Paper for Laser Printers

[Phil Ardussi]

I went to Kinko's, supplied my own paper, and asked them to print a job.
They have only laser printers and my paper was Ink Jet. She said the ink jet
paper would cause some kind of harm to their lasers.

I am about to buy a laser printer and have lots of ink jet paper. Is it
correct that I can not use my ink jet paper with this new laser?

BTW, the laser will be a Brother HL 2170w for about $99 at Best Buy.

Thanks.

 

[IntergalacticExpandingPanda]

I went to Kinko's, supplied my own paper, and asked them to print a job.
They have only laser printers and my paper was Ink Jet. She said the ink jet
paper would cause some kind of harm to their lasers.

Thanks.

Kinkos is not the place to go for reliable information. You're using
generic terms so it's hard to give you a blanket answer. They likely
didn't want to risk it, and to be honest if I was running a copy shop,
I wouldn't use paper that wasn't approved for lasers. That's pretty
reasonable.


Some inkjet paper is coated, and as such wouldn't work well for
lasers. The toner may not adhere to it. Coating with a low melting
point might be an issue as well. Those involved with electronics
might enjoy using a laser with inkjet photo paper, and separating the
gloss layer from the paper using detergent. Such users are aware of
the risks and pick a specific product they don't won't melt at 325F or
whatever the fuser temprature is. The cheaper papers tend not to be
coated. There are coated laser papers, but those are clearly marked
as such.

Paper for lasers and copiers tends to be cheaper than that for
inkjet.

If you tell us what paper you have, perhaps we can tell you if there
are any problems. There are some tests someone proposed in this group
involving a hair dryer or an oven at 400F to see if the paper
discolors or emits noxious fumes.

 

[Arthur Entlich]

It depends upon what type of inkjet paper you have. If it is paper that
come in reams of 500, like most bond paper, and is matte finish and
printable on both sides, and sells for about $7-10 per 500 sheets, you
can probably use it in a laser printer with no problem. These papers
are really bond papers, similar to those used normally by laser
printers, but may have slightly shorter fibres used to lessen wicking
and bleeding of the wet inks. Some may have a small amount of sizing or
clay added to the fibre mix to again lessen the ink from bleeding, or
to brighten the paper, but again generally this will not harm a laser
printer.

However, if the paper you are speaking of is more costly specialty
inkjet paper (100 sheets for $5-7, or more)is matte with only one side
printable, or is glossy or semi-gloss on either or both sides, that
paper may be inappropriate for laser printers because, because some of
those papers have plastic or other coatings which may melt or separate
under the heat generated my the laser printer fuser.

So, what does the paper package state on it exactly, and about how much
was it, and how many sheet came in the package?

Art


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