M553n Selecting Paper Trays

[PM26]

I just got a new HP M553n Color LaserJet Enterprise printer.  It seems to be working fine except I'm having one issue with it.

The printer has two paper trays.  Tray 1 is the manual feed tray and has no paper in it.  Tray 2 is a regular tray and has plain, letter-size paper.

Whenever I try to print it always tries to use tray 1 (manual feed) even though there is no paper in that tray.  I get a message on the LCD display saying I can press the OK button to print from another tray.  I press OK and select tray 2 and then it prints.

How can I set the printer to:

1.  Never even try to use tray 1 (manual) unless there is paper in it.
2.  Make tray 2 the default tray for letter size.

(I don't know if this matters but I'm using a wired Ethernet connection.  All PCs on the network have Windows 10.)

Thanks.
Peter

[dansdaduk]

Make sure that the attributes of the print job (in terms of paper size (e.g. A4 or Letter) and paper type (e.g. Plain or Letterhead) and (possibly) paper source (tray identifier, or "printer auto-select") can be matched with what the printer configuration thinks is in tray 2.

Check /modify the printer's paper tray configuration using the Manage Trays page on the Embedded Web Server.

[PM26]

Thanks for the reply.  There are my settings:

I have tray 1 (manual) set to Envelope.

I have tray 2 set to letter size, plain paper.

Tray 1 is empty.

Tray 2 has letter size plain paper.

I go into Microsoft Word and print a one-page document which is formatted for letter size paper.  The LCD display on the printer says "Manual feed tray 1. To use another tray press OK."  I then press OK and the display says "Tray 2 plain letter."  I press OK again and it prints from tray 2.

The question is: why did it even try to print from tray 1 given that 1) tray 1 is set for envelope,  2) there is no paper in tray 1 and 3) the correct size/type paper is in tray 2??

Thanks!

Peter

[dansdaduk]

>> ... is formatted for letter size paper ...

Do the Print Preferences for the print job (set via the Print dialogue (or equivalent)) specify a paper type of Plain ?

Even if tray 1 is empty, is it open or closed?

What does the printer configuration show? e.g.:

 

[PM26]

The printer configuration menu shows:

Tray 1  Size: Envelope #10, Type: Envelope

Tray 2  Size: Letter, Type: Plain

Tray 1 has no paper in it and the door is closed.

When I print a letter size page from Word (or any other application I've tried) the printer tries to use Tray 1.  I can then press OK on the printer's control panel and get it to use tray 2.

So far, the only way I can get it to use tray 2 when printing letter size from Word is to go into Word's printing preferences and specify "use tray 2" but I shouldn't have to do that.

I have another, older LaserJet printer (4250n) and it does not have the above issue.  It never tries to use tray 1 unless there is paper in that tray.

Peter

[dansdaduk]

>> ... So far, the only way I can get it to use tray 2 when printing letter size from Word is to go into Word's printing preferences and specify "use tray 2" but I shouldn't have to do that ...

>> ... Whenever I try to print it always tries to use tray 1 (manual feed) ...

So the implication is that something (Word and/or printer driver) is interpreting the lack of a paper tray specification as 'use manual feed'.

I don't know why this should be , if indeed this is the case.

We could confirm just what the printer is being instructed to do by 'capturing' a sample print job.

To do this, print a (small, 'sanitised data' (i.e. redacted)) sample job, but choose the 'print to file' option in the Print dialogue; then analyse the resultant .prn capture file.

You can perform this analysis using the PRN File Analyse tool in the PCL Paraphernalia application (available via http://www.pclparaphernalia.eu).

If you can't understand the analysis, send the captured file to me via the support mailbox 'at pclparaphernalia.eu

[PM26]

In a few minutes I will be sending you an email with two .prn files from my HP 553n.  One printed from Word.  One printed from a text editor.

I downloaded your PRN File Analyse tool but I am not sure yet what all of the results mean.  I would appreciate your analysis.

Thanks!

Peter

[dansdaduk]

Analysis of the two sample print files show that, with both of them, the media (paper) source details requested specify:

• MediaSource = eAutoSelect - this enumerated value indicates that the printer should select the required paper tray based on the media (paper) size and paper type values (i.e. it is the PCL XL equivalent of the "Printer auto-select" value for the Paper source item in the Print dialogue.
• Orientation = Portrait
• Plex mode = Simplex
• MediaType  = "Unknown"; "media type" is how PCL XL refers to what is otherwise known as the "Paper type".
• Media size = LETTER; "media size" is how PCL XL refers to what is otherwise known as the "Paper size".

For example, with the print job related to the Word document:

0000000941   PCLXL Data Type        0xc0                  ubyte
0000000942              Value       0x01                  eAutoSelect
0000000943   PCLXL Attribute        0xf826              MediaSource
0000000945   PCLXL Data Type        0xc0                  ubyte
0000000946              Value       0x00                  ePortraitOrientation
0000000947   PCLXL Attribute        0xf828              Orientation
0000000949   PCLXL Data Type        0xc0                  ubyte
0000000950              Value       0x00                  eSimplexFrontSide
0000000951   PCLXL Attribute        0xf834              SimplexPageMode
0000000953   PCLXL Data Type        0xc8c007              ubyte_array
0000000956              Value       0x556e6b..            "Unknown"
0000000963   PCLXL Attribute        0xf827              MediaType
0000000965   PCLXL Data Type        0xc8c006              ubyte_array
0000000968              Value       0x4c4554..            "LETTER"
0000000974   PCLXL Attribute        0xf825              MediaSize
0000000976   PCLXL Operator         0x43              BeginPage

The value of "Unknown" for the media (paper) type is almost certainly what is confusing the printer.

What value do you think that you are selecting for the Paper Type with your print requests?

You should be selecting a value of Plain to match your printer tray configuration for tray 2.

[PM26]

Word is set to print letter size, plain paper.  It still tries to use tray 1/manual.

Is is possible to set this printer to do either/both of the following:

1.  If tray 1/manual is empty then pretend that tray does not even exist.

2.  Ignore paper type settings and pay attention only to paper size.

FWIW, I have another LaserJet printer (HP 4250n) and I do not have this problem with it.

Any suggestions?

Peter

[dansdaduk]

Despite what you say, it is obvious that Word is NOT selecting a paper type of Plain.

I've no idea (and no way of telling) if that is due to a bug (in Word, or the printer driver), or an invalid Preferences default, or an error in how you are selecting the paper attributes, or what?

Can you post an image of the relevant Print dialogue to show that you are selecting a Paper Type of "Plain" when you print your Word document.