I've been dealing with a bizarre Windows print services problem that's driving me nuts! I manage a batch/print server that's been running smoothly since late 2023 on an AWS c7i-flex.2xlarge instance with Windows Server 2019 Datacenter. Every morning, I have a Control-M automation that runs a PowerShell script to grab PDFs from a network share, print them to a Xerox copier, and then move them to another folder. This setup worked perfectly from November 2023 until late May 2025.
However, starting in late May, I've noticed that print jobs hang in the queue, even though the script finishes running. Sometimes, the jobs just sit there and other times they clear up on their own, but I can often fix things by restarting the spooler or the print jobs. Rebooting the server helps temporarily, but since it's a production server, I can't do that frequently. I've checked the logs for the spooler and print services, but nothing unusual pops up. I even monitored for CPU spikes using AWS CloudWatch, but I can't pinpoint why the issue started out of the blue.
We've tried a second copier, and it showed the same behavior. I even spun up a new server using the same Terraform code, and it exhibited the same problem! Support from both Microsoft and AWS hasn't yielded much help either. Right now, I've created a workaround by writing a temporary helper script that restarts the spooler and checks the print queue. It's been working, but it sometimes leads to duplicate prints, and I feel it's just a band-aid fix. I'm stuck on what to try next - maybe switch to a T3 instance or upgrade to Windows Server 2022. I'd love to hear if anyone else has faced a similar issue or has any insights on how I can resolve this. Thanks for any advice!
5 Answers
I once had a similar issue with a specific PDF file getting stuck in the print queue. Have you checked if any of the PDFs being sent are causing the hang? You might want to try printing them locally to see if that works as a diagnostic step.
If it were me, I'd shift the print spooler to a different drive first. Also, make sure to have exclusions set for that new spooler folder in your antivirus and endpoint detection response configs. Additionally, check if the print drivers are installed correctly—there can be some real headaches there! Monitor with Process Monitor to see what happens during failures; it might show a locking or permission issue.
Can you share what your PowerShell script looks like? Just copying files or handling printing differently? Check if your print drivers are specific to the hardware or if you’re using a universal one—those can often complicate things. I totally get the printer frustrations!
Have you tried using some generic PDF files for testing, like IRS tax forms? It could help determine if the issue is with the automated files or the server itself. Trying to print them manually might also give you more clues!
This doesn't sound like the weirdest issue I've heard! I once dealt with a printer that printed every other page backwards but in the correct order. As for your situation, it sounds like something might be holding open file handles after you move them. Tool like Handle from Sysinternals could be useful to check during the hang.
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