Benefits of a separate photo paper tray

Save time and supplies by using a photo printer with two paper trays: one for regular paper and one for photo paper

Woman looking at photo prints

Introduction

Many people use their photo printers to print everyday documents in addition to photos. But if your printer has only one paper tray, you have to manually switch your photo paper with your plain paper when printing your photos, then switch back when you’re done. Luckily, many new printers offer both plain paper and photo paper trays.

Benefits of having a dedicated photo tray

picture of woman in office looking at photos

Switch from printing office documents to photos without swapping paper.

While some printers simply have one input tray for both photo and document printing, select HP Photosmart All-in-Ones feature separate photo trays for simplified photo printing. A dedicated photo tray can help you:

  • Simplify: Stay organized with one paper tray for documents and one paper tray for photos.
  • Save time: Switch from documents to photos without swapping paper.
  • Save supplies: Your photos won't accidentally be printed on document paper or vice versa, helping you avoid misprints.

How it works

HP Photosmart 6510 with photo tray circled

Most dedicated photo trays can fit both 4" x 6" and 5" x 7" paper.


HP PS 6520

Printing a large photo on 8.5" x 11" paper? Put your photo paper in the main paper input tray.

What size photos can I print from the dedicated photo paper tray?
All dedicated photo trays can fit paper up to 4" x 6". And most new HP Photosmart printers, like the HP Photosmart 6520 e-All-in-One, fit photo paper up to 5" x 7".

For printing one large image—or several 4" x 6" photos—on a single sheet of 8.5" x 11" photo paper, use the main paper input tray.

How does the printer know which paper tray to use?
When you direct your printer to print a photo (by selecting the “Photo” option from your printer’s touchscreen, for example) and select the photo size, the printer automatically knows which photo tray to draw the paper from.

If I have photo paper in the photo paper tray and print a Web page, will my printer mistakenly print that Web page on my photo paper?
No. Your printer knows to print full-page 8.5" x 11" documents from the main input tray. Although, if you have a large sheet of photo paper in your main input tray, your printer will print your Web page on that paper.

Tips and tricks for using the photo tray

Picture of photo in printer output tray

Use your HP Photosmart printer shortcuts for common tasks, like printing borderless photos.


Picture of photo paper with Auto Sense mark

For best results, use HP photo papers, like HP Advanced Photo Paper.

HP photo printers, such as the HP Photosmart 6520 e-All-in-One, feature automatic paper sensing and quality settings. When you print a photo, your printer will automatically detect the paper type and size, and adjust print settings to deliver the highest-quality prints. For best results, use HP photo papers like HP Advanced Photo Paper.

Your HP Photosmart printer also has pre-set printing shortcuts with the optimal quality settings for common tasks, like printing borderless photos. You can even change the shortcut settings, or create your own shortcuts for commonly used tasks.

Get more tips for printing perfect photo prints.

How to load paper into the paper tray

Picture of paper being loaded into separate paper tray

Use the printer's sliding paper-width guide to secure your photo paper in the paper tray.

Follow these steps to properly load paper into your dedicated photo tray:

  • Raise the photo tray lid.
  • Slide the paper-width guide outwards to make room for your paper.
  • Insert a stack of photo paper into the photo tray with short edge forward and print side down.
  • Slide the stack of paper forward until it stops.
  • Slide the paper-width guide inward until it stops at edge of paper.
  • Lower the photo tray lid.

It's fine to leave a few sheets of photo paper in your dedicated photo tray so you're always ready to print a picture—but don't leave photo paper in the tray for an extended period of time. The paper might start to curl, which might reduce the quality of your printouts and cause paper jams.

Find a printer with a dedicated photo tray

Each of these HP e-All-in-Ones feature a dedicated photo tray that fits photo paper up to 5" x 7". These versatile printers also feature HP ePrint—now print from your smartphone or tablet from virtually anywhere.1 See all HP ePrint-enabled photo printers and find the right one for you!

HP Photosmart 6520 e-All-in-One

HP Photosmart 6520 e-All-in-One
$149.99

  • Print, scan, copy
  • 3.5" color touchscreen
  • ISO print speed up to 12 pages per minute (ppm) black, 8.5 ppm color2
  • Automatic photo tray holds up to 20 pages
HP Photosmart 7520 e-All-in-One

HP Photosmart 7520 e-All-in-One
$199.99

  • Print, scan, copy, fax
  • 4.3" color touchscreen
  • ISO print speed up to 14 ppm black, 10 ppm color2
  • Automatic photo tray holds up to 20 pages
  • Lab-quality photos from 5 individual inks

Learn more

  • 1Requires an Internet connection to HP web-enabled printer and HP ePrint account registration (for a list of eligible printers, supported documents and image types and other HP ePrint details, see www.hp.com/go/eprintcenter). Mobile devices require Internet connection and email capability. May require wireless access point. Separately purchased data plans or usage fees may apply. Print times and connection speeds may vary.
  • 2Measured using ISO/IEC 24734, excludes first set of test documents. For more information see http://www.hp.com/go/printerclaims. Exact speed varies depending on the system configuration, software application, driver, and document complexity.