Has your Windows printer started printing odd sheets filled with random strings, even when you haven’t clicked Print? If so, you’re not alone. Microsoft has officially acknowledged a peculiar new bug affecting several widely used Windows 11 versions that causes printers to spit out pages of strange, unsolicited text—often beginning with technical-sounding lines like “POST /ipp/print HTTP/1.12”, but sometimes churning out different data with apparently no cause.
This isn’t an isolated incident: users running Windows 11 versions 22H2 and 23H2, and even Windows 10 22H2, have begun noticing their printers behaving eerily, sometimes outputting reams of unexpected data after an innocuous event, like powering on or plugging in the printer. What’s especially notable is that the very latest Windows 11 version—24H2—remains unaffected by the flaw, upending the long-standing expectation that bugs usually plague newer, not older, builds of the OS.
The culprit? Recent Windows update patches—specifically, the January 29, 2025 preview update or any cumulative patch released since then. Microsoft’s bug report details that the behavior is limited to printers supporting the USB Print and IPP (Internet Printing Protocol) over USB. The anomaly occurs as the print spooler, an essential component managing print jobs, sends malformed or protocol-level IPP messages to the printer, triggering these ghost printouts.
In a typical workflow, your PC talks to the printer via carefully structured IPP messages. But if those messages are corrupted, unrecognized, or delivered at inappropriate times (such as right when the printer is powered up or reconnected), the device may do unpredictable things—like dumping the raw data onto paper. That’s exactly what's happening in this newly reported Windows bug.
The timing of the incident is also worth noting. Reports suggest that the most frequent triggers include reconnecting the printer, powering it on after it’s been off, or initializing the USB connection afresh. Print spooler activity, typically invisible to the end user, suddenly results in embarrassing or bizarre printer output.
The remainder of the printout might include further snippets of system-level protocol text, hexadecimal data, or other non-user-centric gibberish. Not only does this confuse users (and anyone responsible for office supplies), but it raises concerns about printer driver stability and OS quality control, especially after so many years of “mature” development in USB printing.
For organizations using managed devices—where Group Policy and enterprise controls govern updates and settings—the fix isn’t instant. Here, IT administrators must take proactive steps. Microsoft’s support documentation outlines the process: admins need to install and configure a Group Policy update made specifically available for this issue. Once it's applied, the KIR can take effect and halt the unsolicited printouts.
This multi-pronged response showcases Microsoft’s evolving approach to rapid-response bug squashing. Whereas in past years, similar issues might have languished for weeks until the next Patch Tuesday, the KIR framework now streamlines remediation, at least for issues that can be untangled remotely.
For Microsoft’s credibility, this is both a minor embarrassment—showcasing the fallibility of even the world's largest OS maker—and a proof point of progress. Large-scale consumer rollouts always risk breaking edge cases, but responsive infrastructure like KIR and constantly refining future builds can, at least, mitigate the fallout.
Even outside high-compliance fields, unpredictable printer behavior erodes end-user trust. Small- and mid-size businesses (SMBs) lacking an IT department may struggle to diagnose or correct the problem, while large enterprises must divert technical resources from more pressing cybersecurity or infrastructure projects to address this new paper chase.
Printer manufacturers may face increased support requests, and users potentially replace perfectly functional devices, suspecting hardware faults when the real culprit is a software bug sitting deep inside the Windows print sub-system.
The modern infrastructure for rapid bug rollback, such as Known Issue Rollback, is a welcome step forward. It helps reduce the window when users are vulnerable. But its utility depends on everything else working seamlessly: deliverability to endpoints, administrator adoption, timely updates, and accurate scoping of affected systems. The fact that managed devices require a manual fix creates a lingering gap for organizations tied up in compliance or slow-moving patch cycles.
The need for clearer testing across hardware permutations, especially in printing (which remains astonishingly complex for such a mature technology), is reinforced. Microsoft and its hardware partners might find this a compelling argument for deeper collaboration—or even overhauls—in how print management components are architected, validated, and rolled out to end users.
