13 Questions & Answers About Printing Your Own

by Chelsea Camper | Last Updated December 30, 2015

At first printing your own can seem kind of daunting, but once you know the basics you can roll on through with confidence. There are, unfortunately, some myths about printing your own forms rolling around. For example that “print your own takes more time,” when in fact it cuts out a lot of time consuming parts of printing like getting a proof from the print shop for your boss to sign off on, waiting for him to sign off on it, asking for changes, etc.

13 questions and answers about printing your own

To help clear some of the mist surrounding printing your own we’ve compiled a list of 13 commonly asked questions revolving around Printing Your Own.

1. How Do I Get Started Printing My Own?

Getting started down the Print Your Own path just takes the realization

that there is another way to go about printing than sending your print job off to a shop. There are many unique advantages to printing when you do it yourself. Check out our Getting Started Guide to help you get started down the path to becoming a Print Your Own Master.

2. How Do I Print My Own ______?

Looking for information on print your own specific product? For example, printing your own door hangers or printing your own postcard mailers? The How To section of our DIY Printing Tips blog has information on how to print a variety of products.

3. What Printer Should I Use To Print My Own?

It really depends on your purpose for the printer. If you’re looking to print your own shipping label sheets, then a laser printer would probably be a good idea. However, if you want to print highly detailed, full color photographs on postcards, an inkjet printer would suit you better. Our eBook on Factors to Consider When Buying a New Printer will help you decide which of your printers will be best to use, even if you’re not looking to purchase a new one.

4. Can I use Inkjet Paper in a Laser Printer?

NO. There’s a lot that can go wrong when you try to use inkjet paper in a laser printer. The coating of the inkjet paper can severely damage your printer. If you want more info than that, check out our post about why you can’t use inkjet paper in a laser printer.

5. Can I Use Laser Paper in an Inkjet Printer?

You can use laser paper in an inkjet print, but it’s not recommended. When you try to use laser paper in an inkjet printer the ink of the inkjet printer won’t stick to the laser paper. That’s about all that can go wrong when you use laser paper in an inkjet printer, but it’s still best to use paper in its designated printer type.

6. What’s the Difference Between Inkjet and Laser Printers?

There are two key differences between Inkjet and Laser printers. One is what the printer uses to create an image; Inkjet printers use ink and Laser printers use toner. The second key difference is how the image is created. Inkjet printers spray spots of ink onto the paper where as laser printers use heated fusers to create the image. There are pros and cons to both inkjet and laser printers, you should consider them all before making a purchase or deciding what to use for your next print job.

7. How Does Paper Weight Work?

Paper weight is a hard thing to sum up. Recently we did a blog post uncovering the mystery of paper weight and GSM which does a pretty good job of wrapping everything you need to know into one package.

8. Can I Customize My Company’s Shipping Label with a Logo or Design?

Yes! There are a few different ways you can get your logo on your shipping labels. Either you can order them pre-printed with your logo and/or custom design, you can bulk print them yourself with the logo, or you can add the logo to your shipping label sheet template to print the logo as needed.

9. What Is Tabloid Paper and Should I Use It?

Tabloid paper is paper that is 11×17″. It can come in handy if you’re printing postcards or labels in bulk. If you’re printing a large amount of the same thing (like direct mailer postcards) then using tabloid paper would be a good choice. The only thing you need to have to use it is a printer that is can print on 11×17″.

10. Can I Use Microsoft Word to Design My Printed Material?

Yes! You don’t need to have a fancy program like Photoshop in order to create great direct mailers or trifold brochures. By utilizing a few simple designing tips and tricks in Microsoft Word, you can create dashing printed pieces!

11. How Do I Set Up My Printer to Print On Custom Sizes?

All printers are different, but there are some general guidelines that will help you figure out just how to get your printer printing on various sizes of paper. Some printers are already set up to print on odd sizes of paper from the get go while others, especially older printers, will most likely need to be set to print a custom size.

12. Any Tips On Avoiding a Printer Meltdown?

Yes, we have several. 13 Tips to Avoiding a Printing Meltdown

13. Can I Print My Own and Still Be Eco-Friendly?

Yes, you can. From simply recycling to reusing scrap paper, there are several ways you can stay conscious about the environment while still printing your own. We’ve got 5 Ways To Be Green With Your Paper Usage here.

Image: arimoore