Printing Problems

Fix Missing Letters When Printing Word Documents to HP DeskJet

Huma Ashraf Ch Sep 29, 2026 869 views

Question details

The user needs to fix an issue where specific letters are completely dropped from the printed page when printing a Word document.

How to Fix Missing Letters When Printing Word Documents to an HP DeskJet

Product: Microsoft Word, HP DeskJet 3510
Device & OS: Surface Pro 9 (Windows)
Scenario: Printing a text document created in Microsoft Word to a physical HP DeskJet printer.
Observed behavior: Certain letters, such as 'p', 'b', and 'S', are missing from the final printed output, leaving blank spaces where the characters should be.

Before you start

Before troubleshooting software settings, print a test page directly from your printer's physical control panel to ensure your ink cartridges are not clogged or running low.

Solution 1Recommended

Test Fonts and Isolate Issue with Microsoft Print to PDF

Use standard fonts and the Print to PDF feature to determine if the issue lies with the Word document itself or the printer driver.

Sometimes custom or heavily formatted fonts fail to render correctly in the printer's memory. By changing the font and testing a virtual print, you can pinpoint the exact cause of the missing letters.

Change to a standard font

Open your document in Microsoft Word, press Ctrl + A to select all text, and change the font to Arial or Times New Roman.

Use Microsoft Print to PDF

Go to File > Print. Under the Printer dropdown, select 'Microsoft Print to PDF' and click Print. Save the file to your desktop.

Check the PDF output

Open the newly created PDF file. If the letters are present in the PDF, the issue is with your HP printer driver. If the letters are still missing in the PDF, the problem is with Microsoft Word or the document corruption.

Test Fonts and Isolate Issue with Microsoft Print to PDF

Diagnosis Result: Use the outcome of the PDF test to decide whether you need to update your printer driver (Solution 2) or repair the Word application (Solution 3).

Solution 2

Update or Reinstall the HP Printer Driver

If the PDF test printed perfectly, the communication between your Surface Pro and the printer is faulty. Updating the HP driver will resolve this.

Solution 3

Use Word's Open and Repair Feature

If the letters were missing even in the PDF test, the Word document itself might be corrupted and needs to be repaired.

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Fully compatible with Microsoft Word (.docx) documents and standard fonts.Built-in PDF tools to instantly export or virtually print documents with zero missing characters.Free and lightweight, consuming fewer system resources on devices like the Surface Pro 9.Seamless integration with major printer brands including HP, Canon, and Epson.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why does my HP printer skip random letters when printing?

This is usually caused by outdated printer drivers, communication errors between the computer and printer, or unsupported font types in the document. The printer's memory struggles to render the specific characters, causing them to be dropped.

Can low ink cause specific letters to go missing?

While low ink usually causes faded text or streaks across the entire page, a severely clogged printhead nozzle might cause specific horizontal or vertical lines of text to vanish. Running a printhead cleaning cycle from the printer's menu can help rule this out.

What should I do if repairing the Word document doesn't work?

If 'Open and Repair' fails to fix the missing letters, you can try performing a Quick Repair of the entire Microsoft Office suite. Go to Windows Settings > Apps > Installed apps, locate Microsoft Office, click Modify, and select 'Quick Repair'.

Is it better to print as an image or a PDF if text is missing?

Yes, saving or exporting the document as a PDF and then printing the PDF from a dedicated reader often bypasses Word's rendering engine entirely, providing a quick workaround to print the document exactly as it appears on screen.

Document & File Issues