Custom media size + borderless on OJP 8740?

[paleolith]

I gave up on trying to get the OJP 6978 to printer custom sizes borderless, since neither HP support nor the forum could figure out how to do it, and the best info I've found is that most current inkjet printers offering borderless printing only support specific paper sizes. (I don't know why but I assume it has to do with physical characterics of borderless printing.) I returned it.

http://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Inkjet-Printing/OJ-Pro-borderless-half-letter/td-p/6001927

I asked HP sales what printers could do what I need: print borderless on 8.5x5.5" card stock. They recommended the Officejet Pro 8740. I would like to believe them, but the specs leave me suspicious. The specs for the 8740 have the vague statement "Borderless printing: Yes, Edge to Edge for A4 and Edge to Edge for Letter size". My understanding from reading is that the 8740 differs from the 8720 only in having an additional paper try, and the 8720 specs say "Borderless printing: Yes, up to 8.5 x 11 in (US letter), 210 x 297 mm (A4)". That's exactly the wording in the specs for the 6978, which does not print borderless on custom media sizes.

So has anyone actually printed borderless custom sizes on an 8700 series printer, or at least attempted to set up to do so? (On the 6978, I was stopped by the print driver from even setting it up.)

The only other current printer I've identified which supposedly can do this is the Epson Surecolor P400. The price of that printer doesn't bother me much, and I might end up using some of the additional capabilities, but it would take up a LOT more space.

Thanks,

Edward

[Bob_Headrick · Accepted solution]

The specifications for the Officejet Pro 8740 list the following sizes for borderless photo printing:

Borderless photo paper  102 x 152 mm (4.0 x 6.0 inches)

Borderless photo paper  127 x 178 mm (5.0 x 7.0 inches)

Borderless photo paper  203 x 254 mm (8.0 x 10.0 inches)

Borderless photo paper  216 x 280 mm (8.5 x 11 inches)

Borderless photo paper  100 x 150 mm (3.9 x 5.9 inches)

Borderless photo paper    89 x 127 mm (3.5 x 5.0 inches)

Borderless photo paper  130 x 180 mm (5.1 x 7.1 inches)

There are reasons only certain sizes are allowed for borderless printing:  when printing borderless the image is actually slightly oversized and partially prints on the platen.  Some areas of the platen are specially designed to handle ink on them without later smearing on the back side of prints.  Generally only photo paper is allowed for borderless printing, since printing to the edge of paper may cause it to cockle, which may cause head crashes or paper jams.  Photo paper is thicker and able to handle the ink without buckling.

One thing you might consider for your application (that would have also worked with your Officejet Pro 6978).  Print two of your pages cards on a single 8.5 x 11 sheet, then cut the page in half after printing.

[paleolith]

Thanks for the details. I rather suspected as much.

Yes, I realized that I could print 8.5x11 and cut. I saw two problems. One is that the cards I like only come in 8.5x5.5. (I buy them from Paper Direct.) The other is that since the matching edges would differ -- it really is a full bleed print of art work -- the cuts would have to be very precise, and I would have to make about 160 such cuts each December.

I suppose I'll put my old Photosmart D5460 back into service and deal with its issues as long as it continues to work. I guess borderless printing was less sophisticated when it was made. Perhaps the entire platen was somewhat capable of dealing with ink on it. I do get some ink on the edges of the cards, so there was room for improvement, for sure. Well, I'll also study that Epson printer some more, including determining whether the Epson sales agent actually knows their product better than the HP sales agent knows theirs.

I never knew until reading here the past couple of days why my image was always slightly cropped in printing. I design the cards in Illustrator, so I know exactly where the edges are. I figured out several years ago that to avoid unintended cropping, I had to tell Illustrator to reduce to 98% in one dimension and 97% in the other. At least now I know what's going on with that. Ironically, I consistently print 300 cards that way without a single unprinted edge, so even that old printer registers the cards more accurately than the software gives it credit for.

Thanks again,

Edward

[Elo5]

Postcards 8.5 x 5.5 do not print to tge right edge. I need this size as do many in Real Estate and marketing. Nothing works. Really bad printer. Wish I had bought a Color Laser.

[Bob_Headrick]

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@Elo5wrote:
Postcards 8.5 x 5.5 do not print to tge right edge. I need this size as do many in Real Estate and marketing. Nothing works. Really bad printer. Wish I had bought a Color Laser.

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See my post above, the printer only supports full bleed (borderless) in specific sizes.

[paleolith]

Saying it's a "really bad printer" because it doesn't have a feature you need is poor reasoning. I need that same feature, but I think it's a good printer, just not the one I need. I fault HP's description of the printer, but not the printer.

If a color laser meets your needs, get it instead of bellyaching. I don't know whether color lasers do full bleed. They don't meet my needs because I'm printing fine art and am not willing to settle for the poorer color rendering of laser printers.

In my OP, I identified an Epson printer which claims to print full bleed on 8.5x5.5. I have not verified that capability, but it's a possibility for you too.

Edward