Solved! All-in-Ones Misalignment on Costco or Heavy Photo Paper Issue

[ctcks]

Hi, after much frustration, I finally came upon a solution to the issue of misalignment when printing heavy (Costco or HP Premium) photo papers. My printer is networked and connected via the router. This fix will probably work with other All-in-Ones as well. (I haven't tried this on business cards yet but will post back when I do). By the way, I'm using Windows 7. This is a very wordy post in order to get all the steps and make it easier to follow. Here goes.

1. Devices and Printers/Add Printer - this is so your original printer file does not get damaged. Also you might want to create a Restore Point.
2. Before adding your new printer, check under Devices and Printers/right-click current working printer/Printer Properties (not "Properties")/Ports/. Make note of the port that is current being used and working. You will use this same port on the newly added printer.
3. Device and Printers/Add Printer/Add Local printer/Under Use Existing Port hold down the arrow at right and select the working port you made note of in step 2.
4. Select HP on the left/HP OfficeJet 6500 709a on the far right (this is a generic printer driver specially made to fix printer issues like this)/Next/Do not share this printer/Next.
5. Do a test print on plain paper at the end of install.
6. Now to print your photo:
7. Clean the printer rollers(I cleaned the ones on the back door where you clear a jam) with an electronic cleaning wipe (maybe alcohol and paper towel will work, too). This is because I think the printer has a hard time picking up the heavier glossy paper after some years of collecting soil and dust on the rollers so it slips - just my theory.
8. Select the photo/s you want to print. (I was trying to print a simple photo index/contact sheet. 8.5"x11" using Costco paper. The contact sheet in Explorer is located as you scroll down the options on the side). I was printing directly from Windows Explorer window in the folder where the image was located.)
9. Print/Select the new printer you just added/paper size 8.5x11/HP Premium Photo Paper/Fit to Picture Frame/Options/Features tab/Borderless unchecked/OK/Print

Result - a beautiful print like the kind HP is known for. Now, whenever you need to print something on heavy photo paper just select this printer. When finished, go back to your default printer.

It is my sincere wishes that this helps somebody who has been as frustrated as I have been not getting this feature to work. Now onto the business cards solution...

[ctcks]

Update: Works for Avery Business Cards, too. Avery design and print online site. I just used the "Plain Paper" and "Automatic" Print Quality setting even with the glossy paper and it came out beautifully and perfectly aligned! Finally!

[econobiker]

Thank you for  the information.  

Does anyone really think that HP or Avery will print this work around in their documentation?

Does HP OfficeJet 6500 709a printer exist on all software editions from HP? And how did YOU know that "this is a generic printer driver specially made to fix printer issues like this"? No one else figured that one out- who told  you?

"Clean the printer rollers(I cleaned the ones on the back door where you clear a jam) with an electronic cleaning wipe (maybe alcohol and paper towel will work, too).This is because I think the printer has a hard time picking up the heavier glossy paper after some years of collecting soil and dust on the rollers so it slips - just my theory." Problem: people have had the HP business card printing problem with brand new printers- certaintly without years of soil or dust on the rollers.

How should a user, unfamilar with those gyrations you described above, go about using the printer?  The basic issue is that these printers DO NOT work for Avery and other business cards unless you know how to do the actions described.

"The sheet stock business card printing problem you are having is a well documented process or product defect that newer HP printers seem to have.  Others have said that older HP printers did not have this problem.  I echo that experience also.  There are multiple questions on these forums with various answers (revert to older printer drivers, change paper type chosen in printer setup, change brand of card paper) but the end all is that HP printers or all in ones cannot print Avery business card sheet stock with any type of repeatability or consistency due to the wandering margin issue. It is unknown whether this is a software or hardware issue or or paper issue or combination of these."

The best solution seems to be to consider a printer that feeds almost straight through versus up and around. If HP has this type of printer you could consider it. Otherwise there are alternative printer brands that feed straight through that may be better for printing sheet stock business cards.

avery, business cards, cards, margin error

http://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Other-printing-questions/Avery-sheet-business-card-printing-problem/m-p...

[econobiker]

Unresolved issue = Unsolved! Correction is beyond the scope of the average person. HP printer buyers should not have "to fool the printer software into thinking it's printing on plain, not expensive glossy or heavy weight paper.

In my experience I could feed 5 or 6 taped together pieces of plain paper through yet a single business card sheet would jam or fail to pull through correctly.  Why would that be?

[DOOMINATOR]

I tried some old business card paper in my Deskjet 4480 since it has the same mentioned problem.  The Avery product would not work but the old stuff I have works perfect every time.  It's just a real disappointment that I've got a fairly new printer and it should work like a new one.  I was first thinking Avery was the issue, but HP should have this issue fixed soon, because it seems to be more of a printer issue.  Avery said that they would send me replacement paper, but what good will that do me if I can't print on it?  Like my HP computer alot, but for the printers, I'll complain.  My Lexmark was fine until they didn't make drivers for Windows 7.  Hope they get the issues fixed or I'll just go with another brand next time.

[tucsonHPuser]

What if you cannot find the generic printer?  HP OfficeJet 6500 709a.

Is there alternative name for it?

[dijer]

I am using Windows XP Pro. and do not have the option to download the driver for Office Jet 6500 709a... is there some other way to get this driver?  I have used up an entire package of Avery stock, a colour cartridge, HP has sent me a new printer, and still I cannot print the simple business cards that I have been printing with NO problem for years now.  I am using the OfficeJet 4500 Wireless, that I recently "upgraded" to... but it seems ridiculous that it cannot accomplish such a simple task.

Thanks for any help.

Dianne

[econobiker]

dijer,

This is called the "HP Wandering Margin Problem" that occurs with Avery and other sheet business card printing.

See this posts:

http://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Other-printing-questions/Avery-Business-Card-Printing-quot-WANDERING-MA...

http://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Other-printing-questions/Avery-sheet-business-card-printing-problem/m-p...

There are no known solutions to trying to print sheet business cards on (newer?) HPprinter products that flip the page around other than to purchase a pull through printer product.

[bushwakt]

This didn't work for me either.  I fought with my Photosmart 4180 all afternoon trying to get it to print business cards on Avery perforated paper and had no luck.  I changed just about every setting that I could find and nothing worked.  When I called HP they wanted to charge me a fee (not happening).  I was really perplexed because I knew that I had previously printed cards on my HP with no problem but I had done it using Microsoft Picture It 2001! instead of openoffice.writer.  So, as a last resort, I reinstalled the old Microsoft Picture It 2001! and to my amazement it prints cards flawlessly.  It has to be a setting or software issue with the printer.

[bdg]

Thanks for the work!  This work-around worked for my D110 wireless printer too.  I was trying to print on Avery 28371 (template 8371) business cards. Thanks again.