Member Avatar for dendrimer

Hi,

Web pages are prinitng as mark-up language instead of normal text. Don't know what started this but it's definitely not printer specific. Can anyone explain what browser settings or other changes have to be set to revert back to normal printing?

Current browser is IE7 with most recent critical updates for Windows XP installed. Printing is normal from other software such as MS Word and Excel.

Dendrimer

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by Kaddock

Dani AI

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This problem usually means the print path is getting the page source instead of the rendered output. reported the behavior and saw the same; 's suggestion to try another browser is a perfectly valid quick workaround and a useful diagnostic step, but it doesn't explain the root cause.

Steps to isolate and fix (do them in order):

  1. Check Print Preview in Internet Explorer.

    • If Preview shows markup, IE is treating the document as plain text (browser-side or server-sent headers).
    • If Preview looks correct but the printer produces markup, the problem is after IE (print dialog/spooler/driver).

  2. Make sure you aren't printing from a View Source window or a saved .txt/.htm file that actually contains source. Also verify "Print to file" is not checked in the Print dialog.

  3. Try another browser (as suggested). If other browsers print correctly the issue is IE-specific. If they also print markup, the problem is likely systemic (spooler/driver) or server-side.

  4. Test with a minimal local HTML file. Save this as test.htm, open it in IE and use File -> Print Preview then Print:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head><title>Print test</title></head>
<body><p>If this prints as rendered text, the browser/print path is OK.</p></body>
</html>

  1. Run IE without add-ons (iexplore.exe -extoff) to rule out toolbars or extensions. If that fixes it, disable add-ons selectively.

  2. Reset Internet Explorer settings (Internet Options -> Advanced -> Reset). If the problem appears only for certain sites, ask the site admin or check the HTTP Content-Type header — servers sending text/plain will cause raw HTML output.

If Print Preview is correct but printing still outputs markup, restart the Print Spooler service, try printing to PDF or a different driver, and reinstall the printer driver as a next step. Avoid registry or DLL changes unless guided by a trusted Microsoft support article or technician.

Member Avatar for Kansas Ron

I have a friend with the same problem. New computer with XP Pro, Office 2007 Pro, using a Samsung laser (XP and Vista compatible). Prints okay except for web pages, where it is printing the html code instead. Checked the printer setup, printing setup in IE7, and even re-installed the printer. No effect.

Member Avatar for Kaddock

My advice? Use Firefox or Opera! Period...

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