HP Envy 7234, Inkjet printer - Paper type/media type codes

[Virginia791]

New HP Envy 7234 photo printer.    What do the numerical codes for "paper type" mean?   Why does each of the ten codes, starting with 0 or 1 or 2 or 5 or 8,,   all end with 600x600.   Does this refer to the print resolution, which is advertised at 1200x1200?

[Meghana_10]

Hello @Virginia791, Welcome to the HP Support Community. 

We understand you're looking for clarification on the paper type/media type numerical codes displayed for your HP Envy 7234 Photo Printer, particularly why they all end with 600x600 when the printer is advertised with a 1200x1200 dpi print resolution.
 

Understanding HP Paper Type (Media Type) Codes

The numerical values you see for Paper Type are internal driver or firmware identifiers used by the printer and print driver. These codes are designed to map each print job to the correct media profile, such as plain paper, photo paper, matte paper, or glossy paper.

The leading numbers (for example, 0, 1, 2, 5, or 8) are simply internal categories that help the printer determine settings such as:

• Ink volume and droplet size
• Drying characteristics
• Paper feed speed
• Printhead movement and color management

These values are intended for driver communication and diagnostics rather than for end-user configuration, so HP does not generally publish a reference table explaining each numeric code.
 

Why Do the Codes End with "600x600"?

The 600x600 portion does not indicate the printer's maximum print quality.

Instead, it refers to the internal rasterization or rendering resolution used by the print driver when preparing the print data. This is the resolution at which the driver processes and sends image information to the printer.
 

The printer's advertised 1200x1200 dpi specification refers to the physical printing capability of the hardware how precisely the printhead can place ink droplets on the page. After receiving the rasterized data, the printer uses its own firmware, printhead technology, and image enhancement algorithms to produce the higher effective print resolution.

These two values describe different stages of the printing process, so they are not contradictory.
 

Seeing media type entries that end in 600x600 is normal behavior and does not indicate that your printer is limited to printing at 600 dpi. When you select the appropriate paper type and the highest print quality in the print settings, the HP Envy 7234 will still use its full hardware capabilities to produce high-quality output.

Have a great day!

[Virginia791]

Thank you Meghana for your helpful reply.    Unfortunately there is no place on the various screens for Basic,  Document or Advanced options on the HP App where you can choose between photo, matte or glossy paper as such.   To do that one would still need to know what some of the digits - probably the first numbers 0, 1, 2, 4, 5 and 8 mean to be able to choose accurately between different types of paper.    The second 4 digit number, such as 1077, is also interesting, given that there are three codes that start with 2, two that start with 5 and two that start with 8.    Only one code starting with a 2 has the number 1 in the third column, all the rest are 0.  Trying to work this all out by guessing and printing dozens of pages of paper with the different settings is seriously offputting.