How to make custom paper sizes work?

[LurfysMa]

What's the secret to printing on custom-sized paper?

I just want to print on cards and note paper of various sizes and have
it work like it does for standard letter (8.5x11) paper.

Background information:

My printer (HP Laserjet 5000N) has a manual feed tray that it says can
handle anything from 3x5 to 11x17.

The manual feed tray has adjustable paper guides that slide in and out
in tandem so that the paper is always centered in the tray.

To print on letter paper (8.5x11), the guides slide out so that they
they are 11" apart. The letter paper is fed with the 11" side first
for both portrait and landscape.

To print on legal paper (8.5x14), the guides slide in so that they are
8.5" apart and the paper is fed with the 8.5" edge first.

For envelopes, the guides slide way in so that they are about 3" apart
(and still centered in the tray). The envelopes are fed endwise.

This is important because the paper sensor (or one of them at least)
is about 7.5" from the right edge of the edge of the tray. So, paper
that is narrower than 7" cannot be fed from the right edge with the
guides wide open.

There are two icons on the manual feed tray in addition to markings
for various standard paper sizes (letter, legal, A4, A3, Exec, etc.).
One of then is clearly an envelope and it indicates that envelopes are
to be fed face up with the shorter edge first. The other icon looks
like a page with one corner turned over. It indicates that paper (and
I assume cards (anything other than envelopes)) is to be fed face up
and with the longer edge first.

My problem:

I have some 5x8 card stock. I would like to define a 5x8 template so I
can print on these cards, in either portrait or landscape orientation,
just like I can with letter paper.

Here is what I tried and what happened:

1. Create a template. Paper size tab: Paper size=custom size,
Width=5", Height=8", Orientation=Portrait. Margins tab: Set all
margins to .3. Paper source tab: Set all pages to Manual tray. Click
OK.

2. Define a page border so I can see where the margins are. Put some
text centered on the top line of the page and some centered close to
the bottom so I can see how the orientation is.

3. Load a 5x8 card in the manual feed tray with the 8" edge first.
Adjust the guides so that it is centered in the tray.

4. Print. The page image is correct in the 5" direction, but is off
the top of the card in the 8" direction. It looks as if the printer
expected the card to be aligned more to the right int he tray.

5. As a test, load another card. Adjust the guides for letter (8.5x11)
paper (they are now 11" apart). Align the 5" edge of the card against
the right paper guide.

6. Print. The text is properly positioned on the card. The printer is
treating the card stock as if it were letter paper, not like an
envelope.

7. As a test, change the orientation to landspace and delete enough
blank lines so that the text at the bottom comes back to page 1.
Print. The landscape text is properly positioned on the card.

Now I could just print the 5x8 cards this way with the paper guides
wide open and the cards aligned against the right guide only. But it
doesn't always feed properly because it doesn't have the left guide.
It also doesn't work at all if the paper is less than 7" wide as it
misses the paper sensor and so won't feed at all.

So, how can I get this printer to treat card stock like envelopes so
they can be printed using both guides?

This printer can handle paper up to 11x17. It feeds standard 8.5x11
paper sideways (11" edge first), in case that's significant.

The printer is connected to a p2p network with a couple of PCs running
Win2000. I have checked the HP site and I have the latest driver for
this printer.

I have also tried starting with an envelope template and changing the
sizes, but unless I stay quite close to the original settings, it
changes to a "Custom size".

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

You have basically two ways to approach this:

1. If you will be using the 5x8 size frequently, define it as a custom paper
size in the printer driver. I can't tell you specifically how to do this,
but it should be possible with your printer (it is with the LJ 4100). You
have a limited number of user-defined sizes, although I think you can
perhaps delete some of the built-in ones that you'll never use and
substitute others. If you do this, then you can feed the card in the center,
using the paper guides flush against the sides, and it will print correctly.

2. Pretend that the card is a sheet of Letter (or Legal) paper and set it up
in the middle of a sheet that size, adjusting the margins as required. Then
feed it from the center and let the printer print the relevant portion of
what it thinks is a full sheet of paper.

 

[LurfysMa]

You have basically two ways to approach this:

1. If you will be using the 5x8 size frequently, define it as a custom paper
size in the printer driver. I can't tell you specifically how to do this,
but it should be possible with your printer (it is with the LJ 4100). You
have a limited number of user-defined sizes, although I think you can
perhaps delete some of the built-in ones that you'll never use and
substitute others. If you do this, then you can feed the card in the center,
using the paper guides flush against the sides, and it will print correctly.

2. Pretend that the card is a sheet of Letter (or Legal) paper and set it up
in the middle of a sheet that size, adjusting the margins as required. Then
feed it from the center and let the printer print the relevant portion of
what it thinks is a full sheet of paper.

Thanks, Suzanne. Option #1 works, once I figured out how to do it.
It's kinda obscure. For the LJ 5000, you go to Properties from the
Print panel, then select the Paper tab, then click on the Custom
button.

I defined 5-6 new sizes and it never complained. They all worked just
as you said. It does do a little rearranging. If you define it as 8x5,
rather than 5x8, it will swap them. It feeds all fo the custom sizes I
tried with the short edge first unless I got close to one of the
standard sizes (eg, 8.5 x 11), then if fed it that way.

Thanks for the spot-on solution.

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

Yes, I would expect it to feed the small sizes short edge first. From the
fact that it feeds 8.5x11 sideways, I assume it must be an 11x17 printer?
Otherwise, it would feed Letter paper portrait, same as Legal (my LJ 4100
does).

 

[LurfysMa]

Yes, I would expect it to feed the small sizes short edge first. From the
fact that it feeds 8.5x11 sideways, I assume it must be an 11x17 printer?
Correct.

Otherwise, it would feed Letter paper portrait, same as Legal (my LJ 4100
does).