Pagewide Pro MFP 477dw Trying to print documents to tray 2 and envelopes to tray1 in word 2010

[BoneArt]

Setting up new printer and printing from Word 2010 
Printing documents to default tray 2 works fine but when we try to print an envelope in tray 1 it keeps telling us we need to put envelopes in tray 2 even though in shortcuts under printing preferences we have selected envelopes tray 1 for that document.
Also tried auto select paper source and no change.

What would be ideal is what we had with our old HP printer where you hit print and it went to the default letter/A4 paper tray (tray 2)  but if you put something in the manual feed (tray 1) it would print automatically on that instead until it ran out and then switch back to the main tray (tray 2).

Pulling my hair out over the new printer so any help would be greatly appreciated.

BTW.
Tried to lodge a support case, put in the serial number and its said this product not suported by this site click here to go to HP enterprise.  Tried to lodge a support case at enterpise and got the same message pointing me back the the first page so just going round in circles, I can't even lodge a support request.

[john_domnic]

Hi,

Thanks for using the HP forum.

Please check the link below for envelope printing check if this helps

http://h20566.www2.hp.com/hpsc/doc/public/display?sp4ts.oid=7326560&docLocale=en_US&docId=emr_na-c04...

Although I am an HP employee, I am speaking for myself and not for HP.

*Say thanks by clicking the "Kudos! Star" which is on the left*
Make it easier for other people to find solutions, by marking my answer with "Accept as Solution" if it solves your issue.

[BoneArt]

As mentioned in my question I do that and it still doesnt work most of the time.  Occasionally after lots of changing settings and test printing I will get something to print from tray one but then the next document I want to print to  tray 2 asks me to put media in tray 1.
I then have to try changing settings several times to finally get it printing to tray 2 again.

I dont think 10 minutes changing settings several times every time I want to print one envelope to a different tray a good use of my time.

As mentioned on the old printer it would always print to tray 2 untill I put media in tray 1 and then it would print from there untill it ran out or I removed the media from tray 1 and automatically switch back to printing to tray 2 again.

As as the main office printer I need it to be able to easily switch from tray 2 to tray 1 and back again as needed otherwise it is not actually a lot of use.

It is likely that I have missed some settings somewhere as I cant imaging HP would make a printer that basically requires reprogramming every time you want to use a different tray.

[Jay_U · Accepted solution]

Hello,

I understand that you are experiencing difficulty with printing from  different trays on a PageWide Pro printer. I would like to assist you with this. There are two pieces to this puzzle - settings on the printer & settings on the computer (I will add more details in an additional post)

The PageWide Pro has the capability to support your ideal scenario.

What would be ideal is what we had with our old HP printer where you hit print and it went to the default letter/A4 paper tray (tray 2)  but if you put something in the manual feed (tray 1) it would print automatically on that instead until it ran out and then switch back to the main tray (tray 2).

Printer Settings

• Tray 1 set to Any Size & Any Type
• Configure Tray 2 (+other trays) to the media size and type in the tray
  • Configure the tray by opening /closing the tray and using the provided Size/Type Prompt - this clears any existing stored measured value.
• Set Manual Feed to Off (Manual Feed overrides the Printer Auto Select Paper Source setting) (not a factor based on your description)

Driver Settings

• The important piece is that your print job is sent using the driver setting Paper Source>>Printer Auto Select.
• Make sure the paper settings in the word document match the tray settings configured on the printer earlier

At the start of the print job, if Media is present in Tray 1 (set to Any/Any) and the print job is sent "Printer Auto Select", Tray 1 will be selected first until the media runs out. (The printer will assume you placed media in Tray 1 that matches  the print job)

However, if media is placed in Tray 1 in the middle of a Printer Auto Select print job, media will most likely not be selected. This is to maintain the consistency of the print job media size & type.

Regards,

Jay

[Jay_U]

Hello Again,

As a follow on to my earlier post, I would like to expand on the description of the Printer Settings vs Computer Settings.

The media source selection functionality for PageWide Pro printers closely aligns with the HP Laser Floor Standing Printer behavior.  Settings relevant to this concern are: Tray 1 (Any Size/Any Type); Use Requested Tray(Exclusive,First); and how the printer responds to the Paper Souce Driver setting.

Computer Settings:

Paper Source is set via Printer Properties on the computer. This setting instructs the printer generally how to respond to the print job. Note that "Automatically Select" on the driver does not directly connect to printer behavior. I believe it is added by the Computer OS and essentially selects one of the options underneath, that is  "Printer Auto Select", "Manual Feed", and "Tray N". Those three option categories do map to specific printer behavior.

Printer Specific Behavior

Printer Auto Select

I have configured the printer trays to the correct media size/type. I want the printer to figure out how to match to the correct tray based onthe tray settings and my print job settings. (Tray 1 set to Any Size / Any Type + media loaded will always be a match and pick from Tray 1 until empty). (Default Tray is the first tray considered for a match)

Manual Feed in Tray 1

I am sending a print job to the printer but I want it to wait to print until I get there (perhaps  because I have special media) (Note that the Manual Feed Prompt can play a role here)

Tray n : When Use Requested Tray: Exclusive (Default)

I will direct the printer to print from a specific tray (using driver or word settings). The printer should not pick from a different tray. If I send a print job to a Tray and the settings do not match, request to load the correct media in the tray. Once the correct media is loaded, the printer will now use the new size/type settings as the tray values.

Tray n : When Use Requested Tray: First

I want to printer to first select from the tray I selected. If that tray does not match or is empty, try the other trays for a match.

Regards,

Jay

[BoneArt]

Many thanks Jay

Clear and concise instructions so it now appears to be working as it should.

I now have a much better understanding of how the printer and computer settings relate.

One little thing we have found is that if you put a single sheet of paper in tray 1 it often doesnt seem to detect the media but a few sheets in the tray and it all works fine.

If printing to a single sheet we just pad it with a few extra sheets under the one to be printed.

Appreciate your time on this.

Cheers

Don

[Jay_U]

Hello Don,

I am glad that my answer was helpful.

I have experienced the same situation with loading media into Tray 1 (i.e. "why is it printing from Tray 1, I loaded media?") 

 For Tray 1 (and all the trays), the printer should be able to sense even single sheet as the sensor detects "Present"/"Not Present".  When putting media into Tray 1, the paper needs to be inserted a surprisingly far distance.  A stack of media is easier to fully place into the tray and it overcomes any resistance from the sides. With a single sheet,  the feeling is different as the sides can make it feel like the paper is fully inserted when it is actually not inserted. The Tray 1 guides influence this feeling as it has little notches on the sides to help position the paper.

Regards,

Jay