Printing on Postcards

[itonks]

I have just written a book and would like to include personalized postcards with book mailings to targeted prospects. the postcard in question is 5x8 in size and is pre-printed with a glosssy sheen image-driven front side and blank uncoated back side.  I want to be able to print on the back side.  How do I set my printer up to take individual 5x8 postcards and print on the blank uncoated side?  I have an Officejet G85 and work in Windows 8.1.  Any direction you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Ian

[X-23]

Hey @itonks,

I understand that you would like to print postcards from your Windows 8.1 computer to your HP Officejet g85 All-in-One Printer. I would like to assist you today with this. Now, due to the age of your HP Officejet you are relying solely on a built in generic Windows Update driver to use your printer. Therefore, we are at the mercy of what the generic driver offers for your paper type options when printing on postcards. I did look into the media specifications for your printer and found that the card size of 5 x 8 in is supported. Therefore, your printers hardware can handle the size that you're trying to print.

The specifications for your printer can be found here.

1. To load the media in your printer, please open the paper tray door and then pull towards you to extend the paper tray.
2. Gently pull out the paper tray extender, and then lift up the paper catch
3. Slide the paper width guides to their outermost position
4. Load your postcards in the paper tray with the side you want printed on face down. According to the specifications of your printer if the paper weight is between 16-24 pounds you can load up to 150 sheets in the input tray. If the weight is 24-110 pound 45 sheets can be loaded in the input tray at one time.
5. Adjust the paper guides until they rest against the edges of your postcards
6. Push the input tray forward until it clicks into place. Make sure that you push in the tray all the way.

- Source

Once you have your paper loaded, please open up the document you wish to print on your computer. Select File and Print. In the Print dialogue window click Preferences or Properties. Check under the Paper/Quality options that the 5 x 8 in size of paper is selected. Click Print.

There should be no issues with printing on the uncoated side of the postcards. However, there is a chance that the glossy backside of the postcards may cause the cards to 'slip' while being fed into the paper path. It will be a matter of trial by error to verify if your machine will actually feed the glossy finish properly into your machine.

Please let me know if these steps resolve your issue. I look forward to hearing from you!

[itonks]

Thanks very much for your detailed instructions.  Everything was exactly "as advertised".  I followed your instructions to a tee but unfortunately the printer is not "grabbing" the postcards.  It's not a "slipping" issue.  They don't appear to be connecting with the postcards at all.  I tried loading 10 and then just 1 to see if it was a volume issue.  No difference.  Any thoughts?

[itonks]

FYI, when I run regular 8x11 paper into the printer and try to print on the 5x8 landscape setting, it prints great.  Just won't appear to take smaller postcards at this juncture.

Many thanks,

Ian

[X-23]

Hello @itonks,

Thanks for getting back to me regarding this issue. I'm sorry to hear that the postcards are still not feeding into the printer.

Can I have you please click here to access the 'Out of Paper' troubleshooting steps. Once the document opens please run through Step 2 and Step 3. If the issue still persists after running those two steps I would have to recommend that you try different postcards that do not have the glossy finish to verify if they feed properly. I do not think this is a roller issue on your machine or setting issue on your computer as plain paper is printing fine.

Please let me know if the steps provided resolve your issue. Best of luck!

[itonks]

Thanks for all your help with this.  I cut out 5x8 regular paper sheets and ran them on top of the postcards.  It worked when I positioned the cards at the very top of the tray, beyond the tray boundary measures.  Unfortunately, when I took the paper out and atempted to print the cards, the card grabbed and printed but repeatedly got stuck on the roll in the printer.  When I pulled the postcard, all of the copy on the card smudged.  So it appears I don't have the capacity to custom print on an uncoated side of a postcard.  Unless you have any "tricks up your sleeve", I assume I have my answer.  again, many thanks for your help.  Your prompt and responsive assistance has been greatly appreciated.

Best,

Ian