Windows networked printers freeze on PDF

I have two HP LaserJet printers on a Windows Server 2003-based network. Both printers are managed by a print server and shared from there to multiple users in the domain, most of whom use Windows XP. They usually work fine. Every now and then, somebody sends a document to the printer and it "locks up" on the print queue. The document shows up on the print queue applet but is never actually printed. No error message appears and no event is looged in the server. The problem affect both printers. The only way we have found to solve this is to restart the spooler service on the server.

Some clues. In every occasion that we have observed this, the involved document was a PDF. Also, the problem seems to happen randomly, but especially early in the morning, so we suspect that it may be related to the printing waking up from power saving mode. We have been unsuccessful to reproduce the problem. We have even waited for the printer to go to power-saving mode and sent a PDF that was known to have caused a lock up in a previous occasion; the PDF printed perfectly.

I have done some research and there seems to be people talking about a possible issue with HP LaserJet drivers on Windows Server 2003, but no specific details or resolution was available.

Basically, we have no clue what might be going on. Any ideas? Thanks.

Update 9-Dec-09. We have opened a technical support ticket with HP. They don't seem to have a readily available fix to the problem.

Update 13-Jan-10. We have installed HP Easy Printer Care on the print server as advised by HP support. Don't ask me why, but the issues seems to have disappeared!

From serverfault CesarGon

• It's almost always a print driver issue. Experiment with different print drivers to get the desired results. On some printers (with regard to pdfs) we have to use the PCL6 driver and on others the PCL5 drivers.

  Ward : If he is using PCL drivers, maybe Postscript would work better?

  CesarGon : Thanks GregD and Ward. I will experiment with PCL5 and PS drivers.
  From GregD

• Have you considered that the problem might be network related? Have you tried to see what kind of traffic is actually getting to the printer? What does the printer's logs (not the print server's logs) indicate is happening at the time that the event takes place?

  I've seen this happen several times, but in every case I've experienced it, the only fix has been troubleshooting network connectivity. One time I replaced the printer's network cable, and I've not had a problem with that one in over a year. Several others were attached to consumer-grade Linksys 5-port switches, and replacing the immediately upstream switch took care of it. A few cases have been mal-functioning JetDirect cards.

  That's just one area to look at. I've had many driver issues with PDFs and Canon copiers/printers, but so far (and I've probably just jinxed myself), I haven't seen this particular problem with HP's drivers.

  From Stemen