How to Change Tray 1 to Plain Paper Letter

Each printer tray has its own settings for paper size.

Changing the settings on a printer with multiple trays isn't a difficult task, especially if your printer uses manual printer guides to set the size of the printing paper. In personal and business settings, the most common size of paper used by printers is letter, which measures eight and a half inches by 11 inches. When changing from a different paper size to letter, you must change the settings on that specific tray to accommodate for the different size.

Things You'll Need

• Owner's manual for printer

Instructions

1. Read the owner's manual specific to your printer and look for instructions on how to change the paper size of Tray 1. Different printers, even different models by the same manufacturer, may have different instructions specific to that model.

2. Remove Tray 1 from the printer and set it on a flat surface.

3. Remove the tray cover from Tray 1. Place a few sheets of letter-sized plain paper inside of the paper guides. Use about 10 so that the guides don't squeeze the papers, causing an improperly set printer tray. If necessary, move the paper guides outward to accommodate the larger sheets of paper.

4. Slide the paper guides gently to rest against the stack of letter-sized paper which you left in Tray 1. Fill the tray as full as you wish. Replace the tray cover and then replace Tray 1 into the printer.

5. Change the paper size to letter on your printer's LCD or digital display, if necessary. Read your printer's owner's manual for model specific instructions on which buttons to use and which menus to access within the printer's digital display. You can also change the paper settings from cardstock to plain paper, if you need to change this setting as well.

Tips & Warnings

• When changing the paper size to letter, you may also have to change some other printer settings for the paper to print properly. This may include any settings related to centering or borderless options available through your printer's software.

References

• Lexmark: Quick Reference
• Xerox: Quick Use Guide - Phaser 6360
• Steve's Digicams: Size Matters - Paper Size vs. Print Size
• American Forest & Paper Industry: Why is the standard paper size in the U.S. 8 ½" x 11"?