The clarity and sharpness of the output from today’s colour and monochrome laser printers can compete with press-printed materials. The output capabilities of these devices vary by brand and model, but the majority of them are capable of playing a wide variety of media. When purchasing a printer for your business, make sure the models are compatible with the media types and sizes required for your workflow.
Traditional Sheet Media
Standard sheet sizes of page-at-a-time paper are accepted by all laser printers. Some laser printers can print legal size documents that measure 8.5 by 14 inches and tabloid documents that measure 11 by 17 inches in addition to letter-sized sheets, which make up the majority of desktop output in the United States. At higher price points, printers designed for use in the graphic arts can print tabloid-sized pages with bleed on 12-inch by 18-inch paper. You can print on odd-sized media up to the maximum printing dimensions and down to a minimum specified in your user guide or other documentation if your device has an adjustable manual-feed input.
Labels
Laser printers need sheetfed labels, as opposed to dot matrix printers, which can use fanfolded label paper that separates off individual labels. These sheets, which are letter size, fit into a typical paper tray. You might be able to print half sheets, which are roughly half the width of a letter-sized page at the same height, if your printer has a manual-feed bypass. Always select label stock made especially for laser printers to ensure that the adhesive backing will hold while the material is heated to a high temperature during the printing process. It’s best to refrain from printing a label sheet in part, removing the printed labels for use, and then printing the remaining adhesive areas again because doing so increases the risk of the remaining adhesive areas coming undone.
Transparencies
Your laser printer can handle these output tasks if you’re producing transparencies for use on an opaque projector, as an overlay in a presentation, or to use as document dividers. Choose transparency media made for laser printers, just like you would with label stock. Make sure the print-first side is facing the paper tray when you load it with this medium so that it can accept the imprint.
Business Cards and Card Stock
Own business cards that you can print apply entire card designs or add text to pre-printed backdrops using micro-perforated lightweight card paper that prints with your laser printer. The sheets of this card stock are letter size and fit in your paper tray. In addition, certain laser printers can print on heavier-weight items like greeting cards, document covers, and other heavier-weight output materials.
