HP Color LaserJet 2550L User Manual

							5. Make sure that the stack of paper is flat in the tray at all four corners, and keep it below
the height tabs on the media-length guide in the rear of the tray. Push down on the metal
media-lift plate to lock it into place.
6. Slide the tray into the printer. If you set the rear of the tray to one of the longer sizes, the
back of the tray will protrude from the back of the printer.
Loading optional tray 3
The optional tray 3 supports A4-size and letter-size paper. Optional tray 3 supports only
paper, but paper includes average-weight letterhead and prepunched paper.
For additional information about letterhead and prepunched paper, see 
Printing on
letterhead or preprinted forms.
CAUTION
Print on special print media such as labels and transparencies from tray 1 only. Printing on
special print media from optional tray 2 or optional tray 3 can cause jams. Do not fan paper
before loading it into trays, and avoid overloading trays.
To load optional tray 3
1. Pull the tray out of the printer and remove any paper.
ENWWLoading trays31
 
						

							2. For letter-size paper, pull the rear stop up. For A4-size paper, push the rear stop down.
A4
3. For letter-size paper, move the media-width guides outward as far as possible. For A4-
size paper, move the media-width guides inward as far as possible.
4. Load the paper. If this is special paper such as letterhead, load it with the side to be
printed on facing down and the top edge toward the front of the tray.
NoteIf you are duplexing manually, see Printing on letterhead or preprinted forms for loading
instructions.
5. Make sure that the stack of paper is flat in the tray at all four corners, and keep it below
the height tabs on the media-length guide in the rear of the tray.
6. Slide the tray into the printer.
32Chapter 3 Printing tasksENWW
 
						

							Controlling print jobs
This section provides basic printing instructions. When making changes to printing settings,
follow the hierarchy of how changes are prioritized. (Note that the names of commands and
dialog boxes might vary depending on your software program.)
●Page Setup dialog box. This dialog box opens when you click Page Setup or a
similar command on the File menu in your software program. This dialog box is part of
the program in which you are working. Settings that are changed here override settings
that are changed anywhere else.
●Print dialog box. This dialog box opens when you click Print, Print Setup, or a
similar command on the File menu in your software program. It is also part of the
program, but it has a lower priority than the Page Setup dialog box. Settings that are
changed in the Print dialog box do not override settings that are changed in the Page
Setup dialog box. Settings that are changed here do override settings that are changed
in the printer driver.
●Printer driver. The printer driver opens when you click Properties in the Print dialog
box. Settings that are changed here do not override settings that are changed anywhere
else. (For Macintosh, the printer driver settings are integrated into the Print dialog box.)
About printing by Source versus by Type or Size
Three settings affect how the printer driver tries to pull media when you send a print job.
These settings, Source, Type, and Size, appear in your program Page Setup dialog box,
the Print dialog box, or the printer driver. The printer automatically selects a tray if you do
not change these settings. If you do want to change these settings, you can print by Source,
by Type, by Size, or by Type and Size. (For Macintosh OS 9.x, types and sizes are both
available from the General tab on thePaper Source pop-up menu. For Macintosh OS X,
types and sizes are both available from the Paper Feed tab.)
●Source. Printing by Source means that you select a specific tray from which you want
the printer to pull paper. The printer tries to print from this tray, no matter what type or
size is loaded in it. However, if you select a tray that is configured from the HP Toolbox
for a type or size and that does not match your print job, the printer does not print
automatically. Instead, it waits for you to load the tray that you selected with the type or
size of print media for your print job. If you load the tray, the printer begins printing. (If it
does not begin, you might need to configure the tray to match the size or type of the
print job.) Or, press 
 (GO) to have the printer try to print from another tray.
●Type or Size. Printing by Type or Size means that you want the printer to pull paper or
print media from the first tray that is loaded with the type or size that you selected.
Always print by Type for special print media such as labels or transparencies.
●If you want to print by Type or Size and the trays have not been configured for a
certain type or size from the HP Toolbox, load the paper or print media into tray 1
and then select the Type or Size from the Page Setup dialog box, the Print dialog
box, or the printer driver.
●If you often print on a certain type or size of media, the printer administrator (for a
network printer) or you (for a directly connected printer) can use the HP Toolbox to
configure a tray for that type or size. (See 
HP Toolbox.) Then, when you select that
Type or Size as you print a job, the printer pulls from the tray that is configured for
that type or size.
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							To print from Windows
1. Make sure that print media is loaded in the printer.
2. On the File menu, click Page Setup or a similar command. Make sure that the settings
are correct for this document.
3. From the File menu, click Print, Print Setup, or a similar command. The Print dialog
box opens.
4. Select this printer and change settings as necessary. Do not change any settings, such
as page size or orientation, that you set in the Page Setup dialog box.
5. If this print job is for a standard size and weight of paper, you probably do not need to
change the Source is (tray), Type is, or Size is settings, and you can go to step 7.
Otherwise, go to step 6.
6. If this print job is to be printed on a non-standard size or weight of paper, select how the
printer pulls paper.
●To print by Source (tray), select the tray in the Print dialog box, if possible.
●To print by Source (tray) when this setting is not available in the Print dialog box,
click Properties, and on the Paper tab, select the tray in the Source is field.
●To print by Type or Size, click Properties and, on the Paper tab, select the type or
size in the Type is or Size is field. (For some paper, such as letterhead, you will set
both the Type and Size.) Always print by Type for special print media such as labels
or transparencies.
7. If you have not yet done so, click Properties. The printer driver opens.
8. On the various tabs, set any settings that you want that did not appear in the Page
Setup or Print dialog box. For more information about printer-driver settings, see
Features in the printer driver.
9. By default, the printer prints to the top output bin, which is the best location for most print
jobs, including transparencies. For labels, heavy paper, or other special print media,
lower the rear output door on the printer.
10. Select the Print command to print the job.
To print from the Macintosh OS
1. Make sure that paper is loaded in the printer.
2. On the File menu, click Page Setup.
3. Make sure that this printer is selected on the Format for pop-up menu.
4. Select the size of paper onto which you are printing.
5. Select the Orientation and Scale, if necessary, and click OK.
6. On the File menu, click Print.
7. Use one of the following methods to select the Source (tray) from which you want to
print or select the Type of media onto which you want to print. Always print by Type for
special print media such as labels or transparencies.
●Mac OS 9.1: On the General pop-up menu, select the tray or type of media from the
Paper Source pop-up menu.
●Mac OS X: On the Paper Feed pop-up menu, select the tray or type of media.
34Chapter 3 Printing tasksENWW
 
