HP Printer Custom Paper Size Hack

If you have a newer HP Photosmart inkjet paper and use Windows, it is likely you cannot define or use custom paper sizes. This is a problem because you just cannot wait to use Red River Paper’s marvelous selection of inkjet printable greeting cards. Making your images into photo cards is a wonderful way to connect with friends and family or promote your business.

So, here is the trick to making newer HP Photosmart printers work with custom paper sizes:

If you have Windows 7, adding the driver for HP DeskJet 9800 is simple:

1. Go to Control Panel >> Devices and Printers and Add a Printer.

2. Select “Add a network, wireless or Bluetooth printer.”

3. Wait for Windows to find your printer on the network and select it, then click Next.

4. It should say “Install a printer driver” and present a list of manufacturers on the left and models on the right. Select HP and select “HP DeskJet 9800”. Then click “Next”. Make sure to uncheck the box when it asks you if you want to make it the default printer.

Now you can print custom sizes by going into your application (e.g., Microsoft Word) and selecting “Print”, and then choose HP DeskJet 9800 as your printer. Once you have selected this printer, click “Properties”. In the “Paper/Quality” tab, there is a drop-down of various paper sizes as well as a button that says “Custom”.

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Article Last updated: September 23, 2013