Deskjet 3630 Problem printing Avery C32011 business cards

[ProfGadget]

Designed business card prints perfectly to plain paper. Most formatting lost if C32011 sheet used.

[Dragon-Fur]

@ProfGadget

What kind of "formatting" is lost?

• Margins?
• Content (text and / or images)?

General Discussion

This template appears to be for the European market. 

(I might have missed something (that is) not important in context.)

European standard page size is A4

USA stand page size is Letter 8.5" x 11" 

The weight of the paper is listed as 200 gsm.

Avery Quick&Clean C32011 - business cards - 100 card(s)

Specifications > Paper Handling

• The printer supports cards up to 200 gsm.
• Both A4 and Letter size "card" Media is supported.

Margins must be a minimum of 3 mm (0.12 inch) on each side for paper.  Looking at the template, it appears that the printable area is within the allowed margins.

In general,

• Avery label sheets can be configured using Office Word and / or Avery Design Software

• In the case of the software, it is free for download and use on your personal computer / Mac.
• You can create a project and print the cards on your own computer.
• Avery Software provides its own fonts -- I would guess they are all "truetype" fonts and are supported on most printers.  ??

• Recent versions of Word can be used with Avery Templates - some of these are included in Office Word and others can be downloaded from Avery.

Word Template for Avery C32011

Setup tips include:

1. Set your Media type to "card"
2. Set printing to "single side" (not duplex)
3. If using Word, the "margins" will be set to "custom" when you open the template in Word - leave these "as is" for best results.  Avery supplies the margins when using the Design software.
4. If adding images to your cards, always use INSERT (as opposed to copy/paste) to add the images onto the card(s)
5. Load paper into the printer as required for the printer model.  (User Guide - Page 16)

Dragon Document – Collection of Help, suggestions, and examples:

Printing Labels_Business-Cards_Cards

Print Labels, Business Cards, Cards, Booklet

Topics / Subjects include:

• Preparation and Setup
• Labels, Cards, and Business Cards
  • Office Word
  • HP Photo Creations and Avery Templates
  • Avery Design and Print (through Windows 10) and Mac
  • Avery Wizard for Word (through Windows 😎
• Print Booklet
  • Links to help documents
  • Foxit Reader - Booklet
  • Adobe Reader - Booklet

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[ProfGadget]

I need to cover areas that you have raised.

First there's the matter of what formatting is lost. Basically, it's typestyle and font that get lost. To design my business card, I used Avery Design and Print specifying the C32011 product. I am aware that this product is A4 size. I am in the UK.

The card layout consisted of 3 blocks of text. The first was my name. That was set to use 24 point HogarthScrD. This is a script-type typestyle. The other two blocks were for telecoms information and for my address. Both of these were set to use 6 point Arial in italics style. The resultant preview was saved both to my online Avery account and to my computer where it is a pdf file.

Printing takes place, apparently, using Adobe Acrobat Reader DC. I do not use nor have access to any version of Microsoft Word. My office suite of software is Apache Open Office.

Printing on plain paper is no problem. The "problem" arises when the same pdf file is printed to the C32011 sheet. The text point sizes appear to remain the same. However, the font changes. The HogarthScrD changes to something upright that I cannot identify. Some characters overlap. In the case of the other two blocks of text, the italics style is lost and the font appears to change to something like Times New Roman. It certainly appers to have serifs.

I am interested in the suggestion of changing the type of Media. I have not seen an option to use "card" on my Deskjet 3630. I have been in touch with Avery Customer Services. They have "wondered" what sort of media the printer is "sensing". They have also stated that their templates are not compatible with Apache Open Office Writer.

An important feature for me is the costs involved. Whilst the cost of plain paper is negligible, the cost of the Avery product is not. On the current prices that I am able to obtain, each C32011 sheet costs 60 pence (0.60).

I really hope that you can give detailed advice and guidance. It is extremely disappointing to be unable to carry out such a simple task. I should advise that I have a home network consisting of 4 PCs and 2 printers. All the equipment is relatively recent having been supplied in mid 2016. It was all selected and set up by a local computer maintenance firm. I  have to assume that the HP software for the printers was correctly installed. The only "option" I haven't tried so far is to try to print on my Officejet Pro 276.

[Dragon-Fur]

@ProfGadget

Our setup is enough different that I can give you only general advice based on my experience.

• I use the Avery software on my system and create local project files.
• I have access to full Office software, including Word.
• My printer is a different model.
• I have not had experience with a font selected within a project that will not print.

Try / Consider

If you have not done so,

Reinstall / Update your PDF Reader (Adobe Reader DC / Foxit Reader)

• HINT: Watch out for and UNCHECK unwanted extra software

Restart the computer and log in...

