Slow envelope printing

[jakers_tafb]

We have a new m605 purchased specifically for high volume and speed.  Paper is fine, but envelopes are seemingly crawling at 6-7 / minute.  I can't find documentation on what the speed should be, nor the best configuration if not the default.  Any help is greatly appreciated.  This replaces an old canon that managed significantly faster envelope printing.  The user wants to go back!

Thanks.

--Jeff

[jakers_tafb]

We are seeing the same 6-7 envelopes per minute, but without the envelope feeder.  However, we are in the same boat with our user expecting much faster speeds due to prior printer (not an HP).  Should we be seeing the speeds quoted above or will we if we upgrade to the feeder?  Or is there simply a trick in the settings?

Thanks.

--Jeff

[bluI_1528]

Hi,　

When printing envelopes the printer goes into Media mode.

• Some media types require a reduced print speed to achieve maximum print quality on that media. For example, glossy, heavy, and specialty media, envelopes or photos require a reduced print speed. To maximize the print speed for special media types, make sure that the correct media type in the print driver is selected.

I work for HP, supporting the HP Experts who volunteer their time and technical knowledge to help others.

[awxsby]

Can you please explain what you mean by changing the media type in the print driver?  Do you mean in the printing preferences?

[awxsby]

Did you ever find any resolution for this?  This seems to be a problem with the newer printers.  I am having the exact same issue on an M602x.  We are also using an older 4100 with an envelope feeder and it prints quickly with no pauses in between the pages.   My 602 will print with the 4100 driver, but still pauses between pages, so I don't think this a print driver issue.

[tonerspills]

I believe he is referring to your printing preferences, making sure you are selecting "#10 envelopes" for paper size "envelope" for paper type etc.

I could not find any direct reference to how many envelopes will print per minute using the standard tray 1 versus the optional envelope feeder. I would expect the envelope feeder to just hold more envelopes rather than boosting the speed of how many are printed. The printer itself still uses the same engine settings for printing envelopes regardless of if they are from tray 1 (which holds about 10) versus the optional feeder(which holds 75).

This is about the average rate I see on older P4015 series/M601-603series/M605+series. The fuser has to run at a higher temperature to adhere the toner to an envelope, because you are basically running 3-4 sheets worth of paper thickness through the printer. If the paper is heavier, the printer has to run slower to allow for that thickness to make the bends through the machine as well as for the fuser to heat up.

[awxsby]

Thank you for the response. 

So the short answer is, if you use the envelope feeder, regardless of whether or not it's actually printing envelopes, the print speed is slow (about 7 ppm on a printer that is rated for 43 ppm).  I get the same slow printing result from Tray 1 when printing the "cards"  that have envelope dimensions even though I have the paper type set to "plain" which, according to HP,  should use "normal print mode". 

It's kind of crazy to think that just because you use an envelope feeder or manual feed tray 1 that you are stuck with pre-determined print settings set by HP even if the paper you are using is not an envelope or cardstock.  Thank you HP for saving us from ourselves! (whether we need it or not!)

[danieljromine]

This worked for me: http://www.ceilicornelison.com/blog/increase-print-speed-for-envelopes-using-hp-printers/.