Printer misses printing bottom two inches of text on the page (letter size)

Question

Printer misses printing bottom two inches of text on the page (letter size)

Judy Buchanan 0

HP Printer Smart Tank 5102 sometimes refuses to print at all. Sometimes it prints, but misses the bottom portion of the printed page.

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Answer 1

Emma1-N 7,455 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Welcome Judy Buchanan,

I understand how frustrating it can be when your HP Smart Tank 5102 sometimes fails to print and, when it does, it cuts off the bottom portion of the page.

Before proceeding, could you please confirm:

Does this issue happen in all applications (e.g., Notepad, Word, browser), or only in specific programs?
Are you printing using the default driver provided by Windows, or the full HP driver/software package?

In the meantime, you can try the steps below to troubleshoot the issue:

Option 1: Update or reinstall the printer driver

Go to Device Manager from the Start menu
Expand Printers
Right-click your printer and select Update driver
If already updated, uninstall and reinstall using the latest driver from HP

Option 2: Try printing a test page from Windows

Open Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners
Select your printer
Choose Print a test page
Check if the bottom is still missing

Option 3: Check printer firmware and alignment

Use HP Smart app
Look for firmware updates
Run printhead alignment or maintenance

I hope the steps above help you deal with your issue.

P.S: If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".

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Emma1-N 7,455 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-05-28T04:31:07.73+00:00

Hello Judy Buchanan,

Have you had the chance to check my answer yet?

Please do keep me updated.
Judy Buchanan 0 Reputation points

2026-05-28T14:52:42.3833333+00:00

Yes, I've checked your answer. I've performed the tasks listed above. I did another alignment, and the full page printed from HP Alignment Page; but the printer still cut off the bottom couple of lines from a document I composed - after the successful alignment page. Then the printer refused to print the next document I wanted to print. I turned it off frustrated - AGAIN.
Emma1-N 7,455 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-05-29T07:52:51.7166667+00:00
Hello Judy Buchanan,

Thank you for your response. You can try the steps:

Reset the Windows printing system

Open Command Prompt as administrator

Run these commands one by one:

net stop spooler

del %systemroot%\System32\spool\PRINTERS* /Q

net start spooler

Then try printing again
Judy Buchanan 0 Reputation points

2026-05-29T21:47:23.19+00:00

I will try that.
Judy Buchanan 0 Reputation points

2026-05-29T22:43:26.7933333+00:00

Instructions were followed to a "T" but that didn't work. Another printed page missing the bottom lines (and the document had an ample margin, top and bottom).
Emma1-N 7,455 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-05-30T07:28:30.9233333+00:00
Hello Judy Buchanan,

you can try the steps below:

Reinstall or update the printer driver

Go to Device Manager from the Start menu

Expand Printers

Right‑click your printer > Uninstall device

Restart your PC (driver will reinstall automatically), or install the latest version from your printer manufacturer’s website
Judy Buchanan 0 Reputation points

2026-05-30T19:18:08.5766667+00:00

That didn't work either.
Emma1-N 7,455 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-06-02T07:11:30.31+00:00
Hello Judy Buchanan,

you can try the step: switch to a different printer driver type

Go to Settings > Bluetooth > Printers & scanners

Remove the current printer

Add it again and try the HP Smart driver instead of the default one (or vice versa)
Emma1-N 7,455 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-06-03T06:27:50.63+00:00

Hello Judy Buchanan,
Is there any update from you?

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Printer misses printing bottom two inches of text on the page (letter size)

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