Which Paper Tray To Print From

Last Updated on April 14, 2021 by Christian Ralph

Printers may vary in the way that they feed paper, such as rear feed printers, front loading printers and printers with multiple paper trays. As a printer can include multiple paper trays which can handle different media types and weights, it is important to choose the right paper tray to print from.

Rear feed printers

A rear feeding printer can be between a rear feed inkjet printer which would feed in multiple pages from an upright tray at the back of the printer or a laser printer with a speciality media feed such as a bypass tray. The main purpose of a rear feed in a laser printer, would be to handle thicker media types such as card or photograph paper and often label media types. A bypass tray is a similar alternative to a rear feed, which will allow the speciality media to travel through the printer without as much bending. This can often be referred to as a straight paper path, here are a few examples of laser printers with a bypass tray:

Xerox Workcentre 3345DNi

This A4 mono multifunction laser printer features the ability to print at high speeds up to 40ppm and features USB, network and wireless capability. The Xerox 3345DNi includes a 250-sheet input tray and a 50-sheet bypass tray as standard, but the total paper handling capacity can be increased to a maximum of 850 sheets with an additional 550-sheet input tray.

• – 220gsm Maximum Paper Weight
• – Automatic Double-Sided Printing
• – 250-Sheet Input Tray (Paper Types Supported: Archive, Bond, Card Stock, Heavyweight, Lightweight, Plain and Recycled – Up to 163gsm)
• – 50-Sheet Bypass Tray (Paper Types Supported: Archive, Bond, Card Stock, Envelopes, Heavyweight, Labels, Lightweight, Plain, Pre-printed, Recycled and Transparencies – Up to 220gsm)

Xerox Versalink C7020DN

The Xerox Versalink A3 colour laser printer is capable of printing high resolution documents up to 1,200 x 2,400 dpi with excellent colour consistency. This quick Xerox machine has a 520-sheet input tray and a single sheet manual feed for speciality media types.

• 520 Sheet Input Tray (Paper Types Supported: Paper Labels, Cardstock, Plain Paper and Envelopes)
• Single Sheet Manual Feed
• 128gsm Maximum Paper Weight
• Supports A4, Legal, A5, Letter, Executive, Universal, Folio, Oficio and JIS-B5 Media Sizes

 HP LaserJet Pro M404dn 

The HP LaserJet Pro M404dn is an A4 mono laser printer with multiple paper trays, a 250-sheet input tray and a 100-sheet multipurpose tray. This fast mono printer can reach up to 38 prints per minute and can print its first page in as little at 6.3 seconds.

• Automatic Double-Sided Printing
• 250 Sheet Input Tray (Paper Types Supported: Plain, EcoFFICIENT, Light, Heavy, Bond, Coloured, Punched, Pre-printed, Recycled, Rough, Envelope, Labels)
• 100 Sheet Multipurpose Tray
• 175gsm Maximum Paper Weight

Xerox VersaLink C405DN

An impressive A4 colour multifunction laser printer, the Xerox VersaLink C405DN is fast, versatile and highly capable. With it’s standard 550-sheet input tray combined with a 150-sheet bypass tray, this machine will never leave you without options.

• – 550 Sheet Input Tray (Paper Types Supported: Plain, Lightweight Cardstock, Cardstock, Hole Punched, Recycled, Pre-Printed, Letterhead, Bond, Lightweight Glossy Cardstock and Glossy Cardstock – Up to 220gsm)
• – 150 Sheet Bypass Tray (Paper Types Supported: Plain, Lightweight Cardstock, Cardstock, Hole Punched, Recycled, Pre-Printed, Letterhead, Bond, Lightweight Glossy Cardstock, Glossy Cardstock, Labels, Envelopes – Up to 220gsm)
• – Automatic Double-Sided Printing
• – 220gsm Maximum Paper Weight

Front loading printers

A front loading printer is the most common form of laser printer, the media tray or cassette will usually be located at the bottom of the printer and will feed the media in from the front. Some front loading printers may also have multiple input trays such as a 250 sheet paper tray and a 100 sheet multipurpose tray. Each tray may have the ability to handle different media types, sizes and weights.

Epson WorkForce Pro WF-4745DTWF

The Epson WorkForce Pro WF-4745DTWF is a front loading A4 colour multifunction inkjet printer with multiple paper trays. Small in size but built for productivity with print speeds as fast as 34ppm and high-quality print resolutions up to 4,800 x 1,200 dpi.

• 2 x 250 Sheet Input Tray
• 256gsm Maximum Paper Weight
• Rear Paper Path

OKI B432dn

The OKI B432dn can reach print speeds up to 40ppm with it’s first page printed as quickly as 4.5 seconds. This front loading A4 mono LED laser printer features automatic double-sided printing, a 250-sheet input tray and a 100-sheet multipurpose tray as standard.

• – Automatic Double-Sided Printing
• – 163gsm Maximum Paper Weight
• – 100 Sheet Multipurpose Tray (Media Sizes Supported: A4, A5, B5(JIS), A6, Letter, Legal
• – 13, Legal 14, Executive, Statement, Envelopes: Monarch, Com9, Com-10, DL, C5, C6, 4 x 6”, 5 x 7” – Up to 163gsm)
• – 250 Sheet Input Tray (Media Sizes Supported: A4, A5, B5(JIS), A6, Letter, Legal 13, Legal 14, Executive, Statement – Up to 120gsm)

Kyocera ECOSYS P2040dn

The front loading Kyocera ECOSYS P2040dn is an NHS prescription approved mono laser printer with USB and network capability. It can also print up to 40 mono pages per minute with it’s first page out in as fast as 6 seconds.

• – Automatic Double-Sided Printing
• – 100 Sheet Multipurpose Tray (Media Sizes Supported: A4, A5, A6, B5, B6, Letter, Legal and Custom: 70 x 148mm to 216 x 356mm – Up to 220gsm)
• – 250 Sheet Input Tray (Media Sizes Supported: A4, A5, A6, B5, Letter, Legal, and Custom: 105 x 148mm to 216 x 356mm – Up to 163gsm)
• – 220gsm Maximum Paper Weight

Which paper tray to choose?

If you have a printer with more than one tray, you may need to decide which tray to print from. Choosing the right tray or feed will depend on what media you are using, for example some multipurpose trays will allow envelopes, labels and often heavier media. Media types and trays can be accessed within a printer’s driver settings, this will enable you to select which tray to print from. Here is a quick and easy guide to selecting the correct paper tray or feed when printing, our example uses the Xerox VersaLink C405 driver.

1. Step 1 – Open your document and select ‘Print’.
2. Step 2 – Select the printer and then select ‘Printer Properties’.
3. Step 3 – Within the driver settings, find ‘Paper Settings’.
4. Step 4 – Select desired tray. (Image shows 2 options; Tray 1 and Bypass Tray.)
5. Step 5 – Change any other desired settings such as paper type and size.
6. Step 6 – Send your document to print.