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To add a page before every print job, open the queue’s Printer properties, choose Advanced, select Separator Page, and enter or browse to a .sep file. On a shared printer, make this change on the print server so every user of that queue receives the same setting. Then test with a one-page document.
A Windows separator page is generated before a job to identify or physically separate printouts. It is different from a blank page between document pages, a printer-driver banner, or a finishing option that separates copies.
Before you configure it
- Have permission to change the printer queue; modifying a shared queue normally requires print-management or administrative rights.
- Decide whether the target is a local queue or a shared print-server queue. Configure the server queue for organization-wide behavior.
- Confirm the printer driver and language. A separator file written for PostScript may not work with a PCL-only configuration.
- Expect each job to consume an additional sheet of paper and some toner. This may be undesirable for secure-release systems or high-volume short jobs.
Microsoft describes the separator file as the file used to create the page that separates print jobs in the Windows printer model: printer information and separator files.
Configure an existing separator page in Windows
On a print server with Print Management
- Sign in with an account allowed to manage the queue.
- Open Print Management from Start, or run
printmanagement.msc. - Expand Print Servers, the relevant server, and Printers.
- Right-click the queue and select Properties.
- Open Advanced, then select Separator Page.
- Enter the path to a
.sepfile or use Browse to select one. - Select OK, then OK again, and submit a small test job.
This is the queue-level procedure documented by Microsoft’s separator-page guidance. Windows versions may include different built-in files in the system directory, so do not assume a particular filename is available everywhere.
On a local printer
- Open Settings → Bluetooth & devices → Printers & scanners.
- Select the printer and open Printer properties, not only Printing preferences.
- Check the Advanced tab for Separator Page.
- Choose the file, apply the change, and run a one-page test.
If the modern Settings interface does not expose the control, open Control Panel → Devices and Printers, right-click the queue, and choose Printer properties. The exact tabs depend on the Windows edition, queue type, and driver.
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Configure a queue with PowerShell
The PrintManagement module exposes the queue setting through -SeparatorPageFile. Run PowerShell with an account that can administer the queue.
Set-Printer `
-Name "Accounting Printer" `
-SeparatorPageFile "C:WindowsSystem32sysprint.sep"For a queue hosted on another server:
Set-Printer `
-ComputerName "PrintServer01" `
-Name "Accounting Printer" `
-SeparatorPageFile "C:WindowsSystem32sysprint.sep"Microsoft documents this parameter in Set-Printer. When creating a queue, Add-Printer also accepts -SeparatorPageFile:
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Add-Printer `
-Name "Accounting Printer" `
-DriverName "Example Printer Driver" `
-PortName "IP_192.0.2.25" `
-SeparatorPageFile "C:WindowsSystem32custom.sep"Verify the queue value:
Get-Printer -Name "Accounting Printer" |
Select-Object Name, ComputerName, SeparatorPageFileAn empty SeparatorPageFile means no Windows separator file is assigned through that queue. A vendor-driver banner can still be enabled elsewhere.
Create or edit a custom .sep file
- Copy any supplied file rather than editing a Windows system file in place, and give the copy a new name.
- Open the copy in Notepad or another plain-text editor.
- Put one escape character on the first line. Microsoft examples use
/; another character is possible if it is used consistently throughout the file. - Add the control codes and text required by the target printer language.
- Save with the
.sepextension, then assign it under Printer properties → Advanced → Separator Page.
The file is a printer-control text file, not HTML, PDF, or a general document template. Microsoft’s documented controls include:
| Code | Purpose |
|---|---|
/J |
Sends a printer-specific control sequence. |
/Hnn |
Sends hexadecimal ASCII code nn directly to the printer. |
/Wnn |
Sets separator width; the default is 80 characters and the maximum is 256. |
/U |
Turns off block-character printing. |
/B/S |
Uses single-width block characters until /U. |
/B/M |
Uses double-width block characters until /U. |
/E |
Ejects a page. |
/n |
Skips n lines, where n is 0–9. |
See the complete syntax and examples in Microsoft’s separator-page documentation. Printer-specific /J or /Hnn sequences require the printer manufacturer’s technical documentation. Xerox identifies sysprint.sep as a PostScript separator file and notes that PCL handling differs; consult its separator-file guidance before reusing that file with another language.
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Windows separator files versus driver job separators
Some printers implement a separate feature named Job Separator, Banner Page, or similar under Device Settings, Installable Options, or printer defaults. HP, for example, documents a driver-level Job Separator setting: HP support instructions.
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Test safely
- Use a one-page document and one copy.
- Use ordinary paper before trying special media.
- Confirm that exactly one separator appears before the job, not after it or between document pages.
- Check the tray, orientation, duplex behavior, and whether the separator is being counted or finished as part of the job.
- Test through the actual shared queue if users print through a server; a local test does not prove server behavior.
Disable a separator page
Graphical method
- Open Printer properties for the queue.
- Choose Advanced and select Separator Page.
- Remove the path or clear the field.
- Select Apply or OK.
This is the normal Windows reversal described in Microsoft’s support answer.
PowerShell method
Set-Printer `
-Name "Accounting Printer" `
-SeparatorPageFile $nullIf a particular PowerShell or driver combination rejects $null, clear the value in the queue properties instead.
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Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Likely cause | Action |
|---|---|---|
| No Separator Page option | Wrong properties window, class driver, permissions, or vendor-controlled feature | Open Printer properties; check Advanced, Device Settings, and Printing Defaults; make the change on the server or install the vendor driver. |
| Blank separator | Empty/incompatible file, malformed controls, or a separate blank-page feature | Test a known-compatible file, then test the custom file one change at a time. |
| Two separator pages | Windows and driver-level features are both enabled | Disable one of the two settings. |
| Garbage characters | PostScript/PCL mismatch or unsupported control sequence | Match the file to the language sent by the driver and remove vendor commands the device does not support. |
| Extra blank page | Final eject/form-feed behavior | Temporarily remove the final /E, test a single-page job, and check whether the driver adds its own form feed or duplex boundary. |
| Works locally but not through the shared queue | Client-only setting, inaccessible path, different drivers, or client-side rendering | Configure the server queue, ensure the server can read the file, and test the shared connection. |
| Does not apply to every user | Only one workstation was configured | Set SeparatorPageFile on the print-server queue. |
On Windows 11 version 22H2 and later, RPC changes can affect access to shared printing; they concern client/server communication rather than separator-file syntax. See Microsoft’s Windows printing RPC guidance. In some Branch Office Direct Printing deployments, Microsoft documents copying a server separator file to the client when it is under 64 KB; treat that as a deployment-specific behavior, not a universal rule.
When another solution is better
- Printer-native banner: choose this when the device must pull separators from a particular tray, use colored stock, or integrate with finishing and accounting.
- Print-management software: use secure release, authentication, quotas, routing, cover sheets, or audit logs when queue-level separation is not enough.
- Document-generated cover sheet: use a Word, PDF, or workflow-generated page when you need branding or rich metadata.
CUPS, macOS, and other platforms use their own queue, filter, and printer-option systems. The official CUPS documentation does not establish a directly equivalent standard Windows .sep control, so use platform- and printer-specific documentation rather than copying these Windows steps: CUPS documentation.
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