Windows 11 has steadily pushed users toward architectures like Universal Print and cloud-managed print jobs, but millions of home and business printers still rely on classic USB connections and legacy protocol support. As long as this diversity persists, even minor code changes in how the OS talks to peripherals have the potential to unleash ripple effects across the global Windows ecosystem.
This incident is a timely reminder: beneath the reassuring veneer of “it just works,” Windows print infrastructure remains a delicate machine, finely tuned but prone to unexpected dissonance.
In the meantime, you can consider disconnecting the printer after each use—a hassle, but one that may limit spontaneous printing episodes. Some device manufacturers may also offer updated drivers that mitigate the risk until the Windows-side fix takes hold.
If your device is working normally, consider giving feedback to Microsoft via Windows Feedback or tech forums, strengthening the signal for issues that need urgent review.
For now, the best advice is vigilance. Monitor your devices, update with care, and lean on both Microsoft’s official channels and the collective wisdom of the Windows enthusiast community. As printing transitions slowly but surely to a fully cloud-native and standardized future, the hope is that such bugs become ever rarer—and ever easier to fix.
Until then, keep an eye on your printer. If it starts talking in gibberish again, at least you’ll know it’s not haunted: just another Wednesday in the world of Windows.
Source: www.ghacks.net Windows has a new issue: printers may print on their own - gHacks Tech News
A Troubling New Printer Bug Hits Windows 11
This isn’t an isolated incident: users running Windows 11 versions 22H2 and 23H2, and even Windows 10 22H2, have begun noticing their printers behaving eerily, sometimes outputting reams of unexpected data after an innocuous event, like powering on or plugging in the printer. What’s especially notable is that the very latest Windows 11 version—24H2—remains unaffected by the flaw, upending the long-standing expectation that bugs usually plague newer, not older, builds of the OS.The culprit? Recent Windows update patches—specifically, the January 29, 2025 preview update or any cumulative patch released since then. Microsoft’s bug report details that the behavior is limited to printers supporting the USB Print and IPP (Internet Printing Protocol) over USB. The anomaly occurs as the print spooler, an essential component managing print jobs, sends malformed or protocol-level IPP messages to the printer, triggering these ghost printouts.
Understanding IPP and Why It Matters
The Internet Printing Protocol, or IPP, isn’t just technical jargon. It’s a standard for printing and managing print jobs, whether across a network or over USB. Its purpose is to streamline printer interactions, letting devices negotiate print capabilities, manage jobs, and queue up tasks. IPP’s flexibility makes it a prime target for both innovation and, as we see now, accidental problems.In a typical workflow, your PC talks to the printer via carefully structured IPP messages. But if those messages are corrupted, unrecognized, or delivered at inappropriate times (such as right when the printer is powered up or reconnected), the device may do unpredictable things—like dumping the raw data onto paper. That’s exactly what's happening in this newly reported Windows bug.
Affected Setups: Who Needs to Worry?
Are all printers vulnerable? No—Microsoft’s analysis clarifies that only those models supporting IPP over USB and USB Print are impacted. That means if your home or office device connects solely via network protocols without USB, or doesn't implement the IPP protocol, you might escape unharmed. But for a significant swath of users—especially in mixed Windows environments relying on USB for stable, hassle-free printing—this glitch can cause unnecessary paper waste, confusion, and concern.The timing of the incident is also worth noting. Reports suggest that the most frequent triggers include reconnecting the printer, powering it on after it’s been off, or initializing the USB connection afresh. Print spooler activity, typically invisible to the end user, suddenly results in embarrassing or bizarre printer output.
Diagnosing the Symptoms: What Does the Output Look Like?
So, what should users look for? While not every incident is identical, many victims have reported the first line of the printout reading like an HTTP request—specifically, “POST /ipp/print HTTP/1.12". This indicates the printer is receiving what it interprets as raw protocol data rather than a formatted document.The remainder of the printout might include further snippets of system-level protocol text, hexadecimal data, or other non-user-centric gibberish. Not only does this confuse users (and anyone responsible for office supplies), but it raises concerns about printer driver stability and OS quality control, especially after so many years of “mature” development in USB printing.
