How to stop that annoying blank page after every print job.

Hardware Issues, Tips and Tricks

Question: Recently, you told a reader that updating his printer drivers would stop his LaserJet 4ML from spitting out an extra page after every print job. I am willing to bet a case of Rickard’s Red Ale that I have a better solution. See if you agree. –Maurice Hilarius, Hard Data Ltd.

Answer: While I was away on vacation (I had a lovely time, thank you), I received the above note from Maurice, who’d read a column that had appeared while I was holidaying with numerous middle-aged zany in-law types. When I got back, I realized I needed another holiday. I also noticed that we are having similar problems with our office HP printer. Intrigued, I tried out the following course of action and it worked.

Here’s Hilarius’s solution:

  1. In Windows 95, go to Start Menu > Settings > Printers and select the driver for the HP LaserJet 4ML PostScript, then right-click on it.
  2. Click on Properties. Then click on the Postscript tab, then the button that says Advanced Options. You will get a dialogue box of options.
  3. The check-box at the bottom of the dialogue box there says, Send Control+D after job. If this is checked, the printer will always eject a blank page after every print job. Uncheck it and your problem should be fixed.

“The checked item is the default setting when you install any PostScript printer in Windows 95,” said Hilarius. Thanks, Maurice, and bottoms up.