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Firefox prints blank pages. Print preview doesn't show anything either. This problem just started out of nowhere. I have printed for years with same computer & printer. Firefox updates automatically. IE print previews and prints normally on same maching,

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  • 395 have this problem
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  • Paskiausią atsakymą parašė thehellers2003

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Suddenly I can't print from Firefox. Same machine, same printer. I update Firefox automatically and I currently have 3.6.3. Print preview shows blank pages and it prints blank pages. I don't have any problems with IE. I have Windows XP Pro

This happened

Every time Firefox opened

== 2 or 3 weeks ago

Suddenly I can't print from Firefox. Same machine, same printer. I update Firefox automatically and I currently have 3.6.3. Print preview shows blank pages and it prints blank pages. I don't have any problems with IE. I have Windows XP Pro == This happened == Every time Firefox opened == 2 or 3 weeks ago

All Replies (16)

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Me too, except on Mac OS X....

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Same problem Mac OS X. Suddenly out of nowhere after longtime use: Firefox has (i) no Print Preview & (ii) saves pages as blank .pdf's. Firefox only. Safari works fine: Print Preview & saving pages as .pdf's function in Safari without a problem. Does anybody have a solution?

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Exact problem I'm having as well. There has to be some compatibility issues as I too recently upgraded and something went belly-up... I wonder how long it will be until this is fixed... Good thing I can still navigate on my Safari...

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BTW - I tried all the about:config stuff... Reset all the print.print and quit Firefox and then relaunched... Nothing...

Not to pick but I've seen the-edmeister's post with the link on several problem pages and most comments have been they don't work. I thought I would try it for good measure but I have to wonder if that data is way outdated... (Like the picture looks too...) LOL

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Frustrated in Alaska,

Sometimes doing the "reset" fixes printing problems, but more often the problem can't fixed.

Did you read the Bug reports linked at the bottom of that KB article? Those are just 5 of the hundreds of print related Bugs that are in Firefox, Bugs that don't have any priority and are never fixed.

I print nothing in Firefox without doing a Print Preview first and if the entire webpage doesn't look like it will print completely, I open that webpage in Opera and print it from that browser.

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Problem solved. It turns out there are some very bright programmers in line at 5am at the Palo Alto Apple store on the day new iPhones are released. They gave me good advice:

The source of the problem (at least mine) is a corrupt Firefox profile folder. You have to (i) close Firefox, (ii) delete the contents of the profile folder (or the entire folder) which is stored separately from the app, (iii) delete Firefox from your computer, and (iv) then re-load Firefox from the web. (v) Upon opening the newly re-loaded version of Firefox, it will create a new default profile folder and/or populate the empty profile folder with a default profile. The reloaded Firefox with the new default profile is no longer corrupt. It will print and will print/save to .pdf.

The links below have to do with profiles - deleting, backing up, and restoring them. They are not specific to this problem, but they are necessary reading to avoid missteps, and to fix them if they occur. I inadvertently created collateral effects during diagnosis. The links explained how to easily undo any mistakes I made. It was not a hazardous undertaking. To make the process as trouble-free as possible, prepare as follows:

- Separately back up bookmarks, history, auto-complete history, cookies, passwords, etc. if those are to be preserved at the end of the operation. The last link below is instructive on the process for backing up (which will need to be done before deleting the profile folder or its contents) and restoring bookmarks and/or history after re-loading Firefox. The default profile in the new Firefox will contain empty history,bookmark, and password files.

- Copy the profile folder to external media (a thumb drive, DVD, etc.) before deleting or emptying, and note the location of the folder so that backtracking of the various steps and a complete restore is possible - likely unnecessary, but always a wise precaution. It will in any event provide an extra backup of bookmarks, history, passwords, etc.

Important: If the profile folder is merely emptied, leave the empty folder in its existing location. If the profile folder is deleted, replace it with an empty folder with the exact name of the pre-existing profile folder before trying to run Firefox after reloading it (easily accomplished from the backup version saved at the outset to external media). Reloading Firefox does not recreate the profile until AFTER Firefox runs. In the absence of a profile folder with the exact name and in the same location as the pre-existing one, Firefox will not run after reloading. It will erroneously display a message that it is already open, preventing Firefox from running and creating the very default profile which it needs to run. The links below explain the problem and its solution if it is inadvertently encountered.

Diagnosis took considerable time, but the good news is that it took significantly longer to write this message than to replace the corrupt profile folder and restore bookmarks & other information. It sounds more complicated than it is.

