Best printer for Carbonless Paper, 3 Part

[Ryan]

I just bought a Lexmark Forms Printer 2580n 9pin printer to print on 3
Part Carbonless Paper. When I first purchased the printer the print
quality was fine. This printer is heavly used. 4 months later the
print quality is now crap. I've replaced the ribbon twice already.
Even after a fresh ribbon the print quality is just poor even with the
the ink on the paper dark. I think this Lexmark is just getting worn
out from trying to print to the 3 part paper. Does anyone know the
best printer for 3 Part paper? Do I need to purchase a 24 pin printer
to work better with 3 part paper?

 

[Rene Lamontagne]

look at Okidata Dot Matrix printers for reliable 9 or 24 pin units.

Regards Rene

 

[Tony Hwang]

look at Okidata Dot Matrix printers for reliable 9 or 24 pin units.

Regards Rene

Hi,
Okidata Microline series. I could never wear one out.

 

[Richard Steinfeld]

Ryan wrote:4 months later the

print quality is now crap. I've replaced the ribbon twice already.
Even after a fresh ribbon the print quality is just poor even with the
the ink on the paper dark. I think this Lexmark is just getting worn
out from trying to print to the 3 part paper.

You haven't described what type of "crap" you're experiencing, so I'm
going to take a blind stab at this based on my own experience with a
different brand new dot printer a few years ago.

Now, what I'm thinking is that your pins are jamming due to friction,
especially caused by dust or paper dust accumulating in the pin sleeves
(something like valve guide seals in a car engine).

In the good old days, typrwriter ribbons were glopped with a mixture of
glycerine and dye, pigment, or whatever. The glycerine kept the stuff
moist. I've assumed that the liquid in dot matrix ribbons has been
changed to a silicon fluid in an attempt to keep the pins lubricated,
but I'm guessing.

What fixed my dot matrix printer permanently was a couple of judicious
shots of old fashioned electronic contact cleaner/lubricant spray. The
carrier fluid gets out the dirt and evaporates very quickly. A residue
of silicon fluid is left behind to lubricate the pins, which are moving
in plastic sleeves. Silicon is an excellent lubricant for combinations
of materials except metal-to-metal. You soak up the excess fluid with a
rag. Since silicon is an excellent plastic lubricant, you probably don't
want it to get into unwanted places where friction is required (such as
clutch assemblies). Again, I'm guessing here.

Tony: please check over what I've written for accuracy relative to this
individual poster.

Richard

 

[Arthur Entlich]

What is the nature of the problem you are experiencing exactly?

Are the copies (sheets two and three) manifesting the same printing
defects as the front sheet which is printed in black from the ribbon, or
is only the front sheet, or only the rear two sheets showing the
defects, or are they showing different defects?

Obviously, there rae two different processes going on. Page one is
showing how the ribbon is interfacing with the sheet. Scalloped ribbon,
a ribbon too close to the paper, too inked, or not inked enough can all
alter the text quality. However, if the same problems are also seen on
the carbonless copies, that is likely not a ribbon issue, but more a
mechanical head issue, such as stuck or sluggish pins, carriage movement
defects, etc.

Any additional information you can provide to describe the issues could
help in diagnosing the causes.

Art

 

[Ryan]

What I mean by crap, is sometimes a 4 looks like a 1. On a full page
on some of the lines, it's like some of the letters are cut of
slightly at the top and bottom of the letters. On some of the lines
it's like the printer forgot to fill in the whole line as there is a
thin blank line throughout the entire sentence on that certain lines.
The printer is fairly new (4 months old). When I first installed this
printer, the quality was good. The only solution that I can come up
with is that due to the high volume this printer prints daily that
printing to the 3 part paper has worn this printer out. I feel I need
to try purchasing a 24 pin dot matrix and see what happens. Any
thoughts are welcome...

 

[Arthur Entlich]

This definitely sounds like sticking pins. I believe you were given
several suggestions on how to deal with that. Often is is just a matter
of lubrication them do they fire correctly.

If they get bend due to an improper gap between the ribbon and paper, or
if the ribbon is badly rippling or has developed holes in it and catches
the pins, they may become jammed inside the head and not print.

The secret to keeping a dot matrix printer healthy is make sure the
paper to head distance is correct for the paper and number of sheet in
use, use quality ribbons and ink that lubricate the head and replace the
ribbon if or when it becomes worn, scalloped, or develops holes in it.

Most dot matrix printers are very durable and can last for decades even
with heavy use.

Art