Configure HP 4050 printer to prompt 'load paper'

If you are setting the trays for non-plain paper then you need to ensure that your print driver is set to match the paper types that are set on the printer. Otherwise the printer will always ask you to confirm which paper you want to print on.

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This is a common problem. The device can be set to print from tray 1 if it is loaded, or to print only from tray 1 if the type of media selected is other than standard bond.
Pull out tray 2 and make sure the paper size adjustments are properly set to match your size of paper. If you are using std bond and the adjustments are set to A-4 it won't pull paper.

HP Control Print Jobs Support Page: http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/Document.jsp?lang=en&cc=us&taskId=115&prodSeriesId=1846088&prodTypeId=18972&objectID=c00764862
HP Support Page: http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/Document.jsp?objectID=c00764851&lang=en&cc=us&taskId=101&prodSeriesId=1846088&prodTypeId=18972
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Hi Trevor,
It seems like you have driver issue, you need to update your print driver, make sure you are using the correct one for your PC Operating System, go to HP support.
Contact me if you need further assistance.

You have the settinigs on the printer wrong. There are two things you need to do:
1. Open the tray and check that the paper guides are set to 8.5 x 11 (letter). There are both length and width guides in the paper tray, and EXEC size is quite a bit off from letter-it is more than 0.5 inch narrower than letter. It is also shorter than letter.
2. On the printer, use the settings button to navigate to the paper size. (The exact wording may vary; it's been a while since I worked on a 4050. It may be under print settings.) Once you find the paper size menu, configure tray 2-yes, I'm sure-to use letter size, any type. By the way, on HP lasers, tray 1 is the fold down tray on the front, tray 2 is the tray that will hold 500 sheets of paper and is the "drawer" that you load. Don't ask me why they use that numbering system.

Check the media settings for your paper trays. Make sure they are set properly, also check the diver media settings. Is the problem happening with a specific print job? If it is check the page setup for that document.

check the paper type and the paper size from the printer menu, if it is ok then you will try to check the paper sensor on tray 2

1) When the printer receives a print job, it selects the tray by trying to match the requested paper type and size with what has been loaded in the trays. Using an “autoselect” process, it searches all available trays for the paper that satisfies the request, starting with the bottom tray and ending with the top tray (tray 1). The printer begins printing the job as soon as it finds the proper type/size.

2) If paper is loaded in tray 1 and tray 1 is set "TRAY 1 TYPE=ANY" and "TRAY 1 SIZE=ANY" on the
Paper Handling menu, the printer will always pull paper from tray 1 first.

You can do one or a nother thing. You can change the paper size in paper tray 3 to Legal size or you can go into the user settings, under addtional funcation and choose, that tray 3 will not daisy chain when tray 2 is empty or you can make tray 3 not to be able to print too.

paper size or paper type is incorrectly set on trays (check settings via printers keyboard menu) or and settings in print driver are incorrect (control panel/printers and faxs right click hp icon properties

reset to fatory defalt.