Print the PDF file as an image

Open the offending PDF file > File > Print > Advanced >>

1. Set the printer select the colors

And / Or

1. Print the PDF file as an image

I am not aware that the printer is actually sensing the Media type in this case.  Printers differ; I could be wrong about that assumption.

Assuming for the sake of conversation that the Media type is to be selected:

Change the Media type within the PDF print job setup to tell the printer that the paper is not "regular" paper.  In particular, business cards are made of a thicker material -- setting the Media type to "card" (or whatever is available for the particular printer) ensures the paper will (more likely) feed through the printer properly.

In the PDF file print menu >

Click Properties box

tab Printing Shortcut

Select Paper Type (brochure matte / glossy, card stock, or similar depending on your printer)

Verify / Select Single Side or Both sides (duplex)

Tab Paper / Quality

Paper Source = Tray 1 (depends on printer – some laser printers use “tray 2” as the main / default tray)

If Paper Size is not available on this menu, Select Advanced box

Fonts that lose formatting or are substituted

I cannot directly address the issue with the fonts -- the font you are using is not included in my font set (either in the Avery software or on my computer).  I am not willing to download and install it.  

Fonts, if missing from the TrueType font set on the computer and not embedded in the original document, may be substituted.  I do not know enough about this subject to discuss it thoroughly or with any authority.

Reference and example

Dragon Document – Collection of Help, suggestions, and examples:

Printing Labels_Business-Cards_Cards

Topic / Section: 

•  Example – Business Cards – Print PDF File

Thank you for participating in the HP Community Forum.

We are a community of HP enthusiasts dedicated to supporting HP devices and technology.

[ProfGadget]

My main purpose in responding at this point is simply to thank you for your attempts to help me.

I really thought you were on to something. But let me deal with some of your suggested solutions. I made a decision to upgrade my home computer systems when I spent about 6 weeks in hospital in the early part of 2016. For me, lying around for several weeks with nothing much to occupy my mind is very "dangerous". Especially as, at home, I had access to the Internet. But, on the equipment I had at the time, I was mostly using Windows Vista.

I contacted my computer maintenance company and set out what I wanted. In brief, this resulted in 2 new desktops and 2 new laptops, all running Windows 10. The new set-up also included 2 printers, an HP Officejet 276 AIO and an HP DeskJet 3630 multifunction. It's all connected, part being Ethernet-cabled and the rest WiFi. The computer maintenance company was tasked with selecting, supplying and setting everything up, together with transferring data from my existing machines.

You might think that this is excessive for a single-user home network, but a large part of my reasoning was based on what is now limited mobility. All the equipment is sited accordingly. And my broadband is primarily sited upstairs because that was where my equipment was located when I joined my first ISP.

The reason that I have set all this out is to make it clear that I made a fairly large leap in terms of equipment and "capabilities". I'll also give the clue that, when I first "got into" computers, it was at the level of Windows 3.1.

The Adobe Acrobat Reader DC installation appears to be part of the Windows 10 installation. I have seen no signs of being left with a CD for that single part of the OS installation. I assume that forms part of the regular Windows Updates.

The suggestion about the DeskJet 3630 "sensing" the media type came from Avery. Since the only method of altering the media type is via the printer software, I have to assume that the printer is capable of determining the approximate type of media being fed into it, perhaps by noting the thickness of sheets. Of the various media types listed for the DJ 3630, my only hope would be for advice on which of the types offered is comparable to 200 gsm Avery sheets. I emphasise again that "card" is not shown as an option. The only options offered are various types of plain paper and photo paper. Reading the User Guide suggests that the printer is capable of "sensing" large and small paper, and even envelopes. But no mention of "card". Even using the Advanced option.

So I thank you greatly for your time and efforts, but neither has resulted in a solution. And I have no intention of buying a new printer at this relatively early stage. The DJ 3630 was, incidentally, selected because of its physical "footprint", where I have a monitor, keyboard, mouse, speakers and the printer all located on one computer table.

Regards

ProfGadget

[Dragon-Fur]

@ProfGadget

You are welcome - I am sorry it has not helped.

I installed the Windows Driver set for the Deskjet 3630 and extracted the data from the Full Feature Software.  I cannot do a complete installation since I do not have the physical printer.

Control Panel > icon view > Devices and Printers > 

Right-Click on printer > Printing Preferences >

tab Printing Shortcut

Drop down menu Paper Type

 I would hope you can select a "thicker" paper media type, for example, Brochure matte (150 or 180 gsm in the USA) or Presentation paper (120 gsm in the USA).

Control Panel > icon view > Devices and Printers > 

Right-Click on printer > Printing Preferences >

tab Paper / Quality > Advanced > 

Paper Size A4

Regardless, selecting Media / Paper size may have little to do with the loss of formatting.

