MFP M281fdw printing photos

[JackSwyr]

Hello, I just bought this at Office Max two days ago.  When I set it up it printed fine.  But then I wasnted to print some comics I had made using InkJet paper.

The firts oueple were fine then I had a thick black smudge on one section of the page.  I was trying all kinds of settings in the Mac print section, so I'm not sure what settings to use to print photos or graphics.  I finally selected Extra Heavy Glossy 131-1, Vivid s(RGB), Edge Control Normal, Halftone Smooth, all three below that are set to CMYK Gray.

Also, here's some screenshots if they'll help someone help me to choose the correct settings.  Thanks.

[img]https://i.imgur.com/JIsPBLQ.png[/img]

[img]https://i.imgur.com/HrCm2Q9.png[/img]

 [img]https://i.imgur.com/OxTkSq1.png[/img]

[img]https://i.imgur.com/vkzO3J2.png[/img]

[img]https://i.imgur.com/NxA1AXi.png[/img]

[John_Getzke]

> But then I wasnted to print some comics I had made using InkJet paper.

Look up the specs on the paper you are trying to use with this job and see if they are within the specs of the new laser printer.  Inkjets and Lasers have vastly different paper specs so your old inkjet paper may not be compatible with the new laser.

Best place to look for specs would be on the paper manufacturers website.  You need to know the "paper type" and the paper weight in one metric or another.  Then you can come back to HPs site and check the specs on your laser to see if they match and what the ideal settings would be.

We cannot assist you unless you can confirm the specs of the paper/media first.  Otherwise theres always trial and error which you seem to have been using to some effect already.

[JackSwyr]

Thanks for your reply, the paper in question is HP's own.

"Everyday Photo Paper, Glossy"

Product Q8723A.

Where would I find the site where it shows what proper papers to use with this laser printer?  This is all very new to me.

Thanks again,

Jack

[John_Getzke · Accepted solution]

Thanks for the confirmation on the paper. 

Now we can look up the paper specs:

http://www8.hp.com/us/en/products/oas/product-detail.html?oid=3328575#!tab=features

Specifications

Media dimensions: 216 x 279 mm Media sheets per package: 50 Media finish: Gloss Printing material weight: 200 g/m² Printing material thickness: 8 mil

There is one line that caught my eye right away:

Print colorful, everyday photo projects for a low cost, using recyclable paper. This glossy paper dries quickly and can be used with any inkjet printer.

This suggests the printer paper is not designed for laser so we already dont have a good chance at success.  Photo paper is often not ideal for laser papers anyways due to the heat generated from the fuser.  This heat can melt the glossy coating and ruin the fuser or reduce the already reduced quality of the laser print job.

Lets compare the specs of the laserjet:

http://store.hp.com/us/en/pdp/hp-color-laserjet-pro-mfp-m281fdw

Resolution (color)

Up to 600 x 600 dpi

Media types

Paper (bond, brochure, colored, glossy, heavy, letterhead, light, photo, plain, preprinted, prepunched, recycled, rough), transparencies, labels, envelopes, cardstock

Supported media weight

16 to 43 lb (Uncoated/Matte, recommended), however up to 47 lb Postcards and 53 lb HP Matte is allowed in the driver; 16 to 43 lb (Coated/Glossy, recommended), however up to 47 lb Postcards and 59 lb HP Glossy is allowed in the driver.

Now we have to convert lb to gsm so we have a clear comparison:

http://coastalprint.com/convert_gsm_to_pounds/

According to the chart a 59lb paper is equivalent to a 216 gsm.  Since the paper is weighted at 200 gsm this should work when the correct HP Glossy paper weight setting is selected from the print driver.

Thus the correct setting to use with your paper and this printer driver is HP Glossy. But the real kicker is the limited resolution that any entry level laser printer can offer when it comes to printing photos.  600x600 is not really comparible to the DPI of an inkjet and printing photos are the one thing inkjets are really good at doing.  I think you would have better success using your same photo paper with an inkjet printer or exporting the job to an online or local print shop. I'm sure you can get it to work with passable quality on the laser, but its not going to match what the inkjet was capable of.

[JackSwyr]

Thank you!  That was extremely helpful and I appreciate it!