Multi-tray office printer using wrong tray every time — how to force the correct paper source

Joe B.

Expert ★★★★★ 27,853 satisfied customers

Specialities: Windows/macOS print drivers, PCL/PS/IPP, tray priority, letterhead mode, print servers

Wrong tray selection — fix Auto Select, map paper size/type, lock Letter vs Legal, and set tray priority

Technician

Hey! We’ll stop your multi-tray office printer using the wrong tray every time. The goal is to make the queue consistently pull from the tray you intend (e.g., Tray 2 Legal, Tray 1 Letterhead, MP bypass for labels).
A few questions: printer model/driver (PCL/PS/IPP Class), Windows or macOS, and which tray should each job use? Does the device show a prompt like “Load Letter in Tray 1” or does it silently default to the bypass/MP tray?

Customer

Windows 11 with a Ricoh MP and an HP LaserJet in another department. Both keep pulling from Tray 1 (bypass) even when we pick Tray 2 in the driver. We need Letterhead from Tray 1 only on first page, normal Letter from Tray 2, and Legal from Tray 3. Users choose Auto Select and it still uses the wrong source.

Technician

Understood. Wrong-tray behavior usually comes from three things:
1) Paper size/type mismatch — the driver thinks Tray 2 is Letter Plain but the device is set to Recycled or size Legal, so it rejects and falls back to MP/bypass.
2) Auto Select rules — many devices prioritize MP tray first when enabled (“Bypass priority”).
3) Defaults vs Preferences — server “Printing Defaults” or macOS/CUPS PPD options override user selections. We’ll align device trays, driver device settings, and per-app preferences.

Customer

The device shows Tray 2 as Letter Plain. We still get “Load Letter in MP tray” popups or it prints from the bypass anyway. Auto Select is on.

Technician

Let’s start at the device (panel or web UI):
• Set each tray’s Paper Size (Letter/Legal/A4) and Paper Type (Plain, Letterhead, Labels, Heavy).
• Disable “MP Tray Priority / Use bypass as default” so Auto Select won’t pull from MP unless the job requests that type/size.
• For letterhead, enable the vendor’s Letterhead Mode (sometimes called “Flip on short edge for first page”) and lock it to Tray 1 only.
Now drivers can match exactly; any mismatch forces fall-back or prompts.

Customer

Okay, trays are set. What about Windows drivers? We use the Type 4 IPP Class driver on some queues and vendor PCL6 on others.

Technician

In Windows, open Printer Properties → Device Settings: click Update Now so the driver learns installed trays/finishers. Then in Printing Preferences:
• Source = Tray 2 (or “Auto Select” only if paper size & type are correct).
• Paper size = Letter or Legal to match the tray; Paper type = Plain/Letterhead accordingly.
• Turn “Substitute/Use MP tray when size/type mismatch” OFF.
The IPP Class driver is generic; for fine control of tray mapping and first page from letterhead, prefer the vendor PCL/PS driver.

Customer

We also need “first page letterhead, rest plain.” Users print from Word and Outlook. Can that be a preset?

Technician

Yes. In vendor drivers look for “First page from” or Cover/Letterhead:
• Set First page source = Tray 1 (Letterhead), remaining pages = Tray 2 (Plain).
• Save as preset “Letterhead First Page”. In Word, assign that preset to templates (Normal.dotm or your letter template) so it’s one click.
This avoids users manually switching trays and eliminates wrong tray every time complaints.

Customer

On macOS our copier still prefers the bypass tray. We added it with AirPrint. Any mac-specific fix?

Technician

On macOS choose System Settings → Printers → Add via IP and pick the vendor PPD (or PCL/PS) instead of AirPrint. Then in the print dialog open Printer Features to set Tray/Source, Paper Type, and disable “Use bypass if size/type mismatch.” Save a preset “Tray 2 Plain” and another “Letterhead Tray 1”. These CUPS options stop the automatic MP tray selection.

Customer

We deploy printers from a server. Could “Printing Defaults” be forcing Auto Select?

Technician

Exactly. On the print server set Printer Properties → Advanced → Printing Defaults to the correct Source and Type. Republish via Group Policy Preferences or Intune. Remind users that “Preferences” is per PC, while “Defaults” comes from the server and can override. Aligning these eliminates random tray picks after logon.

Customer

Labels and envelopes still force the MP tray, which is fine. How do we keep that behavior only for those jobs?

Technician

Create media-specific presets: Labels = MP tray + Labels type, Envelopes = MP tray + Envelope size. Keep Auto Select enabled but with Bypass priority off. Because the job requests a special Type, the device will automatically use MP — while normal Letter/Legal continues from Tray 2/3.

Customer

Great — trays now behave. Any final checks to make sure the mapping stays fixed?

Technician

Summary: Configure each tray’s size & type on the device, turn off MP/bypass priority, update driver Device Settings, set Source + Type in Printing Preferences, and save presets (Letterhead first page, Tray 2 plain, Legal Tray 3). Set server Printing Defaults to match. Need help building presets per app? Open the chat.

Quick answer: the accepted fix

When a multi-tray printer always uses the wrong tray: set correct Paper Size/Type on the device, disable MP/bypass priority, refresh driver Device Settings, choose the intended Source and Type in Printing Preferences, and align server Printing Defaults. Save presets for letterhead and special media.

FAQ

Step-by-step (Windows)

1. On the device, set each tray’s Size and Type; disable MP/bypass priority.
2. Printer Properties → Device Settings → Update Now to detect trays.
3. Printing Preferences: choose Source (Tray 2/3), set matching Size/Type, and turn off “Use MP when mismatch”.
4. Optional: create presets (Letterhead first page; Legal Tray 3). Align server Printing Defaults.

Note for macOS

1. Add printer via IP + vendor PPD (not AirPrint) for full tray options.
2. In the print dialog, open Printer Features: set Source/Type and save presets for each tray.

Sources

• Microsoft — Printer settings & preferences
• Apple — macOS print options & presets
• HP & MFD vendors — Tray/Media type configuration guides

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