"After installing the November 2026 Windows security update [..], or later updates, printing might fail for documents containing images rendered with a height or width value of zero at the selected printing resolution," Microsoft said.
Microsoft's advisory on November 2026 security updates
Microsoft warned customers earlier this week that the November 2026 security updates may break printing for documents with complex formatting. In a service alert reported by BleepingComputer, the company said it is investigating the problem and "will provide more information when it is available." The advisory flags a specific rendering condition — images with a declared height or width of zero at the chosen printing resolution — as the trigger for the failures.
Affected systems and the document condition: Windows Server 2016 or later, Windows 10 or later
The company said the known issue affects server devices running Windows Server 2016 or later and client devices running Windows 10 or later. Microsoft described the offending documents as those that contain images "rendered with a height or width value of zero" and noted that those images are sometimes used intentionally in complex document layouts.
Microsoft explained: "These images can be used as part of certain complex document formatting, such as adding 'invisible' images intended to serve as a document watermark, layout anchoring, or generation tools that may inserting images objects even when no graphic present."
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Get a security leadHow printing breaks in practice: Word, GDI, and other apps
The bug mainly affects users printing Microsoft Word documents via the Windows Graphics Device Interface (GDI), Microsoft said, but it "may also trigger failures when printing from other applications." The advisory therefore ties a narrowly defined document condition to a widely used Windows printing subsystem, creating potential for disruption across common desktop and server printing workflows.
Recent history of Windows update–related printing problems
Microsoft's note places this issue in a pattern of printing-related regressions tied to recent updates. The company previously addressed print problems caused by Windows updates in March and July 2025: the March 2025 update "caused USB printers to print random text," and the July 2025 update "broke the 'Print to PDF' feature." In August 2026, Microsoft also notified customers that .NET Framework cumulative updates broke printing and PDF export in apps that use the Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) UI framework.
Other update problems Microsoft confirmed this week
This week's advisory came alongside other Microsoft confirmations about update-related faults. The company said the November Patch Tuesday security updates trigger Windows activation and licensing failures with 0x80041008 error codes. Microsoft also reported that Windows updates released since the October Patch Tuesday cause SQL Server performance and stability issues. In addition, it warned that the November 2026 Windows 11 security updates fail to install on systems that have the October 2026 preview update installed.
What this means for IT administrators, procurement leaders, and end users
- IT administrators: Expect to triage printing incidents where documents use complex formatting or generated content that inserts zero-dimension image objects; Microsoft is "investigating" and has not yet published a fix timeline.
- Enterprise procurement and desktop managers: Be aware that the advisory spans server and client OS families (Windows Server 2016 or later and Windows 10 or later) and that related update regressions have affected printing, PDF export, activation/licensing, and SQL Server performance in recent months.
- End users and document creators: Documents that use "invisible" or placeholder images with zero height or width — for watermarks, layout anchoring, or generation tools — are the specific risk factor called out by Microsoft; printing those documents may fail at the selected printing resolution.
Microsoft's investigation is ongoing. The company has acknowledged the narrow technical trigger — zero-dimension image rendering at print resolution — and linked it to the Windows GDI printing path, but it has not yet provided a remediation or workaround in the advisory quoted by BleepingComputer. Administrators facing printing failures should watch for Microsoft's follow-up and for any cumulative updates that address this regression alongside the other update-side effects the company confirmed this week.
