Slowly? Seven Real Fixes (Not Just "Restart It")

Last updated: November 9, 2026

Short answer: A printer usually prints slowly because of a setting, not a fault. The most common causes are a high-quality or photo print mode, Quiet Mode, a weak Wi-Fi connection, a large file stuck processing in the print spooler, and (on laser printers) the fuser waking from deep sleep. Fix those five and most printers get their speed back.

If your printer used to spit pages out in a few seconds and now takes a minute per page — or worse, takes 30 seconds just to start printing — you're not imagining it. Printers slow down for very specific reasons, and most of them aren't "buy a new printer." These tips work for HP, Canon, Brother and Epson inkjets and laser printers, with brand-specific notes where they matter.

Quick Diagnosis: Where Is the Delay?

• Long wait before anything happens → network, spooler, or a printer waking from sleep (fixes 3, 4 and 6).
• Starts fine, but each page crawls → print quality, Quiet Mode or bidirectional printing (fixes 1, 2 and 5).
• First page fast, then it slows down on long jobs → a laser printer cooling its fuser, or an inkjet pausing to dry pages (see the laser section below).
• Prints one page, pauses, prints the next → the computer is sending pages one at a time (see "printing slow one page at a time").

1. You're Probably Printing at Higher Quality Than You Need

This is the single biggest cause of slow printing and the easiest to fix. Open the print dialog, click Preferences or Properties, and look at the quality setting. If it's set to "Best," "High," "Photo," or "1200 dpi," that's why every page is taking forever. Also check the paper type: telling the printer you loaded photo or glossy paper forces a slow, high-quality mode even if the quality slider says Normal.

For everyday documents, choose "Normal" or "Draft" and "Plain Paper." You won't see a difference on text, you'll cut print time roughly in half, and you'll use less ink.

2. Turn Off "Quiet Mode" or "Silent Mode"

Most modern printers have a quiet mode that slows the print head to reduce noise, and it's often on by default. On HP it's in Maintenance > Quiet Mode (or the HP Smart app). On Canon it's Quiet Settings in the driver. On Brother it's in the LCD menu under General Setup > Quiet Mode. On Epson, look for Quiet Mode in the printer's preferences. Quiet mode is also worth checking if the printer has simply become louder — our guide to what each printer noise means covers which sounds are normal.

3. Your Wi-Fi Is the Bottleneck (Not the Printer)

If the printer is on Wi-Fi and it takes 20+ seconds before the first page starts, it's probably waiting on the network:

• Move the printer closer to the router, or the router closer to it. Wi-Fi printers are sensitive to weak signal.
• Give the printer a fixed (reserved) IP address in your router so your computer isn't hunting for it each time.
• Switch to USB or Ethernet for a test. If it's suddenly fast, the network is the problem, not the printer.

4. The Spooler Is Choking on a Big File

A large PDF, a scanned document, or a page full of photos can take a long time to process before the printer even moves. Print a one-page text document: if that's fast, the slowdown is file-specific. Splitting big PDFs, choosing "Print as image" off, or reducing image resolution helps. If the spooler is fully stuck, here's how to restart the print spooler.

5. Bidirectional Printing Is Off (Inkjets Only)

Inkjets print roughly twice as fast when the head prints in both directions. This "bidirectional" or "high-speed" printing is usually on by default, but alignment or cleaning routines sometimes turn it off. In the driver, look under Advanced, Settings or Maintenance for "High Speed," "Bidirectional Printing," or "Print in Both Directions" and turn it on. If you see no alignment problems, leave it on.

6. Laser Printer? It May Be Warming Up Every Time

Laser printers heat a fuser before the first page. If yours drops into deep sleep between jobs, each job starts with a full warm-up. Find the sleep settings (usually under System or Energy Settings) and lengthen the timeout or turn off deep sleep. Energy Star has guidance for businesses that care about the energy trade-off.

7. Your Driver Is Old (or It's the Wrong One)

Driver updates occasionally include performance fixes, and Windows' generic "basic" driver is often much slower than the manufacturer's full driver. Grab the current driver from HP, Brother, Canon, or Epson.

Why Is My Printer Printing So Slow All of a Sudden?

A sudden slowdown almost always follows a change. Check, in order: a driver or Windows/macOS update that switched you to a generic driver; a new router or Wi-Fi password that left the printer on a weak or fallback connection; a cleaning cycle or firmware update that reset quality or bidirectional settings; and low ink or toner, which can trigger extra maintenance passes. Undo the change and speed usually returns.

