Pick-up rollers on HP Deskjet 3545... don't!

[Joel Kolstad]

Hi guys,

I have one of the el-cheapo HP DeskJet 3545's and in general I'm quite happy
with it. However, this is the second DeskJet in the 3500 series I've had
where, after not very long (six months, perhaps) the pick-up rollers just sit
there and spin rather than creating enough friction to actually feed a page of
paper into the paper to begin printing.

Anyone have suggestions on how to revitalize the rollers?

Thanks,
---Joel Kolstad

 

[Tony]

Hi guys,

I have one of the el-cheapo HP DeskJet 3545's and in general I'm quite happy
with it. However, this is the second DeskJet in the 3500 series I've had
where, after not very long (six months, perhaps) the pick-up rollers just sit
there and spin rather than creating enough friction to actually feed a page of
paper into the paper to begin printing.

Anyone have suggestions on how to revitalize the rollers?

Thanks,
---Joel Kolstad

Isopropyl (denatured) alcohol is very effective if you can get at the rollers.
The best stuff is rubber rejuvenator but you have to ensure that not even a
tiny drop gets onto any plastic since it eats plastic like a blow torch eats
ice cream, so this is only an option if the rollers can be removed first.
Tony

 

[Panos Stokas]

If you print a lot of pages on your inkjet printer you might start
having feeding problems. The rollers are the usual culprit: not only do
they get dirty but more importantly their rubber become dry and hard,
losing its elasticity which results to a lower traction to paper and
ultimately prevents its ability to "snatch" the paper correctly or
adapt to different paper weights.

Grease is a good elixir for the rollers because it will be partially
absorbed by the rubber and restore its elasticity. The idea is to apply
grease to the rollers using a sheet of paper. The method I used has
been tried on two old HPs with great success. It is very easy.

DO NOT USE THIS METHOD ON A LASER PRINTER!!!

1. Prepare a document on Wordpad with one empty page of white lines (or
a page break if you have Word).
2. Print the document on your printer (you can skip this if your
printer is unable to feed even one page BUT don't overlook the next
step)
3. Make sure your printer did not print ANYTHING on the page and that
the printhead did not move along the page as it was printed.
4. Apply a very thin layer of grease on the page you've printed in
various vertical and horizontal lines.
5. Insert the page and let Wordpad print out the empty page again.
6. Repeat steps 4-5 at least 4 times.
7. Print 20 white pages to clean any excess grease from the rollers.

It is done. Your rollers will probably be back in good condition. Your
first prints may have some faint roller marks on them but they will
soon go away.

While I don't think that alcohol may be the best solution to restoring
rubber rollers (because it dehydrates them even more thus making the
problem worse) I am particularly interested in Tony's experience about
rubber rejuvenators:

but you have to ensure that not even a tiny drop gets onto any
plastic since it eats plastic like a blow torch eats ice cream

This is very interesting and if someone would give me some links with
further information I would be very grateful.

 

[Joel Kolstad]

Thanks for the advice, Tony & Panos. Quick question for Panos: What kind of
grease did you have in mind?

Thanks,
---Joel

 

[Bob Headrick]

I have one of the el-cheapo HP DeskJet 3545's and in general I'm quite happy
with it. However, this is the second DeskJet in the 3500 series I've had
where, after not very long (six months, perhaps) the pick-up rollers just sit
there and spin rather than creating enough friction to actually feed a page of
paper into the paper to begin printing.

Anyone have suggestions on how to revitalize the rollers?

For a printer that new the problem is probably paper dust building up on the
rollers rather than any issue with the rollers drying out. Personally I would
not use alcohol (which could cause the rubber to dry out) or grease on the
rollers. Try cleaning the rollers with a damp cloth to remove the paper dust.
You might try different paper as well.

If the printer is still in its warranty period you might call HP at
1-800-HPINVENt for warranty service.

Regards,
Bob Headrick

 

[Tony]

For a printer that new the problem is probably paper dust building up on the
rollers rather than any issue with the rollers drying out. Personally I would
not use alcohol (which could cause the rubber to dry out) or grease on the
rollers. Try cleaning the rollers with a damp cloth to remove the paper dust.
You might try different paper as well.

If the printer is still in its warranty period you might call HP at
1-800-HPINVENt for warranty service.

Regards,
Bob Headrick

I failed to pick up the implication that the printer may be in warranty.
I have had excellent success with alcohol but this is usually with Laser
printers and I always advise that it is a short term measure pending eventual
replacement.
If a damp cloth works then great.
The problem is that it is often not cost effective to replace rollers in
inkjets.
I have never tried grease and would be reluctant to do that but who knows?
Tony

 

[Panos Stokas]

I used grease for heavy mechanical appliances.

My guess is that any kind will do. That probably includes vaseline. But
I would prefer a kind that would not melt very easy so that it wouldn't
leave too much leftover in its path.