						

							8. Set any other settings that you want, such as watermarks. (For more information, see
Gaining access to printer driver settings.)
9. By default, the printer prints to the top output bin, which is the best location for most print
jobs, including transparencies. For labels, heavy paper, or other jobs that require a
straight-through path, lower the rear output door on the printer.
10. Select the Print command to print the job.
Maximizing print speed for letter-size paper
The printer can print at 20 ppm in black on letter-size paper. When printing letter-size pages
from tray 2, this happens automatically.
For tray 1, the printer is set at the factory to print 19 ppm in black on letter-size paper. To
achieve a print speed of 20 ppm from tray 1, set the tray 1 size to letter. To set the tray 1
size, open the HP Toolbox, click the Settings tab, click Configure Device, and click Paper
Handling. Set the tray 1 size to letter.
When tray 1 is configured for letter, and a print job specifies another media size such as
envelopes, the Attention light blinks until you load the correct print media into tray 1.
Gaining access to printer driver settings
This section lists the common printing features that are controlled through the printer driver.
(The printer driver is the software component you use to send print jobs to the printer.) You
can change settings temporarily for the print jobs that you print while the program is still
open. You can also make permanent changes to the default settings, and those new settings
will be in effect now and in the future.
Operating
SystemTemporarily change settings
for jobs that are printed nowPermanently change default
settings1Change configuration settings
(For example, to add an optional
tray or to enable or disable a
driver feature such as Allow
manual duplexing)
Windows 98, Me,
and NT 4.0On the File menu, click Print,
select this printer, and then
click Properties. (The actual
steps can vary; this is the most
common method.)Click Start, point to Settings,
and then click Printers. Right-
click the printer icon, and then
click Properties (Windows 98
and Me) or Document
Defaults (NT 4.0).Click Start, point to Settings, and
then click Printers. Right-click the
printer icon, and then click
Properties. Click the Configure tab.
Windows 2000
and XPOn the File menu, click Print,
select this printer, and then
click Properties or
Preferences. (The actual
steps can vary; this is the most
common method.)Click Start, point to Settings,
and then click Printers or
Printers and Faxes. Right-
click the printer icon, and then
click Printing Preferences.Click Start, point to Settings, and
then click Printers or Printers and
Faxes. Right-click the printer icon,
and then click Properties. Click the
Device Settings tab.
Mac OS 9.1On the File menu, click Print.
Change settings as necessary
on the various pop-up menus.On the File menu, click Print.
As you change settings on a
pop-up menu, click Save
Settings.Click the desktop printer icon. From
the Printing menu, click Change
Setup.
ENWWControlling print jobs35
 
