Alignment (?) issue with 3x5 index card printing

[drmy022]

Hello,

I'm trying to print a png on 3x5in index card (thick paper) on my officejet 7740 printer, but there is always a strange "bump" or mis-alignment at about the first 4th of the printing process.  I've tried new drivers, making alignment tests on the printer, nothing works.  It works like a charm for any other print sizes

(see the line on that goes top to bottom on the right side...)
I've set the paper to "thick" when I close my feed drawers.
Is anybody else having this issue ?

PS on a side note, since I've fiddled with this, maybe while trying to re-download drivers from the website, I can't use "borderless printing", which is a bummer... but I could live with it if it at least gave me a clean print

[Max3Aj]

Hello @drmy022, and welcome to the HP Support Community!

Thanks for posting your question. I'm here to help you get things back on track.

I understand you're experiencing a misalignment or "bump" when printing PNG files on 3x5 index cards with your HP OfficeJet Pro 7740, while other sizes print fine. I reviewed your attached image and noticed a vertical misalignment and slight blurriness in the text, especially near the top-right portion of the card. This is likely due to feed or calibration issues specific to the smaller media size.

Here are some steps to help resolve this:

Use the Rear Manual Feed Tray

• For thick or small media like 3x5 index cards, the rear manual feed tray is more reliable than the main drawer.
• Make sure the card is centered and snugly aligned with the paper guides.

Set Custom Paper Size in Printer Settings

• Go to Control Panel > Devices and Printers > HP OfficeJet Pro 7740 > Printing Preferences.
• Under Paper/Quality, click Custom and set the size to 3x5 inches.
• Choose Media Type: Cardstock or Thick Paper.

Disable Borderless Printing Temporarily

• Borderless printing can cause feed inconsistencies on non-standard sizes.
• In the print dialog, uncheck Borderless and set margins manually if needed.

Run Printhead Alignment and Cleaning

• On the printer's touchscreen:
  • Tap Settings > Printer Maintenance > Align Printhead.
  • Then run Clean Printhead.
• Even if you've done this before, re-running it after changing media settings can help.

Update Firmware and Drivers

• Download the latest firmware and full driver package from HP:
  • Official HP® Support
• Install using HP Easy Start to ensure all components are updated. 
  Update the firmware on an HP printer | HP® Support

Try Printing from HP Smart or Word Instead of PNG Viewer

• Some image viewers don't handle DPI scaling well for small media.
• Try inserting the PNG into a Word document sized to 3x5 inches and print from there.

If Borderless Printing Is Still Disabled

Since you mentioned borderless printing stopped working after driver changes:

• Reinstall the full driver package using HP Easy Start from the link above.
• Ensure Borderless Printing is enabled in the printer properties:
  • Go to Devices and Printers > Printer Properties > Advanced > Printing Defaults.
  • Look for Borderless Printing and enable it.

Additional Tips

• Avoid using glossy or overly thick cards unless specified as compatible.
• Try printing in Best Quality mode to reduce feed speed and improve alignment.

I hope the information shared has been useful and resolves your concern.

Wishing you a smooth and hassle-free experience ahead!

If this solution helped, please click “Accepted Solution” so others can benefit too. Don’t forget to hit the “Yes” button if you found this helpful!

Warm regards,

Max3Aj

HP Support

[drmy022]

Thanks for the thorough answer, but if I may ask, how do you access that manual feed ? I thought it only helped getting stuck paper from the insides.

[Max3Aj]

@drmy022, Thank you for your response. 
The HP OfficeJet Pro 7740 doesn’t have a traditional rear manual feed tray like some other printers, which can be a bit confusing. What it does have is:

Tray 1 (Main Input Tray) and Tray 2 (Optional Lower Tray)

Both trays are front-loading and support a wide range of paper sizes, including 3x5-inch index cards, but they feed from the bottom, not the rear. That means:

• There is no dedicated rear feed slot for single-sheet or specialty media like on some photo printers.
• However, Tray 1 is designed to handle specialty media like envelopes, cards, and thick paper if loaded correctly.

How to Load 3x5 Index Cards Properly in Tray 1

1. Open Tray 1 (the upper front tray).
2. Slide the paper width guides inward to fit the 3x5 card snugly.
3. Insert the cards short edge first, print side down.
4. Push the stack in until it stops, then adjust the guides again if needed.
5. On the printer screen, confirm the paper size as 3x5 in and type as Cardstock or Thick Paper.

Tip: Only load a few cards at a time (5–10 max) to avoid skewing or misfeeds.

If You’re Seeing Misalignment or Skewing

Since there’s no rear feed, the best workaround is:

• Use Tray 1 with Best Quality print mode.
• Load only one card at a time if alignment issues persist.
• Make sure the paper guides are tight against the card edges to prevent shifting during feed.

I hope this helps!

If my response resolves your issue, please click “Accepted Solution” to help others find the answer. Also, don’t forget to click the “Yes” button to say thanks!

Take care and have a great day.

Max3Aj

HP Support

[drmy022]

Hey there,

Unfortunately, my whole HP printing experience has been downhill since then.  Since installing HP Smart, the "advanced settings" from any print dialogs are completely useless, especially the windows' one.  It's all bugged out, won't let me edit any settings and even if I go through the Device and Printer>[My Printer]>Printer Preference to set borderless and whatnot, it will tell me there is a conflict with other settings, which is the same place the hardware sends me when I want to adjust "printing default".

This is compounded by being answered by what seems like a clueless bot... My last effort will be to try and wipe clean all HP software from my machine, factory reset my printer, and re-do the install in the hopes I get back the settings I had access to before I tried installing all the bloatware from HP to try and fix the most minor issue I had.

This issue is NOT resolved, and I don't think it will, good luck out there !

[Kuroi_Kenshi]

Hi @drmy022,

Welcome to the HP Support Community! 

We're here to help you tackle that malfunction! Don't worry, we've got your back! 

To get you the best assistance, we need to take this conversation to a private chat. We're inviting you to a private message to protect your privacy and ensure that any sensitive information remains confidential. 

To access your private message, just click the little blue envelope icon on the upper right corner of your HP Community profile, next to your profile name. Alternatively, you can click on this link. 

You can use this link as well: 

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We're looking forward to helping you resolve this issue! 

Stay tuned, and thanks for your patience! 

Best regards,