Microsoft’s Solution: The Known Issue Rollback
If this situation sounds familiar, there’s good news: Microsoft is already on the case. Leveraging their “Known Issue Rollback” (KIR) system, Microsoft can alleviate this bug on most non-managed devices automatically over a matter of days. KIR allows the company to roll back the problematic code changes affecting systems without requiring a full uninstallation of the update, minimizing disturbance for typical users.For organizations using managed devices—where Group Policy and enterprise controls govern updates and settings—the fix isn’t instant. Here, IT administrators must take proactive steps. Microsoft’s support documentation outlines the process: admins need to install and configure a Group Policy update made specifically available for this issue. Once it's applied, the KIR can take effect and halt the unsolicited printouts.
This multi-pronged response showcases Microsoft’s evolving approach to rapid-response bug squashing. Whereas in past years, similar issues might have languished for weeks until the next Patch Tuesday, the KIR framework now streamlines remediation, at least for issues that can be untangled remotely.
Why Was Windows 11 24H2 Spared?
Perhaps the most intriguing wrinkle in this saga is that Windows 11 version 24H2 escapes unscathed. Traditionally, new OS versions bear the brunt of fresh bugs, as legacy code adapts to next-generation platforms. This time, however, the flaw appears rooted in the legacy handling of USB Print and IPP protocols—a facet perhaps redesigned or overhauled in 24H2. The result? Irony: sticking to an older, "mature" Windows 11 version may actually have exposed more users to instability than aggressively pushing everyone to the very latest release.For Microsoft’s credibility, this is both a minor embarrassment—showcasing the fallibility of even the world's largest OS maker—and a proof point of progress. Large-scale consumer rollouts always risk breaking edge cases, but responsive infrastructure like KIR and constantly refining future builds can, at least, mitigate the fallout.
Risks Involved: Beyond Wasted Paper
Don’t underestimate the potential business impact—even a seemingly minor Windows-printing glitch carries consequences beyond annoyance and wasted reams of paper. In regulated environments (think healthcare, financial services, or legal firms), unsolicited printer activity can disrupt workflow, risk data exposure (should sensitive print jobs be triggered out of cycle), and undermine confidence in IT operations.Even outside high-compliance fields, unpredictable printer behavior erodes end-user trust. Small- and mid-size businesses (SMBs) lacking an IT department may struggle to diagnose or correct the problem, while large enterprises must divert technical resources from more pressing cybersecurity or infrastructure projects to address this new paper chase.
Printer manufacturers may face increased support requests, and users potentially replace perfectly functional devices, suspecting hardware faults when the real culprit is a software bug sitting deep inside the Windows print sub-system.
Commentary: What the Incident Reveals About Windows Updates
Looking beyond the specific details, this incident is a case study in the complexity of operating system maintenance. Few PC users consider the nuanced interplay of print drivers, protocol stacks, and update policies—until something goes wrong. Microsoft’s ongoing reliance on protocols like IPP, with all their power and peril, builds a feature-rich ecosystem but opens cracks for quirky bugs that only appear in real-world scenarios, across diverse hardware.The modern infrastructure for rapid bug rollback, such as Known Issue Rollback, is a welcome step forward. It helps reduce the window when users are vulnerable. But its utility depends on everything else working seamlessly: deliverability to endpoints, administrator adoption, timely updates, and accurate scoping of affected systems. The fact that managed devices require a manual fix creates a lingering gap for organizations tied up in compliance or slow-moving patch cycles.
The need for clearer testing across hardware permutations, especially in printing (which remains astonishingly complex for such a mature technology), is reinforced. Microsoft and its hardware partners might find this a compelling argument for deeper collaboration—or even overhauls—in how print management components are architected, validated, and rolled out to end users.
Instructions for IT Professionals: Fixing the Fault on Managed Devices
While the automatic fix will resolve most cases for home and unmanaged systems, managed environments require IT intervention:- Download the Group Policy update package provided in Microsoft’s support article on the issue.
- Import the policy package into the Group Policy Management Console.
