HP PageWide Pro 552 Won't Print Envelope from Tray 2

[EF464]

I have created a Word (2007) Document that is formatted as a standard, 10-inch envelope.  In other words, it is a stand-alone document, and not an envelope I am creating through the "envelope dialog box" in Word.

I want to print envelopes "en bulk" and not just 6 or 7 at a time (as is the limit when using Tray 1), so I loaded about 15 envelopes into Tray 2 and adjusted the sizing guides in that Tray, as required.  When I hit print, I get a message on my computer to "load paper in the device", and I also get a message on the printer's display that says, "Load Plain, Envelope #10 paper in Tray 1."

I have tried every variation I can think of in the printer-preferences menu, properties menu, settings, etc., to indicate that I want the printer to print an envelope from Tray 2, but it still won't print from that Tray.  I have specified the media and paper type and size, and I have gone into Word settings to make sure everything directs that the envelope should be printed from Tray 2, but I still can't get it to print. 

Even without specifying Tray 2, I thought if there was no paper in Tray 1 (and the flap on Tray 1 is closed), the printer would automatically pull the paper from Tray 2.    

Any help would be appreciated. 

Thank you.

EMF464

[dansdaduk]

>> ... every variation I can think of in the printer-preferences menu, properties menu, settings, etc., to indicate that I want the printer to print an envelope from Tray 2 ...

So what does the printer itself believe that it has loaded in tray 2, in terms of paper size and paper type?

Print a tray configuration report (via the front panel menu system), or check/modify via the Embedded Web Server equivalent.

The prompt that you quote implies that the print job has requested size = Envelope #10 , type = Plain.

As an aside, I don't think that the Word  Print inrterface allows you to change the type - you have to use the driver's Print dialogue to do that.

[EF464]

Here is the step-by-step:

1.  Load Tray 2 with #10 Envelopes

Loading Tray 2 with envelopes

2.  Open Word Document (a pre-formatted envelope).

3.  Select "Print" from the Word menu, then click "properties."  (see photo below)

4.  Configure Printer settings as follows: 

      a.  In the Printing Shortcuts box on the left, I select "Envelopes."

      b.  In the Paper Sizes box, I have selected "Envelope #10

      c.  In the Paper Source box, I have selected "Tray 2"

      d.  In the Paper Type box, I have selcted "Envelope"

   (see photo below). 

5.  Then I click OK on the printer menu, and I hit the print button, and I get an error message in the upper right hand corner of the computer screen that says, "HP PageWide Pro 552 Printer is out of paper.  Please click here for more information. "  (see photo below).

6.  I also get an error message on the printer display that says, "Load Envelope, Envelope #10 paper in Tray 1." 

(see photo below).

Tray 1 (which I guess is the default-tray for envelopes) has no paper and the slot in which envelopes are placed in Tray 1 is closed.  I thought this printer was supposed to automatically pull the paper from Tray 2 when Tray 1 was empty.  Also, when I state that I have tried other variations in the settings menu, I mean that I have also switched "Tray 2" to 'Printer Auto Select", and I have also just designated "Factory Defaults" and "General Everyday Printing" as the job type, as well as "unspecified" paper, but I still get the error messages. 

Hope this will help you to help me figure this out. 

Thank you very much.

EMF464

[dansdaduk]

You are setting up a printer shortcut for the printer driver, so that a print request (associated with the shortcut) can relatively easily use a pre-defined set of paper 'attributes' (size, type and/or tray identifier) within the generated print job.

But you haven't shown the printer tray configuration (i.e. what the printer believes it has in each of its trays) in terms of those attributes.

I don't have access to a PageWide Pro 552 printer, so this screen shot is taken from a view of the tray configuration page on the Embedded Web Server of a local PageWide Enterprise Colour 556:

When a print job is received, the printer checks the requested paper attribute set against what it believes it has in its trays - if it can't find a match, you get a prompt.

With common paper sizes, the size is detected automatically in the casssette trays via sensors attached to the paper length and width guides in the tray.

I don't know if this applies to envelopes - it may be that you have to specifically configure the printer so that it knows it has envelopes (of a specific size) in the tray.

The paper type has to be set explicitly (the printer can't determine this automatically); the default is usually Plain.

[EF464]

Well, now I think I have figured it out.  I referred to the manual on "configuring the trays" and it said to be sure the paper guides inside of the tray are in proper position and that the paper is not loaded above the height limit.  I went and did this (for the umpteenth time) and realized the guide has to click in the right place to communicate to the printer that the paper size/type has changed.   I must not have had it set (i.e., clicked) in place, so the printer thought I still had plain, letter-sized paper in there.

When I clicked the guide in place and closed the tray, the printer display came up with a menu asking if I wanted to "modify" the paper size and type.  I clicked "yes", and then it came up with the prompts for all of the choices (including #10 envelope). 

(I believe this is what you were trying to get me to do on your first reply, but it didn't sink in . . thank you for your patience).

Thank you so much for assisting with this!

EF464 

[dansdaduk · Accepted solution]

>> ... guide has to click in the right place to communicate to the printer that the paper size/type has changed ...

The guides only influence the paper size, not the type, although changing the size will , of course, invoke the "modify size and type dialogue".

>> ... I believe this is what you were trying to get me to do on your first reply, but it didn't sink in ...

It is indeed.

It all seems logical once you know about something, but there's usually a learning curve; I have the advantage of years of experience of this sort of problem. 

>> ... thank you for your patience ...

You're welcome