Misaligned Printing on 3 x 5 Cards

[CluelessInSeatl]

I've been using my HP P1006 printer to print onto 3x5 inch index cards for many years. (I couldn't get the printing to work via my home network, but was always able to print directly from my PC to the HP printer that was plugged directly into a USB port on my PC).

The hard drive on the PC failed a nearly a year ago, so I had it replaced with an SSD drive. I downloaded and installed a printer driver for the HP1006, but now the printer misaligns the text on 3x5 cards in exactly the same way that it did previously when I tried printing via my home network. The red outline on the page below shows what ends up printed on a 3x5 card:

Misaligned Printing on 3 x 5 Card 01

Here's what an actual 3x5 card looks like printing the same file:

And here are the paper size settings in MS-Word 2003:

I'm not at all tech savvy, so I'm at a loss trying to solve this problem. But I suspect that the problem may be with the printer driver. Perhaps the wrong driver, a corrupted driver, or a faulty driver installation.

I looked at an online tutorial Uninstall Printer Driver in Windows 10 and tried running printmanagement.msc to take a look at my printer drivers. This is what I found:

I was going to try uninstalling the HPLaserJetP1006 driver and then download and install a fresh driver. But I noticed the word "false" in the" XPS Driver" column. Could that be a clue as to why the printer is misaligning the text on the cards?

P.S. A couple of variables that may be relevant:

1. Before the hard drive failure, I was printing from MS Word 2010, which was lost when the drive crashed, so I installed Word 2003.
2. Before the hard drive failure I was running Window 20H2, but now the PC has 21H2

Will in Seattle

a.k.a. "Clueless"

[Dragon-Fur]

@CluelessInSeatl 

Welcome to the HP User Community.

Caveats...

I've not seen a P1006 printer in a LOT of years.

I've not used Word 2003 in a very long time.

I have printed small cards 3 inch width X 5 inch height / length.

Portrait or Landscape depending on the way the text / image content is oriented.

Cards always fed into printer "narrow sides" front and back.

If the driver you have installed works for other printing,

Replacing the driver might not help.

What?

Mainly, I don't have confidence in my ability to ferret out a reason the presumed correct driver and old Word software won't do what it ought.

The issue might be a feed issue ...

Assuming the paper size, type, and paper weight are supported,

• Feed issues are sometimes (frequently, in fact) a result of a missing or incorrect paper type setting.
• Feed issues are sometimes the result of worn out equipment (rollers, tension bars, etc).
• Feed issues are sometimes the result of a dirty printer.  Decades ago, maintaining possibly similar Laser printers, our group used "Cleaning kits" to clean our (then new) laser printers.  Might still be a thing or you might just need to open the printer and "clean" it as can be done.  ?

The following works on much newer Word, much different printer, and a decent network...

Word_Test_3X5_card_Portrait_2

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[CluelessInSeatl]

Hi Dragon-Fur!  Thanks for that speedy and thorough reply!

Today I finally finally dug out my old PC running Windows XP and MS Word 2003, because that's the machine I used to print 3x5 cards from.  I hooked it up to the HP P1006 and tried printing a 3x5 card, and it printed fine!

That would seem to indicate that the issue is not a feed problem or a card stock problem wouldn't it?

So, for now, I can use that antique XP PC for printing to 3x5 cards, while I try  to figure out how to get my Windows 10 machine to do the same thing.  I suppose I should order a printer sharing switch so I won't have to get down under my desk and manually swap the plug between the two machines, dependinig on what size paper I need to print on.  And it does seem utterly ridiculous to have to have a dedicated PC just for printing to 3x5 cards doesn't it?  But it will serve as a stopgap for now.

Will in Seattle

a.k.a. Clueless

.

[Dragon-Fur]

@CluelessInSeatl 

You are welcome.

True, then - not a feed problem.

Excellent outcome, since the immediate goal is to print the cards without having to upgrade your Office software or your printer.

Thank you for participating in the HP Community.

Our Community is comprised of volunteers - people who own and use HP devices.

Click Helpful = Yes to say Thank You

Question / Concern Answered, Click "Accept as Solution"

[CluelessInSeatl]

Hi again, Dragon-Fur,

Many thanks for sticking with me in grappling with this problem.

I I have a baffling but heartening update to post:  Last night on a hunch, I copied one of my old Word .doc files from the XP PC to the Windows 10 PC.  It was a file for printing to a 3x5 card that I had last used a couple of years ago.

I disconnected the printer from the XP PC and re-connected it to the Windows10 PC.

Then, on the Windows 10 PC, with Word 2003, I opened the file and tried to print it.  And it printed perfectly!

Then I opened my my test file for printing 3x5 cards and looked at the settings.  This is a file that I had created on the  Windows 10 PC, not on the Windows XP PC, to use as a diagnostic tool in trying to solve the problem of the misaligned printing.   My memory's not so good these days (I'm nearly 80), so I can't recall exactly what I did, but I think I may have fiddled with the paper size settings in the file, but whatever the reason, the 3x5 card  printed perfectly.

That was last night, and it was getting late so I had to stop at that point and head to bed.  And I haven't cranked up the PC yet this morning to try some further experiments to see if the problem really has been solved.  But I wanted to let you know this bit of promising news.

Will in Seattle

[Dragon-Fur]

@CluelessInSeatl 

Excellent.

I like this result much better than digging out an old XP machine.

Smiling.

Persistence is many times the mother of success.

Absolutely, the wrong paper size and / or paper type can foul the result.

Regardless >> Good job finding and fixing it.

Other users of vintage printers and older Word will rejoice to hear that you got this working.  Smiling.

Happy Printing.

Age is a battle field like any other -- the extent that we can still "do", we persevere.

Smiling.

Thank you for participating in the HP Community.

Our Community is comprised of volunteers - people who own and use HP devices.

Click Helpful = Yes to say Thank You

Question / Concern Answered, Click "Accept as Solution"