						

							Operating
SystemTemporarily change settings
for jobs that are printed nowPermanently change default
settings1Change configuration settings
(For example, to add an optional
tray or to enable or disable a
driver feature such as Allow
manual duplexing)
Mac OS X v. 10.1On the File menu, click Print.
Change settings as necessary
on the various pop-up menus.On the File menu, click Print.
To change settings as
necessary, use the various
pop-up menus, and then on
the main pop-up menu, click
Save Custom Settings.
These settings are saved as
the Custom option. To use the
new settings, you must select
the Custom option every time
that you open a program and
print.Delete the printer and reinstall it.
The driver automatically
reconfigures with the new options.
Mac OS X v. 10.2On the File menu, click Print.
Change settings as necessary
on the various pop-up menus.On the File menu, click Print.
To change settings as
necessary, use the various
pop-up menus, and then on
the Presets pop-up menu,
click Save as and type a name
for the preset. These settings
are saved in the Presets
menu. To use the new
settings, you must select the
saved preset option every time
that you open a program and
printOpen Print Center. (Click the hard
drive, click Applications, click
Utilities, and then double-click
Print Center.) Click the print
queue. On the Printers menu, click
Show Info. Click the Installable
Options menu.
1Access to default printer settings might be restricted and therefore unavailable.
Using the PCL printer-driver Help (Windows only)
When you are in the printer driver, you can use its Help, which is separate from the Help in a
program. You can activate Help for the printer driver in two ways.
●Click the Help button anywhere it appears in the printer driver. The Help windows give
detailed information about the specific printer driver in use.
●
When you see a 
 (bubble icon), click it to view information about the field, option, or
button that the bubble adjoins.
Features in the printer driver
Some printer drivers and some operating systems do not support all these printer features. 
●Selecting a Source
●Selecting a Type or Size
●Setting a custom paper size
●Printing in grayscale
●Changing the color settings
●Creating and using watermarks
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							●Printing multiple pages on one sheet of paper (N-up printing)
●Creating and using Quick Sets
●Reducing or enlarging
●Printing on different paper for the first page
●Changing the print quality
●Restoring the default printer-driver settings
For manual duplexing, see 
Printing on both sides (duplexing manually).
Selecting a Source
You can print by Source (tray) or by Type or Size. To print by Source, follow these steps. For
more information, see 
Controlling print jobs. For Macintosh operating systems, types and
sizes are grouped together under the Paper Source pop-up menu.
●Windows: In the Print dialog box in your software program, select the Source (tray), if
possible. Otherwise, select a tray from the Source is field from the Paper tab in your
printer driver.
●Mac OS 9.x: In the Print dialog box, select a tray on the Paper Source pop-up menu on
the General pop-up menu.
●Mac OS X: From the Print dialog box, select the tray or type of media on the Paper
Feed pop-up menu.
Selecting a Type or Size
You can print by Source (tray) or by Type or Size. If you are printing on special print media,
such as heavy paper, it is important to print by Type to achieve good results. To print by
Type or Size, follow these steps. For more information, see 
Controlling print jobs. For
Macintosh operating systems, types and sizes are all grouped together under the Paper
Source pop-up menu.
●Windows: In the printer driver, select a type in the Type is field of the Paper tab. Or,
select a size from the Size is field. For some paper, such as letterhead, you select both
a type and size.
●Mac OS 9.x: In the Print dialog box, select a type on the Paper Source pop-up menu on
the General pop-up menu.
●Mac OS X: In the Print dialog box, select the tray or type of media on the Paper Feed
pop-up menu.
Setting a custom paper size
Use the Custom Paper feature to set up the printer to print to sizes other than standard ones.
●Windows: Try to set this setting from one of these locations, in this order: the Page
Setup dialog box in the program, the Print dialog box in the program, or the Paper tab
in the printer driver.
●Mac OS 9.x: Gain access to Custom Paper features in the Page Setup dialog box. On
the Page Attributes pop-up menu, select Custom Page Size.
●Mac OS X: To set a custom paper size, click File, and then click Page Setup. Click the
Page Attributes menu, and select Custom Paper Size. (Mac OS X v. 10.1 does not
support custom paper-size settings.)
ENWWControlling print jobs37
 
