Print Envelope with Center-Feed Printer

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Level 1

8 points

Print Envelope with Center-Feed Printer

Just got iWork '09. The reason was to print envelopes, which OpenOffice does poorly, both on my Ubuntu machine and my MacBook Pro. I have searched multiple forums and Google for an answer, but no luck, only kludges and workarounds.

Pages does not include an option for a center feed envelope tray, like on a LaserJet 5L printer. Using Gutenprint v5.1.3 driver.

Pages prints a standard size 10 business envelope expecting the top edge of the envelope to be at the far right edge of the 8.5 x 11 paper feed. The envelope feed is in the center and can't be changed and the envelope will not feed properly if placed in the regular paper feed.

How can I make Pages print envelopes from the center-feed tray?

This is the ONE thing I bought iWork to do.

MacBook Pro 15", Mac OS X (10.5.8), 2.5GHz Core 2 Duo, 2 GB RAM

Posted on Aug 9, 2009 6:52 PM

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Answer 1

Aug 9, 2009 7:15 PM in response to robinator

robinator

To make use of particular features of any printer, if they are non-standard, you need to install the printer driver for that model and chose to print to it in:

+Menu > File > Print > Printer > Your model+

and chose in the dialogue:

+Menu > File > Print > Layout > Paper Feed+

If you don't have the Printer Driver go to Hewlett Packards website and download and install it.

Peter

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Answer 2

robinator Author

Level 1

8 points

Aug 10, 2009 7:58 AM in response to PeterBreis0807

Well. HP has never written an OS X driver for the LaserJet 5L. Gutenprint is pretty much it; and that's built in to OS X.

I found all the special menus that you referred to, and I appreciate that hint. However, even when I specified to print the envelope to a specific tray (Tray 1, Tray 2, etc.,) Pages invariably printed the same way--on the far-right side of the 8.5 x 11 tray, even when it correctly "chose" to feed the envelope from the center feed tray.

So it looks like this is unsolveable, a bug in the software and I'll see what my options are at my local Apple Store.

There should be a warning that Pages will NOT print envelopes to a center-feed LaserJet, And there are still millions of LaserJets out there. Pathetic.

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Answer 3

Aug 10, 2009 8:18 AM in response to robinator

Hi robinator,

Sorry about your driver issue. I can't help with that, but it seems to me that a simple solution would be to create an envelope template that is built on an 8.5 X 11 Landscape paper size, with the pertinent information properly located for the center tray, knowing that all the fields have to be offset a few inches down the document space.

Jerry

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Answer 4

Aug 10, 2009 2:49 PM in response to robinator

Pages is not at fault.

Printer Drivers are a system issue and if there isn't one for your printer it can't detect special options, to request them.

Same as if you are Hungarian, chances are you won't understand what I am asking you in English.

Jerrold's suggestion is probably your best option under these circumstances.

Peter

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