Helpful links:

Backing up your information. http://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/backing+up+your+information

Profiles. http://support.mozilla.com/en-us/kb/profiles

Backing up and restoring bookmarks. http://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/Backing+up+and+restoring+bookmarks

and

Error message: "A copy of Firefox is already open. Only one copy of Firefox can be open at a time." http://kb.mozillazine.org/Profile_in_use

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Problem: I had the same problem but with mac osx 10.5.8, Firefox 3.6.6 sometimes prints and sometimes does not, but the preview was always blank and I could not save to pdf file.

Solution: I downloaded Firefox 3.5.10, installed it on my desktop and opened it, tried print preview and it worked, quit Firefox 3.5.10 and ran 3.6.6 and voila! print preview is working fine and I can save to pdf fine.

I guess running 3.5.10 fixes the profile in a certain way. I have no idea how that happened but it worked.

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In case anyone has the same issue I have a less invasive fix:

  • 1. Close all firefox instances
  • 2. Go to the profile folder (usually named XXXXX.default) in %APPDATA%\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\ for windows.
  • 3. Open the prefs.js file with a text editor like notepad++
  • 4. Locate and erase any lines starting with user_pref("print.printer

Modified by roeften

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Thank you, thank you, thank you! I tried your solution and it worked! Now I can return to using Firefox after over 6 months of not being able to print. You are BRILLIANT.

Modified by bfyoung

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Thank you, thank you, thank you! I tried your solution of installing version 3.5.10, opening it, and then reopening my newest version 3.6.13 and it worked! Now I can return to using Firefox after over 6 months of not being able to print. You are BRILLIANT.

Modified by bfyoung

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Thank you! This worked. However, when I attempted to downloaded Firefox 3.6.14 I ended up with Firefox 4, so I can't be certain. I was hesitant to try the other approach of changing the profile, but because of that I now have my bookmarks backed up.

I am printing again from Firefox and able to Save as a PDF. I had given up on printing from Firefox and had gone to Safari. Aaah...choices again.

This problem has been out there for at least 9 months. I kept hoping that the maestros at Mozilla would fix it with each newer version. Not so. Thought it was a Mac problem only, not so as I see from a couple of posts in other searches.

Anyway, onward and quite happily so.

Thanks, again.

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Regarding the method of deleting profile folder and creating a new one:

I found my old add-ons were all lost after the new profile created.

My "solutions":

Before I started to delete my profile folder, I made memo lists of all my old add-ons and plug-ins. It's a precaution, is case anything get lost.

It's useful to make an extra backup copy of the database/information that any of those add-ons might use. Zotero is an add-ons I rely on deeply. It stores all the research data and citation notes for my research. So I made an extra backup copy of the entire content of my Zotero database before doing any profile changes. After creating new profile folder, the Zotero itself and its database are all gone. So I use the backup to get my Zotero research database back.

The memo list helped me to install the add-ons that are still needed, back to my Firefox 4.

The plug-ins were not affected in my case.

--

Modified by splander

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My os is Vista, and I am using Firefox 7.0.1 I found the solution to my problem when I checked my print setup. I apparently had changed by upper margin to a very large number, therefore when ever I looked at print preview, all I saw was blank space. Reset to .5 inch and all is fine.

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Give up now! Every time they update FF they break something. This particular issue is hopeless. Just wasted an hour trying every fix in the book. Thanks, FF! Cost me an hour and now I'm fully switched over the Safari. PDF's print fine in Safari. Oh, and thanks as well for the STELLAR support, which consists of, well, nothing. None whatsoever. Just a bunch of users groping around in the dark. Up yours.

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You SAVED my life! To the AnonymousUser who wrote the solution of installing version 3.5.10, opening it, and then reopening my old version and it worked!

My work and my play all depend on being able to print from the internet and save pages in PDF. Even my e-mail is dependent on those abilities.

Without your solution I was sunk. You helped me fix it in a matter of minutes. You are BRILLIANT. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!

Here's EXACTLY what I did:

First, I backed up my Firefox Profile (on Mac). It's really simple and took 10 seconds. I got help in doing this at http://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/Backing%20up%20your%20information#w_firefox-3-5

Then I went to http://www.oldapps.com/ and downloaded an old version of Firefox 3.5.10 for Mac. I installed this version (which kept my bookmarks, passwords, etc.)

I was able to print and save to pdf then!

Then I went back to http://www.oldapps.com/ and downloaded an old version of Firefox 3.6.1 for Mac (I use this old version because it's dependable and compatible with my URL save add-ons).

I installed the 3.6.1 version and VOILA! No problems in printing or saving to PDF! (again, my bookmarks and passwords were NOT deleted!)

If you need to restore your bookmarks and passwords, you can get easy directions at http://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/Backing%20up%20your%20information#w_firefox-3-5

I'm happy printing and PDF'ing again!