HP M3027/M3035 Card stock and heavy media, Letterhead and preprinted forms, Card stock guidelines

NOTE: Choose transparencies in the printer driver. See Open the printer drivers on page 9.

Card stock and heavy media

You can print many types of card stock from the input tray, including index cards and postcards. Some card stock performs better than others because its construction is better suited for feeding through a laser printer.

For optimum performance, do not use paper heavier than 199 g/m2 (53 lb). Paper that is too heavy might cause misfeeds, stacking problems, jams, poor toner fusing, poor print quality, or excessive mechanical wear.

NOTE: You might be able to print on heavier paper if you do not fill the input tray to capacity and if you use paper with a smoothness rating of 100-180 Sheffield.

In either the software program or the printer driver, select Cardstock (135 g/m2 to 216 g/m2; 50- to 80- lb cover) as the media type, or print from a tray that is configured for heavy paper. Because this setting affects all print jobs, it is important to return the product back to its original settings after the job has printed.

Card stock construction

●Smoothness: 135-157 g/m2 (36-42 lb) card stock should have a smoothness rating of 100-180 Sheffield. 60-135 g/m2 (16-36 lb) card stock should have a smoothness rating of 100-250 Sheffield.

●Construction: Card stock should lie flat with less than 5 mm (0.2 inch) of curl.

●Condition: Make sure that the card stock is not wrinkled, nicked, or otherwise damaged.

Card stock guidelines

●Set margins at least 2 mm (0.08 inch) away from the edges.

●Use tray 1 for card stock (135 g/m2 to 216 g/m2; 50- to 80-lb cover).

CAUTION: To avoid damaging the device, use only card stock recommended for laser printers. To prevent serious jams, always use tray 1 to print on card stock and always use the rear output bin.

Letterhead and preprinted forms

Letterhead is premium paper that often has a watermark, sometimes uses cotton fiber, and is available in a wide range of colors and finishes with matching envelopes. Preprinted forms can be made of a broad spectrum of paper types ranging from recycled to premium.

Many manufacturers now design these grades of paper with properties optimized for laser printing and advertise the paper as laser compatible or laser guaranteed. Some of the rougher surface finishes, such as cockle, laid, or linen, might require the special fuser modes that are available on some printer models to achieve adequate toner adhesion.

NOTE: Some page-to-page variation is normal when printing with laser printers. This variation cannot be observed when printing on plain paper. However, this variation is obvious when printing on preprinted forms because the lines and boxes are already placed on the page.

60 Chapter 4 Media and trays ENWW