False paper jam when trying to use tray 1

[Dexter20]

Every time I try to print using Tray 1 (manual feed), I load one sheet, select "Tray 1 manual feed", hit print and then the paper jam light blinks. It's always a false paper jam since there is no paper jam. The printer refuses to print anything from Tray 1, no matter what options I choose under the print dialog. Usually I am trying to print on heavier paper (lightweight cardstock), and there is no way to print on heavy paper from Tray 2 because I will get a real paper jam if I do. I even tried to print on normal 20# printer paper using Tray 1 and got the same result, so the thickness of the paper is not the issue. I took my printer to a certified HP repair shop and spent $300 and had darn near every part replaced--all the rollers and my paper tray--only to find the false paper jam is still an issue. It doesn't matter which browser I use, but I am trying to print from Mac OS version 11.0.1 (not 10.14 Mojave as above).

[AlS77]

The P2055 has an LCD to display messages. What message do you see when this problem happens? If you don't have an LCD display, verify the model of printer.

It sounds like the printer needs you to verify what paper is loaded in the tray before it prints. Try loading the paper into the tray after the job is sent, and/or press the OK button to allow it to proceed.

[Dexter20]

The message I get on the LCD is "Paper Jam". I tried your idea to not put the paper on the extended paper tray 1 until after the job spooled. This is what happened: 1. I hit print button, 2. yellow light blinks, 3. LCD says "Jam in Cartridge Area" and then "Open Door and Clear Jam" (mind you, the back door is also open to allow for the thicker paper to feed straight thru and not jam) 4. I click on HP icon and the job is still spooling 5. I hit OK button and I get: "Set up Menu Reports", hit OK again and I get: "Reports Demo Page", hit OK again and we start over again with No. 2 above. If I hit reset button (curved arrow), same thing. Once job completely spools, the HP window cancels it out and says Paper Jam in top left corner.

Last time I had this issue, I remember hitting Print and then hearing the printer sounding like it was getting ready to print--rollers spinning, and then the paper grab would try to engage, but not grab the paper and then it would stop and the blinking would begin and "Paper Jam" would display. Now when I hit Print, the printer is completely silent like it's not even worth trying. And what I ended up doing is calling HP help desk and following all the tips and after a couple dozen tries, the printer finally took the sheet and printed. But it was just random that it decided to do so, there wasn't anything I did differently and the Help Desk advice was everything I was already trying. 

This is my 2nd HP printer. I don't remember what model I had before, but I had it for years, it was a real workhorse and never failed me, although it frequently actually jammed after a while (but never while using manual feed) and I finally gave up on it.

Now I regret spending $300 to fix it instead of getting a new printer. I also have a fancy Canon BW/Color Copier/Printer/Fax/Scanner, but I cannot print bar codes on it and that's why I need the HP. They need to be printed on card stock. I even tried using the copying function to print the first page of bar codes that I printed on the HP using regular paper, but bar codes come out crooked.