						

							Printing in grayscale
If you have a document that you created in color, it will automatically print in color. Or, you
can set the printer to print a color document in grayscale (black and white) only.
●Windows: Select the Print In Grayscale option on the Color tab of the printer driver.
●Mac OS: In the Print dialog box, select the Color Options tab, and then select the Print
Color as Gray checkbox.
Changing the color settings
When you are printing in color, the printer driver automatically sets the optimal color settings
for you. However, you can manually make adjustments to how the printer prints in color for
text, graphics, and photographs. See 
Using color for more information.
●Windows: On the Color tab of the printer driver, click Options.
●Mac OS 9.x: In the Print dialog box, select either the Color Options tab or the Color
Matching tab.
●Mac OS X: In the Print dialog box, click the Color Options tab, and then the Show
Advanced Options button.
Creating and using watermarks
Use the Watermark options to specify that text be placed underneath (in the background
of) an existing document. For example, you might want to have large gray letters reading
draft or confidential placed diagonally across the first page or all pages of a document.
You can change color, position, and wording of the watermark.
Note
If you are using Windows 2000 or XP, you must have Administrator privileges to create
watermarks. You do not need Administrator privileges to add existing watermarks to
documents.
●Windows: Gain access to the Watermark options on the Effects tab in your printer driver.
●Mac OS: Gain access to the Watermark options on the watermark/overlay pull-down
menu in the Print dialog box. (Note that OS X might not support Watermarks.)
38Chapter 3 Printing tasksENWW
 
						

							Printing multiple pages on one sheet of paper (N-up printing)
N-up printing is the ability to print multiple pages on one sheet of paper. The pages will
appear decreased in size. You can specify up to nine pages per sheet, and they will be
arranged on the sheet as shown in the following figures if you use the default arrangement.
You can also choose whether a border appears around each page or not.
●Windows: Gain access to Pages per Sheet on the Finishing tab in the printer driver.
●Mac OS: Gain access to Pages per sheet by selecting the Layout pop-up menu in the
Print dialog box.
Creating and using Quick Sets
Use Quick Sets to save the current print-driver settings such as the page orientation, N-up
printing, or the paper source for later use. You can save up to a total of 30 sets of settings.
For convenience, Quick Sets can be selected and saved from most printer-driver tabs.
Note
If you are using Windows 2000, you must have Administrator privileges to save Quick Sets.
●Windows: Create Quick Sets from most printer-driver tabs. Later, you can gain access to
Quick Sets on the Finishing tab in the printer driver.
●Mac OS: This feature is not supported.
Reducing or enlarging
Use the Fit to Page option to scale your document to a percentage of its normal size. You
can also choose to scale your document to fit on any size of paper that the printer supports.
●Windows: Gain access to Fit to Page settings on the Effects tab in the printer driver.
●Mac OS: Gain access to Reduce and Enlarge (Scale) settings in the Page Setup dialog
box.
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							Printing on different paper for the first page
Printing on different paper for the first page is useful if, for example, you are printing a letter
that uses letterhead on the first page and plain sheets for the subsequent pages. The size
for all pages of the print job must be the same in the printer driver.
●Windows: Try to set this setting from one of these locations, in this order: the Page
Setup dialog box in the program, the Print dialog box in the program, or the Paper tab
in the printer driver.
●Mac OS 9.x: On the General pop-up menu in the Print dialog box, select the First Page
from option. Then, select the source for the first page.
●Mac OS X: On the Paper Feed pop-up menu in the Print dialog box, select the First
Page from option. Then, select the source for the first page.
Changing the print quality
The printer driver automatically chooses settings for your document to optimize the quality of
the output. However, you can change these advanced settings, such as raster compression
or scale patterns (WYSIWIG).
●Windows: Gain access to the Print Quality settings by clicking Details on the Finishing
tab.
●Mac OS: This feature is not supported.
Restoring the default printer-driver settings
You can return all settings in the printer driver to their default values. This feature might be
useful if you are experiencing quality issues, or if the print media is not being selected from
the correct tray.
●Windows: Select Defaults in the Quick Sets dialog box on the Finishing tab of the
printer driver.
●Mac OS 9.x: Drag the desktop printer icon to the Trash, and then set up the printer.
●Mac OS X: The Standard option contains the default settings and is automatically
selected each time you open a program.
40Chapter 3 Printing tasksENWW