When I go to print in Word, there is a pause while it tries to connect to the default printer

Question

Never had this show up before. Printing has always been fairly instantaneous. After a recent reinstall, when I select PRINT, the program pauses while seemingly trying to connect to the default printer. There is an error amounting to: Trying to connect to printer. All my printers are on my network, connected with Ethernet, and are left "ON."

Do I have something in Word or Windows 11 (24H2) set up incorrectly this time?

Answer 1

Hi,

That’s an excellent question, WSD ports were designed to make printer setup automatic and plug-and-play, especially for home or small-office users who might not know their printer’s IP address. When a printer broadcasts its presence on the network, Windows detects it through WSD and adds it automatically, no typing, no configuration. The idea was convenience over control.

The downside is that WSD connections depend on background network discovery services and can become slow or unreliable, particularly if:

The printer’s IP changes (because it isn’t static).

Network discovery briefly fails or restarts.

The printer takes a few seconds to wake from sleep.

By contrast, a Standard TCP/IP port connects directly to a fixed IP address, skipping all that handshaking, which is why it’s faster and more stable.

So, in short: Windows and many installer packages default to WSD for ease of setup, not for performance. For anyone who wants reliability and instant response, like you-TCP/IP is the smarter choice.

Kind regards,

Answer 2

Hi,

Thanks for the details, You can fix the delay by switching your printers from WSD ports to Standard TCP/IP ports, since WSD connections often cause slow responses when Word or Windows tries to locate the printer on the network. To do this, open Control Panel, go to Devices and Printers, right-click your printer, choose Printer Properties, and under the Ports tab, click Add Port. Standard TCP/IP Port. New Port. Then enter your printer’s IP address (like 192.168.68.62) and complete the setup. Once the new port appears, select it instead of the old WSD port and click Apply. Repeat for your other printer. Using a direct TCP/IP port gives Windows a fixed connection to the printer, so Word won’t pause while trying to reconnect.

Kind regards,

Answer 3

Hi,

You can try this: first, open Control Panel, select Devices and Printers, right-click your printer, choose Printer Properties, and check the Ports tab to ensure it’s using the correct TCP/IP port with the right IP address, not a WSD port, since WSD often causes slow connections. Next, in Word’s Options under Advanced and Print, uncheck "Allow background printing" to prevent Word from pausing while it connects. Then, in Settings under Bluetooth & Devices and Printers & Scanners, turn off "Let Windows manage my default printer" and manually set your main printer as default so Windows doesn’t keep switching it. Finally, update or reinstall the printer driver from the manufacturer’s website, as the generic Windows driver can sometimes cause delays when connecting to network printers.

Kind regards,

Answer 4

Hi,

Thanks for the screenshot, What you’re seeing there ("Additional port information required. The device could not be identified.") is actually normal when Windows can’t automatically detect the printer’s model over the network. It just means the wizard will proceed with a Generic Network Card setup instead of a fully recognized printer type, and that’s completely fine for now.

Keep Generic Network Card selected, click Next, then Finish to create the TCP/IP port. Go back to Printer Properties, open the Ports tab, and select the new TCP/IP port, then click Apply. Next, in the General tab, choose Print Test Page to confirm the connection, if it prints instantly, that should fix the delay in Word. For best performance, you can also install the correct Canon driver from Canon’s support page for your specific model, which ensures proper detection and communication.

Kind regards,

Answer 5

Hi,

Got it, Here’s what to do step-by-step:

1. Check the ports first:
   • Go to Control Panel > Devices and Printers.
   • Right-click each printer and choose Printer Properties > Ports.
   • Look for the port name , if it still starts with WSD or something like PORTPROMPT or CNBJNP, it’s not a true TCP/IP port yet.
2. Remove the incorrect ports (optional but tidy):
   • In the Ports tab, note the names of any extra or incorrect ports that you won’t use.
   • You can safely uncheck and later delete them by clicking Delete Port once your new ones are working.
3. Create a proper TCP/IP port manually:
   • Click Add Port > Standard TCP/IP Port > New Port.
   • Enter your printer’s IPv4 address (for example, 192.168.68.62 for your Canon).
   • If it can’t identify the device again, select Generic Network Card, click Next, then Finish.
   • You should now see a new port named something like IP_192.168.68.62.
4. Assign that port to the printer:
   • Back in Printer Properties > Ports, select the new IP_... port you created, then click Apply.
5. Test the connection:
   • From the General tab, click Print Test Page to confirm it prints immediately.
   • Once that works, repeat the same steps for your Epson printer using its IP address.

After both printers are switched to TCP/IP ports, they should connect instantly without the “Trying to connect to printer” delay.

Kind regards,