Why Does My Printer Take So Long to Start Printing?

A long pause before the first page is a "wake and connect" delay, not slow printing. The printer is waking from sleep, warming a fuser (laser), running a startup maintenance cycle (inkjet), or your computer is searching the network for it. Shorten sleep timers, give the printer a reserved IP address, and print over USB as a test to see which one it is.

Why does my Canon printer take so long to start printing?

Canon PIXMA and MegaTank printers often run a short automatic cleaning when they wake or after a few days idle, and Canon's driver defaults to quiet operation on many models. Turn off Quiet Settings, set Auto Power Off to a longer interval, and make sure you're using Canon's full driver rather than the Windows "Canon Generic" or IPP driver.

Why is my HP printer so slow?

On HP, the usual culprits are printing through the HP Smart app or cloud printing (extra latency), Quiet Mode, and "Best" quality being remembered as the default. Print from the full HP driver over your local network or USB, set quality to Normal, and turn off Quiet Mode.

Why Is My Laser Printer Slowing Down While Printing?

If a laser printer starts fast and then slows partway through a long job, that's often deliberate: it reduces speed to keep the fuser from overheating, especially with narrow paper, envelopes, labels or heavy cardstock. A worn fuser or nearly empty toner can make this happen sooner. Print a long job on plain letter paper as a test; if it stays slow, see our guide to fuser units and signs they're failing.

Printer Printing Slow One Page at a Time?

If the printer finishes a page, pauses, and then prints the next, the computer is sending pages individually. In Windows, open Printer properties → Advanced and choose "Start printing after last page is spooled" or enable "Print spooled documents first." Our guide to adjusting printer spooling walks through it. Slow PDFs printed "as image" cause the same pattern.

How Do I Speed Up My Printer?

1. Set quality to Normal or Draft and paper type to Plain Paper.
2. Turn off Quiet/Silent Mode.
3. Turn on bidirectional (high-speed) printing on inkjets.
4. Use USB or Ethernet, or move the printer closer to the router.
5. Lengthen sleep timers so the printer isn't warming up for every job.
6. Install the manufacturer's full driver.
7. Print large files in smaller chunks.

If It's Still Slow After All This

• The printer may be wearing out. Inkjets slow as the printhead ages; lasers slow as the fuser wears.
• You're printing through a cloud service, AirPrint or a printer app. These add latency. Print directly via USB or the local network for a speed test.

Keep in mind that a printer's rated pages per minute is measured under ideal conditions, so real-world output is usually slower. Our guide to printer print speed explains what PPM ratings actually measure.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does low ink make a printer print slower?

It can. Low ink or toner can trigger extra cleaning cycles on inkjets and lighter, slower output on some lasers. A partially clogged inkjet head also forces more maintenance passes.

Does Wi-Fi printing slow down a printer?

It can add a delay before the first page, especially on a weak signal. Once pages start, speed is usually the same as USB.

Why is my printer slow printing PDFs?

Complex or image-heavy PDFs take longer to process. Turn off "Print as image" in Adobe Reader, or split the file and print in sections.

Is draft mode bad for my printer?

No. Draft mode uses less ink and runs faster; it only reduces quality, which matters for photos and graphics, not everyday text.

Save on Ink at Castle Ink

A partially dried inkjet head or a nearly empty toner slows things further. If you're due for a replacement, Castle Ink offers ink and toner at 50–70% less than OEM pricing, with free shipping over $50 and a 1-year guarantee:

• HP ink cartridges
• Canon ink cartridges
• Brother ink cartridges
• Epson ink cartridges
• Brother toner

See also: which printers work best with compatible ink | Printer Ink Cost Calculator

Related Reading

• Why Does My Printer Keep Going Offline? How to Fix It for Good
• Printer Driver Is Unavailable? Here's What's Actually Going On and How to Fix It
• How to Restart the Print Spooler When It's Stuck (Windows, Mac, and What Actually Causes It)

The Bottom Line

Most slow printers are slow because of a setting. Drop quality to Normal, kill Quiet Mode, make sure bidirectional printing is on, and check whether Wi-Fi or a sleeping fuser is the real delay. That fixes the large majority of slow-printer complaints.