Glossy paper in a laser printer sounds like a bad idea. The laser printer works by charging the paper with high voltage, spraying toner powder onto the charged areas, and then fusing the toner into the paper with a hot roller. The slick surface of glossy photo paper might not charge well; even if it did, the powder might not stay in place between the point where it is applied and the adjacent part of the printer where it gets fused; and I'd suspect that the powder might spread during the fusing. Therefore, I would not be surprised if you ended up with a very fuzzy looking result.

However, that's all "dry lab" speculation. Sounds like Michael has actually done it, and pretty much confirmed the theories presented above.

I regularly print volume high-gloss (coated) stock on color and black & white laser printers. Runs up to 2,000 double-sided for program covers and brochures.

It will work, but with three points to caution you about:
1) If the stock is thick, or very slick, there may be some flaking, as suggested above. Adjusting paper type in the printer properties to get a higher fuser temperature, and avoiding highly saturated images (which globs on the toner) will cure this problem.
2) Coating dust from the paper gets on the input rollers, so cleaning every 500 prints is mandatory.
3) Laser toner is not glossy, so the shiny white stock peeking through a matte toner image can look a little strange, to say the least.

Although I've produced some stunning results with glossy paper, I've lately been using high-grade "Laser" or "Color Copy" grade stock on some big runs, and really prefer the results to glossy, because the texture matches while retaining that coated "feel.".

If the goal is a "coated feel," you might look into a finishing spray. Perhaps that would give you something like a varnished look. In fact, as I remember, that's how such a look is achieved in traditional printing: with a after-print varnish coat.

I have been using a regular monochrome laser printer to print on glossy card stock for several years.

The trick is to buy glossy paper that is made for laser printing.

I use a 10 pt. C1S (Carolina), but this you can only get from commercial paper suppliers. It costs about twice as much as regular C1S for offset printing, but the result is jawdropping.

HP also makes a "Color Laser Photo Paper glossy" (58 lb. paper weight = 220 g/m2, 7.5 mil thickness), Product Code Q6607A, that gives great output, as well as a few variations including double-sided glossy laser papers.

**If the goal is a "coated feel," you might look into a finishing spray. . . that's how such a look is achieved in traditional printing: with a after-print varnish coat. **

Yes, but with proper respiratory protection and an OSHA-approved spray booth. That stuff is not for home use under any conditions, even though it can be readily purchased. Texture sprays can cause anything from chronic asthma or worse even with occasional use.

thank you all!!!!

what a tremendously useful place this is to hang out!

i think i'll simply avoid any hassles and leave it for the inkjets. if i want glossy, then i'll buy glossy laser paper.

again,

many thanks

leslie

I just looked into this very issue, and decided to use photo glossy paper for color laser printers. I bought 58 lb stock from here: http://www.graytex.com/photo-laser-papers.htm

The finished product does not look glossy, but it's more like a magazine page -- sort of glossy, but not wet-glossy, if you know what I mean. WAY better than printing on plain paper.

-Steve