Help! Printer Problems - suggestions, advice, direction needed!

[acireta]

I'm trying to print my boarding pass invitations, and I'm having major paper feed problems. What printers do you guys use to print on heavy cardstock?

 

I'm using cover-weight, matte cardstock paper (8.5x11"). I've tried my HP 4280 all-in-one, a friends HP N110 (?), and an Epson Stylus NX430. The HPs were front feeding, but the Epson is rear-feeding, and none of them can handle the cardstock.

 

The weird thing is my HP handled a few pages of cardstock and then changed its mind and now it refuses to print on cardstock. Explain that to me?!!?

 

Does anyone have any suggestions about how to get these damn invitations printed? The colors were coming out all weird when I tried to print them at Kinkos. Maybe I'll try taking them to Office Max and see if their print center is any better than Kinkos.

 

What printers do you guys use to print on heavy cardstock? I'm so frustrated at this point!!!

[boscobel]

I have no advice for home printers b/c I had the same issues when I tried to print mine a few years ago.  I ended up finding a local printing place that printed, cropped, sorted and stapled mine (and we had alot!  over 300 invites and the boarding passes were 6 tabs long) for about $80 and it saved me SO much time and piece of mind.  So maybe you would be better off looking at a local printing company rather then a chain?  Just a thought.

[acireta]

Thanks, Carly :-) We have a lot also, but not quite that many. 100 invitations, 6 pages each, plus a ticket jacket. But I have other projects to do over the next few months, so I wanted something at home I could just work with on small projects.

 

Anudrm recommended the HP DeskJet 3050, which is a laser printer with which you can load paper manually, and she was able to print on 110#.

 

Last resort: my company's graphic designer's husband owns a small printing company, and I'm going to see him tomorrow if this printer doesn't work tonight. One more try and then I'm DONE trying home printers!!

[anudrm]

I printed my boarding passes & ticket covers, the fan programs (110#) paper and also my passports which is a combination of cover-weight and 65lb, both printed front and back. So, I hope that helps!

[X-Chan]

I have a little cheap all in one printer from canon. It has front feeding for normal paper, but it has a rear-feeding option that takes cardstock which passes it through flat. I've had a bunch of printers in my life and never had a problem printing on cardstock. When you print you should be changing the paper type to cardstock.

Other than that, I guess the next option is to go to a printshop as others have said.

[acireta]

The annoying thing is there is no setting for cardstock!! There is brochure paper, transparency, photo paper, plain paper... but no cardstock!! I even called HP for guidance and they told me my printer won't do it...

 

off to Staples at lunch to pick up my last resort before a print shop! :-)

[anudrm]

Why would HP tell you that that specific printer won't print on cardstock, that's really SILLY of them! Yet I do have an HP and it prints just fine.

[X-Chan]

Try photo paper. Mine doesn't have an option for cardstock either now that I think of it. The setting I use is called 'matte photo paper', but all photo paper is thick like cardstock so maybe that will do the trick.
 

Originally Posted by acireta 

The annoying thing is there is no setting for cardstock!! There is brochure paper, transparency, photo paper, plain paper... but no cardstock!! I even called HP for guidance and they told me my printer won't do it...

 

off to Staples at lunch to pick up my last resort before a print shop! :-)

 

[acireta]

They told me the one I have currently (the old inkjet) won't pull cardstock through since its a front feed.

 

Just picked up the top-feed laser printer you have, so I'll be trying it out tonight. Keep your fingers crossed for me!!
 

Originally Posted by anudrm 

Why would HP tell you that that specific printer won't print on cardstock, that's really SILLY of them! Yet I do have an HP and it prints just fine.

 

[acireta]

I will definitely try this setting. Thanks!!
 

Originally Posted by X-Chan 

Try photo paper. Mine doesn't have an option for cardstock either now that I think of it. The setting I use is called 'matte photo paper', but all photo paper is thick like cardstock so maybe that will do the trick.