Paper size is the next paper fact we will explore.
Paper Size Explained:
Printer paper is cut from their original rolls at the factory into common or custom sizes depending on use. Some of the common paper sizes in North America are:
- 8.5×11″ US Letter Size
- 8.5×14″ US Legal Size
- 11×17″ US Tabloid Size
- 17″x11″ US Ledger Size
- 5.5×8.5″ US Statement Size
In Europe, printers use a different standardization for paper sizes, such as the A standard. Some of the common paper sizes in the A standard are:
- A0 – 84.1 x 118.9cm (33.11 x 46.81″)
- A1 – 59.4 x 84.1cm (23.39 x 33.11″)
- A2 – 42.0 x 59.4cm (16.53 x 23.39″)
- A3 – 29.7 x 42.0cm (11.69 x 16.53″)
- A4 – 21.0 x 29.7cm (8.27 x 11.69″)
As a result, A4 and US Letter size, as well as A3 and US Tabloid, are similar in size but are not the same.
Paper Size Considerations:
An incorrectly configured paper tray can result in the following issues:
- The printer may incorrectly detect the paper size when set to automatically select and the tray guides are set incorrectly – To ensure proper function of the printer, the printer must be configured for the correct media size loaded into the printer. While it is unlikely that the North American and European paper systems will be confused for the other, if the tray guides are set incorrectly, or if attempting to trick the printer into printing on an incorrect media size, the tray size may detect as one size system or the other (ie: paper size automatically detected as A4 loaded instead of Letter size).
- The application or the print driver may specify a specific paper size – An application (such as Microsoft Word) or the print driver may specify a specific paper size to be printed on. If the specified paper size is not loaded into the printer, the job may be held for resources or generate a fault code.
- Internals are set electronically for the loaded paper size – Tray guides that are not flush with the loaded media can result in paper misfeeds, print skew or paper jams.
For more information on paper size specifications and how to load the paper trays correctly please see the online support for your model printer. Also look for a video on loading the paper tray on the Xerox Support YouTube channel. I have included a video on loading the paper tray below.
Join us next time for Paper Facts: Part 3 Paper Type.
