Print issue

Network Printer: HP 4240n *have two of these printers
Server: Win 2003 using AD

Here is the situation… We hired a new person to replace someone that left
the company we just created her a new account put her on the same workstation
that the previous person had. Then about a month after she started working
here we started running into the printing issue. Basically what is
happening is the HP printer hangs on the workstation… So if try to print you
wait 10-15 min before the printer will do anything. Even if you try to
access the printer properties it will take 10-15 min before the properties
comes up. The problem is that the printer affects so much… If the user is in
MS Word, Excel, etc… and the user tries to bold some text, change a font, or
uses print preview it access the printer and hangs as well. So it’s really
not just printing… It really slows the users from getting anything done.
Now this is very (once or twice a week) random and sometimes a restart will
get it to act normal sometimes if I restart print spooler service sometimes
if I remove the printer and re-add it will then make it starting working
normal again. And remember I said sometimes because there are times that
all that I just mentioned don’t work and then I just wait and sometimes a day
or two later it will just start working again. Now these are things I’ve
tried to correct the situation, but none of them have worked (It is not in
order of when I tried them).

1) Reimaged the computer
2) Used a totally different computer (Not brand new) *Worked for about a
month* Nothing installed- no changes beside a few MS critical updates in that
month and other workstations had the same updates w/ no issues.

3) Shared the printer from the server to the workstation
4) Used IP directly to the printer from the workstation
5) Shared the printer from my workstation to users workstation
6) Switched between both 4240 printers
7) Tried PCL and PS drivers
8) Updated both drivers


*One other note, most of the work that this person does is excel work. So
when this does happen it is when she is in excel and she is using excel 2003
sp3. But once the printer gets locked up we can be in word, excel , adobe,
etc… does not matter. So I don’t think it’s an excel thing- I think it’s a
network thing, but I don’t know what.