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What Does "Spooling" Mean on a Printer? How to Handle It When It Occurs thumbnail

What Does "Spooling" Mean on a Printer? How to Handle It When It Occurs

One common issue when printing is encountering a "spooling" status that prevents the print job from completing. This article explains what spooling is and how to handle it when it occurs.

Posted at: 2021.7.21

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Table Of Contents

  1. What is Spooling?
  2. What to Do When the Printer Stops at "Spooling"

What is Spooling?

Spooling refers to the temporary storage area for print data. It's not a button or device, but rather a disk space within the OS or printer driver used for temporary storage.

Spooling isn't limited to printers; it’s also a technology used in communications.

Why Does Spooling Exist?

When printing data, a printer can't process the next data until the current print job is complete because it handles physical processes sequentially. However, a PC can send print data even if the printer isn't ready to receive it. Without spooling, this would cause errors and failed print jobs.

Spooling helps avoid these issues by temporarily storing the print data until the printer is ready.

How Spooling Works

When sending a print command from a PC to a printer:

  1. The PC sends a print command.
  2. If the printer is ready, it prints.
  3. If the printer is busy, data is saved to the spooling area.
  4. Once the printer is ready, it receives the next print job from the print queue.
  5. The printer prints the received data.
  6. The PC sends the next print job from the spooling area once the printer is ready.

What Does "Spooling" Mean?

When the OS shows "spooling," it often means data hasn't been sent to the printer due to an issue on the printer's side. It indicates that the data is stored in the spool waiting to be processed once the printer is ready.

In normal continuous printing, all data is spooled, but seeing a "spooling" status usually suggests a problem.

What to Do When the Printer Stops at "Spooling"

If the printer stops at "spooling," the issue could be with either the PC or the printer.

If the Printer Is the Problem

The printer issues can be broadly classified into:

  1. Functional problems (e.g., power is off, some error occurred).
  2. Connection problems (e.g., cable not connected, damaged cable/port).

First, check the physical connection between the PC and the printer. Ensure the power is on, the USB cable is securely connected, and the cable is undamaged. If everything is connected properly, try using a different USB port.

Next, check for printer errors:

  1. Is the power on?
  2. Are there any error lights or alerts?
  3. Is the ink tank properly installed?
  4. Is the printer cover closed?

If the PC Is the Problem

If the printer seems fine, check the PC for issues. These could be:

  1. Port malfunction.
  2. Driver issues.

Test the port by connecting another device, such as a USB drive or smartphone. If the PC recognizes the device, the port is working.

Next, check the printer driver. Sometimes drivers can become outdated or corrupted due to OS updates. Reinstalling the driver often resolves these issues.