How to Print out 3x5 Index Cards? Appropiately?

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Level 1

22 points

How to Print out 3x5 Index Cards? Appropiately?

I have a Dell 1110 Laser Printer. I've printed great looking envelopes using the templates on Pages but can't seem to print out index cards. I've included photo links of how the problem that is restricting me from doing so is caused by right before printing, the settings don't allow me to print for index cards.

The closest i've gone to printing them out is i've gotten the correct size to print but not the image is in the middle of the print-out page which is set to an 8x10 sheet of paper. When really there are just normal 3x5 index cards in the printer tray...so when I tried printing them out like this only half of the image is printed out ...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...X/Picture8.png

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...X/Picture7.png

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...X/Picture6.png

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...Picture5-2.png

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...mX/Photo61.jpg

Macbook, Mac OS X (10.5.6)

Posted on Mar 7, 2009 9:41 PM

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Answer 1

Best reply

thomas_r.

Level 7

31,989 points

Mar 8, 2009 4:48 AM in response to Decemberist

Your picture links aren't working, so we can't see what's going on that way. Just to get one obvious question out of the way, have you set up a custom paper size in Page Setup? (I don't see an option for 3 x 5 in there, so you'd have to make it yourself.) If you haven't, just click the Paper Size popup and choose Manage Custom Sizes to create a 3 x 5 paper size.

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Answer 2

Decemberist Author

Level 1

22 points

Mar 8, 2009 5:39 AM in response to thomas_r.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v370/WhammX/Picture8.png

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v370/WhammX/Picture7.png

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v370/WhammX/Picture6.png

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v370/WhammX/Picture5-2.png

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v370/WhammX/Photo61.jpg

as for attempting to set up a custom since i've done so already riht before printing. the size is saved but not allowable using my dell 1110 laser printer. as i said, the size saved, which is titled "Hipster PDA" and IS clickable if i choose another printer, thought i only have the dell laser printer.

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Answer 3

Barney-15E

Level 10

112,518 points

Mar 8, 2009 7:08 AM in response to Decemberist

I would guess that the driver does not support custom paper sizes.
Unless you can get it to recognize the custom paper size, it's not going to work.

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Answer 4

Mar 8, 2009 10:48 AM in response to Barney-15E

Or the printer does not support such small pieces of paper. I suggest that you save things up, and print them four to a page, and cut them apart.

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Answer 5

Barney-15E

Level 10

112,518 points

Mar 8, 2009 11:16 AM in response to Bruce De Benedictis

Bruce De Benedictis wrote:
Or the printer does not support such small pieces of paper. I suggest that you save things up, and print them four to a page, and cut them apart.

No, I looked and it does support 3x5 (the minimum). However, there are no Mac OS X drivers (only Gutenprint) but not for that specific printer.

By the way, what driver are you using?

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Answer 6

Decemberist Author

Level 1

22 points

Mar 8, 2009 2:28 PM in response to Barney-15E

hey barney,

you're right when mentioning the printer does hold tht size. i've printed envelopes using Pages 09 templates easily, and the envelopes are only 3 inches wide. in fact, the laser dell 1110 printer has an adjustable mark to secure any paper size up to 8x10, but nothing smaller than 3 inches in width.

There are also no specific drivers for this printer but after hours of searching years ago when I got my Mac, I found a driver that worked... which is the ML-1740. Allows me to printer fine without any problems, ever. Except now when trying to print a custom size.

I'm allowed to save the custom size, but never at any point select it right before printing. It's greyed out, as shown in he photo links.

It seems that the solution will lie within th settings or something ON the computer. It is possible to get the printer to print this but feel like i'm at the very last step before i can make that happen.

I've gotten the printer but print out a 3x5 index card size, but with the printer thinking to print such a size in the middle of what it thought to be an 8x10 sheet of paper. when it printed like this i had an index card in the printer feeding tray and a little bit of the image was printed onto the index card, obviously not well since the setting wasn't set up for it...but it did print perfectly aligned to the index card.

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Answer 7

Barney-15E

Level 10

112,518 points

Mar 8, 2009 3:29 PM in response to Decemberist

In my searching, someone suggested an ML-2110, but I don't see that in Gutenprint, either.

The building of custom sizes is built into the Mac OS X printing system. However, it is up to the driver to allow those choices.

In the program you are trying to print from, is there a Page Setup… command. You may have to tell it there that you want to use 3x5. One of the old iApps worked that way.

Edit: Maybe it was the 2010 they suggested. Samsung has a driver for that.

Message was edited by: Barney-15E

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Answer 8

Decemberist Author

Level 1

22 points

Mar 11, 2009 2:06 AM in response to Barney-15E

i tried all these different drivers, including the 2010 one. They all worked with my printed and allowed printing, but none of them allowed printing at 3x5 or printing custom sizes.

i kept trying to find an appropriate solution but nothing really works.

The closest I got printing with the A6 printer setting which is like 5x6 cards using my 3x5 index cards. about 3/4ths of the image was printed, which was okay but obviously not great. I'm not gonna stick with that.

anyone else got any solutions?

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Answer 9

Mar 11, 2009 7:58 AM in response to Decemberist

I noticed that you set up your custom size with the width greater than the length. That is generally not allowable. It should be 3 inches wide and 5 inches long.

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Answer 10

Walt K

Level 4

2,940 points

Mar 11, 2009 9:14 PM in response to Decemberist

Maybe you can fool the printer by telling it you're printing an envelope and just use the first 5 inches of the envelope template to layout your card. At least until you can find a real solution.

Walt

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Answer 11

Decemberist Author

Level 1

22 points

Mar 12, 2009 12:00 AM in response to Walt K

I was actually doing this. The index card wouldn't go in by itself so i taped it to an envelope and it would print on the card perfectly. the only problem is that I have to do this one at a time. I print it once, then print again and again and again. And that's a problem when I need to be printing 50 index cards a day.

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