LaserJet 5200dtn Paper jams Prints opposite orientation

[AR29]

The printer has had no previous issues.  Today, tray 1 with letter keeps jamming; it will not complete the sheet feed.  When the sheet is removed we can see that it the text on it but it cannot finish the cycle and exit the printer.  And for some reason the page is printing landscape format even though it is not set up for that.  The lower tray that currently houses 11x17 is working fine. 

[SHThompson]

Have you check to see what paper type and size Tray 1 is set for?

Generally on an HP printer you set the tray for any and an, as in any type and any size.

When the tray is set for any and any and the printer receives a job it assumes the paper in Tray 1 is exactly what it wants and goes to print on it and if it turns out the job asked for a different size you get an error.

[AR29]

We had not made any changes.  Tray 1 is ltr size; Tray 2 is ledger.  We pulled out the tray; flipped the paper stack, etc.  What is really confusing is the jam in combination with that the print on the page is completely opposite the Page Setup orientation.  It seems to have a will of its own, printing landscape on a vertical, portrait sheet regardless to set up.

Literally nothing in the office happened over the weekend to change the set up.  When we went to print this morning it jammed and after extrcting the sheet we saw it was printing "sidewards" on a vertical page.  We are dumb struck.

[SHThompson]

So when you're feeding tray one letter is that long edge first?

When you refer to vertical or horizontal as opposed to edges is it confuses the issue.

[AR29]

The paper in Tray 1 feeds in on the short side or better expressed portrait.  This is how it has typically feed in.  The page set up for the document we send to print is the same leter size and set up as portrait.  This is how it has consistently run.  Now when it goes to print, the paper does not complete its exit through the printer and the type on the page is off to one side and running parallel to the long edge of the paper.  When it goes to print, it is in the printing process that the text gets rotated–not on screen.

[SHThompson]

You can print in portrait mode on a piece of paper regardless of which edge goes in first.

But when you say the short edge goes in first there is no doubt about the orientation of the paper feed.

Have you tried feeding the paper long edge first?

[davidzuts · Accepted solution]

Do what Stephen says. On this printer there are two settings for letter. One is letter and the other is letter-r with the latter being letter rotated so the leading edge is the shorter edge. On this printer if letter is selected the leading edge needs to be the 11" side of the paper.

[AR29]

We switched the paper orientation so the long edge is feeding in and it worked.  Although it does not match the page setup it feeds through and exits without jamming.  Thanks!!!

[AR29]

We tried Letter-R feeding in along the short edge (portrait orientation) and the text was still rotated and the paper jammed before the last segment.  We just tried rotating the paper and it is printing.  It doesn't match page set up but at least we are back in business printing LTR.