What does Windows error code 3003 (ERROR_SPL_NO_STARTDOC) mean?

 
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ERROR_SPOOL_FILE_NOT_FOUND ERROR_SPL_NO_ADDJOB

ERROR_SPL_NO_STARTDOC

Direct Winspool output is a stateful API sequence. Microsoft documents the normal order as OpenPrinter, StartDocPrinter, StartPagePrinter, WritePrinter, EndPagePrinter, EndDocPrinter, and ClosePrinter. EndDocPrinter explicitly reports an error when StartDocPrinter was not called.

This status is therefore best diagnosed as a state-machine or handle-ownership defect. Printer connectivity is secondary: the caller has not established the document context required for later output or completion calls.

Audit the API sequence

  • Trace the printer handle together with StartDocPrinter success and the returned job identifier.
  • Do not set a local "document started" flag until StartDocPrinter itself succeeds.
  • Check exception and cancellation paths for an EndDocPrinter, WritePrinter, or page call issued after an earlier cleanup reset the document state.
  • If several threads share one printer handle, serialize the document lifecycle or give each independent document its own correctly owned handle and state.

Direct GDI printer data sequence · EndDocPrinter requirements · Print Spooler job functions


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