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Firefox print shows gray blank in preview, "error occurred in printing" when print

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When I attempt to print page. print preview page opens as blank gray, does not load with page. When I click print it shows correct printer, attempts to print, then shows "error occurred during printing". Only occurs when printing page from Firefox, since one of the most recent updates (maybe April) Prints okay from Internet Explorer, but I do not like/use IE.

I have gone into troubleshooting page and reset Firefox, reset " print_printer" in about::config and others. Still not fixed. May be beyond my skill level at troubleshooting.

When I attempt to print page. print preview page opens as blank gray, does not load with page. When I click print it shows correct printer, attempts to print, then shows "error occurred during printing". Only occurs when printing page from Firefox, since one of the most recent updates (maybe April) Prints okay from Internet Explorer, but I do not like/use IE. I have gone into troubleshooting page and reset Firefox, reset " print_printer" in about::config and others. Still not fixed. May be beyond my skill level at troubleshooting.

All Replies (5)

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Does this error occur on all pages/sites, or is it limited to particular pages/sites?

Does it make any different to print without using Print Preview? To do that, you can press Ctrl+p to immediately display the Print dialog.

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Occurs all page sites in Firefox. Downloads can be printed. Looks like it is trying to spool to printer when error occurs. does not show up in queue for printer.

tried reset of font to default. did not work.

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Usually when you reset the printer preferences, Firefox re-reads data from your printer driver. Perhaps there is a new incompatibility in an update to Firefox or your printer software?

To see whether this is caused by an add-on or setting in your current Firefox profile, could you do a two-minute experiment?

Create a new Firefox profile

A new profile will have your system-installed plugins (e.g., Flash) and extensions (e.g., security suite toolbars), but no themes, other extensions, or other customizations. It also should have completely fresh settings databases and a fresh cache folder.

Exit Firefox and start up in the Profile Manager using Start > search box (or Run):

firefox.exe -P

Any time you want to switch profiles, exit Firefox and return to this dialog.

Click the Create Profile button. I recommend skipping the option to choose a different folder location (don't click that button). Then start Firefox in the new profile you created.

Is Firefox able to connect with your printer in the new profile?

When returning to the Profile Manager to switch to your regular profile, you might be tempted to use the Delete Profile button. But... it's a bit too easy to accidentally delete your "real" profile, so I recommend resisting the temptation. If you do want to clean up later, I suggest making a backup of all your profiles first in case something were to go wrong.

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I am confused. When I exit Firefox. where is this "Profile Manager"? How do I get there/ from my Windows screen? its been a while but I have not had time to dedicate to solving this problem.

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When you install Firefox, there isn't a separate icon or start menu entry for the Profile Manager. Instead, you fire it up using either:

  • Search box on the start menu
  • Run dialog (hold down the Windows key on the keyboard and tap r)

Then type or paste firefox.exe followed by -P:

firefox.exe -P

and press Enter.