- Apply the new Group Policy Object (GPO) targeting affected machines.
- Force an update (using
gpupdate /force) or wait for the new setting to propagate.
Best Practices for Users and Administrators
While the bug is in Microsoft's court to patch—and they’re actively doing so—end users and admins should remain vigilant:- Monitor printing activity for further signs of unsolicited output.
- Educate staff not to process or discard unexpected printouts without investigation; a random document might contain fragments of sensitive information.
- Encourage prompt OS and driver updates, but always test critical deployments before widespread rollout.
- For organizations, audit your print fleet: inventory which devices use USB and IPP, and isolate especially mission-critical workflows from new updates until you can verify stability.
The Broader Landscape: Printing’s Persistent Challenge on Windows
Why do printer-related bugs still loom large in 2025? Printing remains a surprisingly brittle pillar in the otherwise bulletproof world of modern PCs, in part due to a legacy of vendor-specific drivers, arcane protocol support, and creative customization by device manufacturers. Even on the same build of Windows, two printers can exhibit wildly different behaviors, depending on how their driver interacts with Windows’ evolving print pipeline.Windows 11 has steadily pushed users toward architectures like Universal Print and cloud-managed print jobs, but millions of home and business printers still rely on classic USB connections and legacy protocol support. As long as this diversity persists, even minor code changes in how the OS talks to peripherals have the potential to unleash ripple effects across the global Windows ecosystem.
Moving Forward: Windows Printing in the Age of Cloud and IoT
With more organizations shifting toward centrally managed, cloud-connected hardware, bugs localized to USB and IPP may seem almost quaint—yet they remain stubbornly relevant. The future clearly points toward universal, driverless printing standards, perhaps even offloading much of the logic to vendor-neutral cloud systems. But for the foreseeable future, hybrid environments—where both legacy and modern protocols must coexist—will continue to pose challenges.This incident is a timely reminder: beneath the reassuring veneer of “it just works,” Windows print infrastructure remains a delicate machine, finely tuned but prone to unexpected dissonance.
Recommendations for End Users
If your printer is channeling the Twilight Zone and churning out cryptic pages, don’t panic. First, check your Windows Update history—did you install a patch from late January 2025 or after? If so, and you’re running Windows 11 22H2 or 23H2, you’re likely in the affected group. Give it a few days to see if the automatic Known Issue Rollback resolves the situation; if not, manually check for an update or consult your IT department.In the meantime, you can consider disconnecting the printer after each use—a hassle, but one that may limit spontaneous printing episodes. Some device manufacturers may also offer updated drivers that mitigate the risk until the Windows-side fix takes hold.
For the Community: Staying Informed and Prepared
Tech glitches—especially those involving legacy functions like printing—are rarely headline news, but their impact is real. Users are urged to bookmark relevant Microsoft support forums and Windows news sites, staying aware of breaking issues. Participate in community discussions to both offer and receive help: by sharing specific makes and models affected, the community can crowdsource a more complete understanding of the bug.If your device is working normally, consider giving feedback to Microsoft via Windows Feedback or tech forums, strengthening the signal for issues that need urgent review.
Conclusion: Lessons Learned and the Road Ahead
The latest Windows printer bug is more than an odd annoyance: it’s a microcosm of the modern software ecosystem—complex, interdependent, and perpetually evolving. While Microsoft’s swift acknowledgment and deployment of KIR is commendable, the episode is a cautionary tale for OS vendors, hardware makers, and users alike. The need for rapid, accountable communication and equally rapid fixes is paramount when even routine updates can upend ordinary workflows.For now, the best advice is vigilance. Monitor your devices, update with care, and lean on both Microsoft’s official channels and the collective wisdom of the Windows enthusiast community. As printing transitions slowly but surely to a fully cloud-native and standardized future, the hope is that such bugs become ever rarer—and ever easier to fix.
Until then, keep an eye on your printer. If it starts talking in gibberish again, at least you’ll know it’s not haunted: just another Wednesday in the world of Windows.
Source: www.ghacks.net Windows has a new issue: printers may print on their own - gHacks Tech News
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