Dot matrix printer prints very slowly

Mon, 07/01/2019 - 11:32 By Dave Brooks

Q: I have an old dot matrix printer. The problem is, it prints out only about 1 line every 5 seconds. It prints a line, then waits, then the next line, then it waits again and so on. It takes forever just to print only one page. How can I speed the printer up?

A: This problem is caused by the print driver in most (if not all) cases.

Check these things:

  1. Go to the Printers folder (Start\Settings\Printers).
  2. Right-click on the printer that is printing slowly.
  3. In the "Details" tab, press the "Spool Settings" button.
  4. If there is bi-directional support, turn it off.  Make sure "Spool print jobs so program finishes printing faster" is selected.

If the above does not work, you need to uninstall that printer:

  1. Select the printer and press "Delete" on the keyboard.
  2. Confirm the deletion and delete all files associated with that printer when asked.

Now, install a new printer. When the printer box appears, go to the "Generic" manufacturer. Select the "Generic/Text only" print driver and point this to the same location of the other printer.