Oridinarily when formatting or structure is missing from the standard print, the suggestion is to print the file as an image.  Image printing does not require that the printer translate the fonts or content into a readable format.

Another suggestion is to try a different font.

The need to test the results on the more expensive business card paper is regretable.  Perhaps if you only printed one panel to test.  If you are fortunate, the sheet would be able to be fed through the printer a second (or even third) time to print the rest of the panels.

Stumped again.

I suspect I am missing something.

Should I think of anything else to suggest, I will post back.

Thank you for participating in the HP Community Forum.

We are a community of HP enthusiasts dedicated to supporting HP devices and technology.

[RocketLife]

Hi Professor.

In case it helps, HP Photo Creations includes templates for Avery C32028 business cards and lets you use any font on your computer. HP Photo Creations is a free download for macOS and Windows at www.hp.com/go/hppc.

Avery C32028 paper fits eight business cards on an A4 sheet, rather than the 32011's ten, so that may not be an option for you.

To choose a custom font in HP Photo Creations, scroll to the bottom of the font list on the toolbar and select System Fonts.

RocketLife

[ProfGadget]

I have continued to attempt to print my business cards by an alternative method. Quite a simple one actually. I used a different printer. In this case I used an HP Officejet 276dw MFP.

I wish I could include pdf files showing what I should get and what I do get. It seems the most logical way of showing printing results. However, apparently, I can't do that. In essence, the results were no different to what I got when I used the DJ 3630. Even though the OJ 276 allowed the option of selecting Cardstock as the Media.

My next step, come the New Year, is to explain my problem to my computer maintenance firm.

I suppose it's just possible that Avery products will not work with HP printers. If so, it's something that everyone should know about.

[Dragon-Fur]

@ProfGadget

I am sorry nothing has worked for your situation.

Commentary -- Not to be confused with HP Policy

In fact, at least in the USA, Avery software and the myriad of templates provided are very successfully supported in Windows (and Mac) on many printers.  Personal experience.

Avery templates (again as judged by personal experience,) work wonderfully well with Office Word and (for those templates supported,) with the venerable HP Photo Creations software.

My personal experience is limited to the printers I have used, including the most recent addition to our home office:  HP Officejet Pro 8630

Obviously, the fact that it works for me does not mean it works for you.  

There may be something peculiar about your font choices, the template itself, or the settings, that is, there may be an incompatibility in the fonts, the structure, or the settings.

The might be an incompatibility in the program you are using to print the content.

There might be an incompatibility with the particular (business card) paper you are using -- perhaps the "surface" of the paper is in some way contributing the the issue.  This is perhaps possible, though I will not -- and cannot -- defend such a statement.  I am not well versed in the technical aspects of ink and paper technology.

Less likely is that the different printers to which you have access respond the in the same manner and in fact suffer shared hardware issues.

Regardless, I am sorry for your troubles.

It might be worth asking Avery (or another print service) about the cost of having the cards printed for you.  My understanding (out-of-date) is that this kind of service (business card printing) is not prohibitively expensive.  

Should I have anything substantive to add, I will post back (or edit this post entry).

Thank you for participating in the HP Community Forum.

We are a community of HP enthusiasts dedicated to supporting HP devices and technology.

[ProfGadget · Accepted solution]

I just wanted to let you know that a solution has, apparently, been found.

You probably won't recall but, after my problems with the Deskjet 3630, I shifted over to trying to print the business cards using my Officejet 276dw. This resulted in printed C32011 sheets where the fonts had completely changed and were unacceptable.

Yesterday (23/02/2018) I had the owner of the IT maintenance company that I use over to try to sort a number of "problems" mostly related to my home network.

I mentioned my printing problem to him and, amazingly, he produced a properly printed sheet of business cards in virtually no time. Bearing in mind that the relevant file is on a computer on my ground floor and the Officejet 276dw printer is on my first floor.

After he'd done it, I questioned whether I would have achieved the same result myself if I had kept trying. He said that I would.

The basics are these. Create the business card template on the correct part of the Avery site. Save the result to one's own computer as a PDF file. Open the file in Adobe Acrobat or other suitable PDF application. Remove all paper from the printer. Place the Avery sheet in the printer feed tray. Print.

The step in bold type is essential.  I have to take the view that putting the Avery sheet in the printer feed tray on top of plain paper was the cause of the problem. Mea culpa. And I don't know why I didn't think of it.

I have subsequently printed another sheet, all by myself, and got a perfect result.

I'm letting you know partly because you said you would let me know if you had any additional thoughts and also because it might just help someone else.

Best Regards

ProfGadget