Easily Fix PCL XL Error on HP Printers [Complete Guide]

The PCL XL Error is seen by a lot of people when they are trying to print or send multiple documents to their printers and it is mostly seen on HP Printers however, some instances have also been observed on other printers. When you send multiple documents to the printer, the printer spool gets crowded due to which the printing process can be halted. Therefore, we suggest that you try out some of the solutions that we have mentioned in this article to get out of this predicament.

What Causes the PCL XL Error on HP Printers?

After going through the set of solutions that fixed the PCL XL error Warning illegalmediasource issue for most of our users, we came to the conclusion that the following are some of the most crucial reasons behind its occurrence.

• Missing Drivers: It is possible that your computer is missing some important drivers due to which this issue is being triggered. Therefore, we recommend that you try and check for any missing drivers as we have mentioned below and check to see if doing so fixes the PCL XL Error.
• Printer Issue: In certain cases, the printer that you have installed might not have started properly or it might have acquired a glitch or a bug during its startup. Therefore, we suggest that you try and restart the printer to fix the issue as mentioned in the solution below.
• Outdated Drivers: Some Drivers can get outdated over time as new updates are revealed from the company due to which certain functions of the printer might stop working. Therefore, we suggest that you try and update your drivers and then check to see if doing so has fixed the PCL XL Error on HP Printers.
• Incorrect Settings: Certain settings on your computer might have been outdated due to which the error is being triggered. Therefore, we recommend that you try and reconfigure these settings as mentioned in the steps below.

Now that you have been taken through almost all of the mentioned triggers, we can finally start implementing the solutions.

Fixing the PCL XL Error:

Solution 1: Use PCL5 Drivers

It is possible that the PCL6 drivers might be installed on your computer which can cause some issues, therefore, we recommend that you uninstall them and shift to the PCL5 drivers instead. For that:

1. Download the PCL5 drivers from the official HP Website
2. Once downloaded run the “.exe” file and go through the installation wizard
3. After installing the drivers on your computer, check to see if doing so fixes the PCL XL Error illegalattributevalue.

Solution 2: Refresh Printer

1. Make sure to completely shut down your printer by pressing the power button.
2. Remove the AC cord from the wall socket to disconnect the printer and wait for a while.
3. Press and hold the Power button of the printer for 10 seconds with the AC cord disconnected.
4. After that, reconnect the printer to the power and turn it on.
5. Check to see if doing so fixes the PCL XL Error.

Solution 3: Configuring Paper Source to Auto

1. Press “Windows + I” to launch settings and click on the “Devices” option.
2. From the left side, select the “Printers and Scanners” option and click on your printer on the right side.
3. From there, click on the “Manage” button and select the “Printing Preferences” option.

   

4. Select the “Paper/Quality” tab from the window and ensure that the Paper Source and Media have been set to “Automatically Select“.
5. Save your changes and close out of the Window.
6. Check to see if doing so fixes the PCL XL Error on your HP Printer.

Solution 4: Use Direct IP Printing

If the printer has been shared with other computers connected to the Network, you might get this issue. Therefore, we suggest that you try the Direct IP Printing technique instead of normal printing and check to see if the issue is sorted.

Solution 5: Use Cleanspl.exe Utility

1. Download the Cleanspl.exe Utility from the internet and install it on your computer.
2. Run the executable and check to see if the spool is cleared.
3. After clearing the spool, check to see if the issue has been fixed.

Solution 6: Install PostScript Driver for HP Printer

1. Download the latest PostScript driver from the official HP site
2. After downloading the software on your computer, make sure to install it by running the executable.
3. After installation, check to see if the PCL XL Error is fixed.

Solution 7: Rename Printer Files

1. Press “Windows + E” to launch the File Explorer and navigate through the following address.

C:\Windows\System32\spool\drivers\x64\3

2. From the top, click on “View” and make sure that the “File Name Extensions” button is checked.

   

3. After that, copy these files to another folder and after copying, go back to the original location and rename the files.
4. Check to see if doing so has fixed the issue.

Solution 8: Updating Printer Drivers

1. Press “Windows + R” to launch into the Run prompt, type in “devmgmt.msc” and press “enter” to launch into the device management window.

   

2. From here, right-click on the Printer and select the “Update Driver” option.
3. Now, from the next window, click on the “Search Automatically for Updated Driver Software” button.
4. Wait for the installation to complete and check to see if the PCL XL Error issue is fixed.

Solution 9: Reconfigure Printer Settings

1. Press “Windows + R” to launch the Run prompt, type in “Control Panel” and press “Enter” to launch into the control panel.

   

2. From here, click on the “Hardware and Sound” option and then select the “Printer and Devices” option.
3. From the next screen, right-click on your printer and select the “Printing Preferences” button.
4. Select the “Advanced” option at the bottom right and change the “TrueType Font” to the “Download As SoftFont” option and change the “Sent True Type as Bitmap” to “Enabled”.
5. After this, click on “Apply” to save your changes and then select the “OK” button.
6. Try to print something and check to see if the PCL XL Error is fixed.

Solution 10: Download Microsoft Hotfix

In certain cases, it is possible that there might be some important DLL files missing from your computer due to which this particular issue is being triggered. Therefore, we recommend that you try to download the Microsoft Hotfix from the official site and run the downloaded file. Wait for the installation process to be completed and check to see if the PCL XL error is fixed completely.

If you are still getting this issue, feel free to contact us for further troubleshooting of this error.