Slow printing

YannW100, this is definitely unusual.

From the screenshot shared, it seems like both jobs were submitted at different times but then printer/connector picked it up at almost the same time. This tells me that the printer was backlogged. Can you check a few things:

1. Are there any jobs before these two jobs on the same printer? If any job before these took long time, then these jobs would have had to wait for previous job to complete.
2. What was the printer state at this time?
3. Do you still see the same performance on this printer?
4. How are other printers on this connector?
5. At the time it took so long, have you check the corresponding printer queue on connector (under Print Management console).
6. Have you checked the printer and job specific event logs on connector host? You can start by looking at connector service event logs and also check the spooler event logs.

Thanks

Saurabh

YannW100 

@YannW100, thank you for providing more details about the slow printing issue you're experiencing with Universal Print. It's good that you're investigating the issue further. Based on your responses, here are some additional steps and insights that might help you troubleshoot and potentially improve the printing speed:

• Printer State and Connectivity: It's a positive sign that the printer was online and ready to print during the slow printing instances. If the printer's physical and network connectivity is stable, it's less likely to be the cause of the delay.

• Intermittent Issue: Since you mentioned that the slow printing seems to happen now and then without consistent complaints, it could potentially be related to network congestion or other intermittent factors. However, it's still important to investigate further to identify any patterns.

• Other Printers and Complaints: If you haven't received complaints about other printers on the same connector, it suggests that the issue might be specific to this printer or the jobs sent to it.

• Checking Connector Logs and Spooler Logs: To find the connector logs and spooler logs, you can indeed use the Windows Event Viewer. Follow these steps:

  • Press Windows + R to open the Run dialog, type in eventvwr.msc, and press Enter.
  • In the Event Viewer, navigate to Applications and Services Logs > Microsoft > Windows > PrintService.
  • Here, you'll find various logs related to the print service, including connector and spooler logs.

  It's important to look for any error or warning messages around the time you experienced the slow printing incidents. These logs can provide more specific information about what might have caused the delays.

If you're experiencing print slowness, performing a pause queue test can help pinpoint where the issue lies. Follow these steps to isolate the source of the slowness:

1. Pause Queue on Client and Server: Pause the print queue both on the client machine (where the job originates) and on the print server (where the job is processed and sent to the printer).

2. Measure Client Job Creation: Send a print job from the application on the client machine and note how quickly the job is created. This step helps you gauge the speed of job creation.

3. Unpause Client Queue and Transfer: Unpause the queue on the client machine. Observe how rapidly the job transfers from the client queue to the queue on the print server.

4. Unpause Queue on Print Server: Unpause the queue on the print server. Monitor how swiftly the job is sent from the print server to the physical printer hardware. This will help narrow down where the slowness is occurring.

5. Check Spool Folder for Orphaned Files: Inspect the Spool folder for old or orphaned files that might be affecting print performance. Typically, files in the Spool folder should be deleted as jobs are printed.

   The default Spool folder is: %systemroot%\System32\Spool\Printers.

   You can confirm the Spool folder location by checking the DefaultSpoolDirectory value in the registry: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print\Printers.

6. Check for .SHD and .SPL Files: Examine whether there are any .SHD or .SPL files in %systemroot%\System32\spool\printers. If you find these files, it's indicative of print job-related issues.

   To address this, you can:

   • Stop the print spooler service.
   • Delete the .SHD and .SPL files.
   • Restart the print spooler service.

For more detailed insights and troubleshooting steps, you can refer to Microsoft's official documentation on troubleshooting print queue delays at https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/troubleshoot/windows-server/printing/troubleshoot-printing -scenarios  

By following this systematic approach, you can identify the source of print slowness and take appropriate actions to improve the printing experience. Hope this helps.