Whats the best paper to use on a laser print, it does a single pass to print?

Question

If you use the wrong paper can it ruin your printer?
Would inkjet paper work?
Its an hp 9500n laser printer.

Answer 1

Laser is usually quite tolerant on what kind of paper is acceptable. As long as it doens't curl up in the printer due to heat it should work fine.

While inkjet paper would work, it'd be a waste of money. Inkjet paper is usually quite a bit more expensive than the regular "copy paper" that laser printers use due to extra amount of "clay" to absorb the ink. Laser don't use "ink" and thus don't need the clay.

Go to HP.com, go to support, and enter your model, and it'll tell you which "media" is acceptable and which ones are recommended.

Answer 2

The "best" paper to use of course would be the paper specifically packaged as "laser" paper, but in many cases ink-jet paper is perfectly fine too.

Black laser printers print in a single pass. Color laser printers actually have four "passes" but it it is a single pass through the device.

Assuming you are asking about plain uncoated paper (sometimes referred to as "UFS" for uncoated free sheet), either will work fine in your laser printer and will not cause damage.

Uncoated paper specifically marked as inkjet paper may be a little smoother and a little denser (to help keep the liquid ink from soaking in to the paper), and maybe a little brighter (as inkjet is more typically a color printing process). Many times, however, a paper manufacturer will package the same paper in different wrappers (i.e. inkjet, laser, all purpose, etc.) and may even sell them at different prices, garnering a premium for the inkjet paper. Just a marketing ploy more than anything else.

Beyond plain uncoated paper, many special papers for inkjet purposes are "coated" and then pressed to make a very smooth, hard and glossy finish on the paper. The coating is typically mineral - white clay, titanium dioxide, etc. - not plastic. This is typically marked as photo paper and it is designed for inkjet printers only.

If you print clay coated paper in a laser printer, most likely you won't damage the printer, but it won't print very well, and the laser "ink' (which is melted plastic and carbon black) will have a tendency to flake off as it can't stick to the ultra smooth surface. Also, the coated paper probably won't take an electrostatic charge as well which also determines how the laser "ink" is distributed.

One last word of warning, is that some really high end coated ink-jet paper may actually have some plastic in the coating, and the heat from the laser printer may melt this, which will damage your laser printer.

So best bet, don't put any glossy paper though your laser printer.

Answer 3

Laserjets do not use "passes" to print, unlike inkjets. The paper simply goes thru it once and it gets printed from the top of the page to the bottom.

And do NOT use inkjet paper to print in laserjets. You can ruin your printer. The reason is that specialized inkjet paper like photo papers have a chemical coating on top to absorb ink.

Laserjet printers have a fuser at the end of the printing process that heats the toner and fuses it to the paper. This is why your paper comes out hot.

If you do put inkjet paper into your printer, the heat will melt the chemical coating and it may get glued all over your fuser. Then you need to go replace the fuser and any other rollers which have gotten smeared with that melted chemical goo.

Besides, yours is a high-end laserjet, dont risk it. Just use normal office printing paper for your laserjets. If you do need specialized paper, get one that is formulated for laserjets - like HP Laserjet tough paper, etc.

Answer 4

use laser paper instead of inkjet paper