Lexmark Z600 injet - paperfeed is skewed

[Möbius]

Lexmark Z600 color injet printer purchased from Walmart online 1/2005,
worked OK, just recently has a paperfeed problem. The paper feeds slightly
askew. The right side of the paper is pulled down slightly faster than the
left side. So the printing on the page is turned at an angle, perhaps 10
degrees away from square. This doesn't always happen, but it is becoming
more frequent and a nuisance.

The printer's paperfeed mechanism is encased in plastic (hidden from view)
and I haven't tried taking it apart (yet). It doesn't have a paperfeed
button, just an on/off switch, barebones essentials for this model which
sells for under $30 U.S. I like it, except for this problem.

Suggestions?

 

[Fred]

Lexmark makes crappy printers. Save yourself while you can
and take it back to the store and get a refund or store
credit ASAP! I have had a Lexmark X73 (I think that's the
model) and although it prints excellent quality images, I
often have to reboot, unplug, etc. to clear the worthless
thing.

Plus their tech support is deep in the heart of India and
all they do is read the operator manual to you.

Again, Lexmark is crap.

 

[Möbius]

Thanks for the advice. I'll check the warranty to see if that's possible. I
bought it online.

I've scoured around and looked for tips, also asked their tech support. They
sent a long list of things to try, some of which don't apply to this model.

I tried one of the simplest things and it might have worked...

Grasp the paper while it is feeding/printing and pull it backwards. That
should clear & clean the rollers. (Another possibility would be to use a
sticky cleaning sheet but I don't have one handy.) This caused the gear
motor to groan but apparently no harm done. They recommended using a thick
piece of paper but ordinary paper worked OK for me.

It might be crap, but for less than $30 US dollars (delivered to my door by
Walmart), it's a "disposable" printer so there's not much griping room...
It has printed fine for over 6 months with the original inkjet cartridges,
and is OK for my limited purposes, except for the recent paperfeed problem.

It is actually cheaper to buy a new printer than to buy a pair of inkjet
cartridges (black and color)! I don't usually need color but it's nice. I've
just ordered a discount remanufactured replacement black cartridge online
and an ink refill kit, so will find out if that's practical. Otherwise I
might actually just buy a new printer every 6 months!
--
Möbius

Lexmark makes crappy printers. Save yourself while you can
and take it back to the store and get a refund or store
credit ASAP! I have had a Lexmark X73 (I think that's the
model) and although it prints excellent quality images, I
often have to reboot, unplug, etc. to clear the worthless
thing.

Plus their tech support is deep in the heart of India and
all they do is read the operator manual to you.

Again, Lexmark is crap.