HP Printer Printing Weird Symbols? Fix Gibberish Output

Quick Fix: Why Is My HP Printer Printing Weird Symbols?

If your HP printer is printing weird symbols, random characters, or gibberish instead of normal text, the most common causes include corrupted print jobs, damaged printer drivers, document encoding issues, communication errors, or printer language mismatches.

The Solution:
Clear the print queue, restart the printer, reinstall the printer driver, try a different document, restart the print spooler, and re-add the printer if needed.

INTRO

Is your HP printer printing strange symbols instead of your actual document?

Maybe you see:

• random letters
• unreadable characters
• gibberish text
• strange symbols
• pages full of code-like output

This problem is frustrating because the printer is technically printing—but the output is useless.

Unlike blank page problems, weird symbol printing usually means the printer receives corrupted instructions rather than failing to print.

This guide focuses specifically on fixing HP printers that print gibberish or strange characters.

If your printer has broader printing problems, use our full HP Printer Not Printing Properly troubleshooting guide.
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Why Is My HP Printer Printing Gibberish?

This issue usually happens when the printer misinterprets print instructions.

Common causes include:

• corrupted print jobs
• damaged printer drivers
• print spooler issues
• incompatible printer language
• document encoding problems
• communication errors
• outdated firmware
• corrupted printer configuration

Most cases are software-related.

1. Clear the Print Queue

Corrupted print jobs are one of the biggest causes of gibberish printing.

A damaged job may send broken instructions repeatedly.

Symptoms:

• same strange output every time
• multiple random symbol pages
• repeated corrupted prints

Fix

1. Open printer queue
2. Cancel all pending jobs
3. Restart printer
4. Send document again

This often fixes the issue immediately.

2. Restart Printer and Computer

Temporary communication glitches can corrupt print instructions.

Restarting resets:

• communication sessions
• print services
• temporary software errors

Steps

1. Turn off printer
2. Shut down computer
3. Wait 60 seconds
4. Restart both
5. Test print

Simple restart solves many cases.

3. Try a Different Document

Sometimes the printer is fine, but the document is corrupted.

Test with:

• plain text file
• PDF
• Word document
• browser print

If only one file prints gibberish, the problem is document-specific.

4. Reinstall Printer Driver

Damaged drivers commonly cause weird character printing.

Symptoms:

• random symbols
• unreadable text
• code-like pages
• formatting corruption

Fix

1. Open Device Manager
2. Locate HP printer
3. Uninstall device
4. Restart computer
5. Reinstall latest driver

Driver corruption is a major cause.

For broader driver issues, see HP Printer Driver Unavailable.

5. Restart Print Spooler

The print spooler manages print job communication.

If corrupted, output may become unreadable.

Fix

1. Press Windows + R
2. Type services.msc
3. Press Enter
4. Find Print Spooler
5. Right-click
6. Select Restart

Retry printing.

6. Remove and Re-Add the Printer

Saved printer configuration may be corrupted.

Re-adding the printer refreshes communication settings.

Steps

1. Open printer settings
2. Remove HP printer
3. Restart system
4. Add printer again

This helps resolve stubborn corruption.

7. Check Printer Language Compatibility

Printers interpret print instructions using specific printer languages.

If the wrong language is used, output may appear as symbols.

Examples:

• PCL mismatch
• PostScript mismatch
• generic driver conflicts

This is more common with enterprise or older printer setups.

Using the correct driver usually resolves this.

8. Update Printer Firmware

Firmware bugs can affect print interpretation.

Update using:

• HP Smart
• printer settings
• HP software tools

Then retest.

9. Check USB or Network Communication

Unstable communication may corrupt transmitted print data.

Common causes:

• faulty USB cable
• unstable WiFi
• network packet interruption

If using USB:

try another cable.

If using WiFi:

check signal stability.

10. Perform a Basic Printer Reset

If corruption continues, reset the printer.

Steps

1. Turn printer off
2. Unplug power
3. Wait 60 seconds
4. Restart
5. Retest

Temporary internal communication errors may clear.

When Weird Symbols Mean a Bigger Driver Problem

Sometimes gibberish output is part of a broader driver issue.

If you also see:

• driver unavailable
• printer communication errors
• failed installations

the root cause may be driver-related.

Use our HP Printer Driver Unavailable guide.
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Quick Troubleshooting Checklist

✅ clear print queue
✅ restart printer
✅ restart computer
✅ test another file
✅ reinstall driver
✅ restart spooler
✅ re-add printer
✅ check printer language compatibility
✅ update firmware
✅ inspect connection stability

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is my HP printer printing random symbols?

Usually because of corrupted print jobs, damaged drivers, encoding issues, or communication failures.

Why does my printer print gibberish instead of text?

The printer may be receiving unreadable instructions due to software or driver corruption.

Can a bad printer driver cause weird symbol printing?

Yes. This is one of the most common causes.

Why does only one document print strange characters?

That document may be corrupted or use unsupported formatting.

Can restarting spooler fix gibberish printing?

Yes. Corrupted spooler data often causes unreadable output.

Final Thoughts

If your HP printer prints weird symbols, the issue is usually software-related—not hardware failure.

Most users fix it by:

• clearing corrupted jobs
• reinstalling drivers
• restarting print services
• fixing communication stability

Start with the easiest fixes first.