Printer fussy about photo paper?

[trevor]

Howdy folks! thINK4inc.com here, we hope some of you can share some help.

We've heard this before. One of our customers said "Love your photo paper.
My Epson 2200 is pretty fussy about paper."

A lot of people talk about photo paper jamming or not tracking through the
printer correctly. I think it's due to thickness. We get our photo paper
from the same sources that some major brands get theirs from, so it's not
the surface or composition that makes our paper better. Maybe some vendors
are selling the lightest weight paper they can buy. But then it could be
something completely different.

Anyone have any ideas? Is this a glossy as opposed to matte issue? Does
anyone notice rapid glazing or polishing on the rubber rollers that take up
paper when using photo paper? (Sometimes you can fix glazed rollers
yourself by gently buffing the glazed areas with a Scotchbright or similar
scrubbie)

More photo paper information available at
http://think4inc.com/photo_paper_information.php

 

[measekite]

costco is the best place to buy photo paper for both the epson and
canon. it seems that hp photo paper works the best for hp printers.
and that is with OEM ink. if using the poor generic ink it does not
make any difference what paper you use.

 

[trevor]

costco is the best place to buy photo paper for both the epson and
canon. it seems that hp photo paper works the best for hp printers.
and that is with OEM ink. if using the poor generic ink it does not
make any difference what paper you use.

Thanks measekite but I'm more asking to know what kind of papers are causing
a problem for people.

 

[measekite]

measekite wrote:




Thanks measekite but I'm more asking to know what kind of papers are causing
a problem for people.

kodak with canon printers. canon tech supports told me if i do notuse
canon paper then epson would be fine but kodak does not produce good
results.

 

[Arthur Entlich]

As a general rule with Epson printers I am reported to about, I offer a
cleaning procedure and the printer works fine after it, so I suspect the
problem is the coated surfaces transferring to the rollers.

Art

 

[trevor]

kodak with canon printers. canon tech supports told me if i do notuse
canon paper then epson would be fine but kodak does not produce good
results.

aso! hmmmmmm.....thanks!

 

[trevor]

As a general rule with Epson printers I am reported to about, I offer a
cleaning procedure and the printer works fine after it,

care to share your procedure? rubbing alcohol will remove glazing, but it
speeds up decomposition of the roller rubber itself.

so I suspect the
problem is the coated surfaces transferring to the rollers.

i'm beginning to think so too.

 

[Tony]

care to share your procedure? rubbing alcohol will remove glazing, but it
speeds up decomposition of the roller rubber itself.

That may be true, I'm not sure; but if the rollers are near end of life the
alcohol treatment at least provides a stay of execution and is better than
replacement.
Tony

 

[trevor]

That may be true, I'm not sure; but if the rollers are near end of life
the alcohol treatment at least provides a stay of execution and is better
than replacement.
Tony

Yup, and maybe a trip to an early grave if it's 3:00 AM and you absolutely,
positively HAVE to get that document out. Isopropyl, ethanol, vodka
(unflavored) and maybe the kid's Stridex pads (untested) will do in a
pinch. But remember the bit of Scotchbrite or similar synthetic scrubbie.
That will often rough up the surface enough to get you over the panic
moment. Steel wool will create too much particulate or dust inside the
printer so don't use that.

 

[Arthur Entlich]

Hi Tony,

I agree with the point of view you expressed below.

There has been a continual debate about the use of rubbing alcohol on
synthetic rubbers. It is probably true that overuse of rubbing alcohol
can, over time, harden and degrade those rubber parts. However, the
question is how much damage, versus the advantage of ease of access to
the solvent and relative effectiveness of it.

Apparently citrus oil (orange oil) is often placed in products sold as
"rubber restorer", and for some people who wish to order the product, it
is available on the web, but I cannot vouch that it is any less damaging
to the rubber, and may be moreso, as it seems to almost melt the rubber
to make it more pliable. I do know from my own experience that citrus
or orange oil can damage some plastics quite considerably, and
considering how much of the paper delivery system is plastic (not to
mention other parts of the printers) I think I'd stay with the rubbing
alcohol (Isopropyl) which is pretty safe around most plastics.

The method I suggest does use rubbing alcohol, and, overall it seems to
work without requiring dismantling anything or sticking swabs into
moving parts.

As I mentioned, it seems to work, and until I find a better method, I'll
stick to it.

Art

Here are the ingredients of one rubber restorer:


The "active ingredient" for longterm effect is the citrus oil, which is
the second ingredient

petroleum naptha, terpene hydrocarbon, chlorinated parafin.

Here's what Wikipedia has to say:

Limonene is a hydrocarbon, classed as a terpene. It is a clear,
colourless liquid at room temperatures with an extremely strong smell of
oranges. It takes its name from the lemon, as the rind of the lemon,
like other citrus fruits, contains considerable amounts of this chemical
compound, which is responsible for much of their smell. Limonene is a
chiral molecule, and as is common with such forms, biological sources
produce one specific enantiomer: the principal industrial source,


Chemical Name: 1-methyl-4-prop-1-en-2-yl-cyclohexene
Synonyms 4-isopropenyl-1-methyl-cyclohexene
Racemic: DL-limonene; dipentene
Chemical formula C10H16

Limonene is increasingly being used as an environmentally friendly
alternative to mineral oils as a solvent for cleaning purposes, such as
the removal of oil from machine parts, being more easily biodegradable
than mineral oils, and produced from a renewable source (citrus oil, as
a byproduct of orange juice manufacture.)

* R10: Flammable.
* R38: Irritating to skin.
* R43: May cause sensitization by skin contact.
* R50/53: Very toxic to aquatic organisms, may cause long-term
adverse effects in the aquatic environment.
* S2: Keep out of the reach of children.
* S24: Avoid contact with skin.
* S37: Wear suitable gloves.
* S60: This material and its container must be disposed of as
hazardous waste.
* S61: Avoid release to the environment. Refer to special
instructions/Safety data sheets.

 

[Burt]

Art - Interesting that one of the ingredients is Naptha. The technician
who serviced my first copy machine (Pitney Bowes auto feed with kerosene as
a carrier for the toner) used lighter fluid to clean the rollers. I believe
that lighter fluid is also naptha.

 

[Arthur Entlich]

So I guess there were "Thank you for not smoking" signs posted near that
machine ;-)

Art

 

[Burt]

Absolutely! The room in which the copy machine was located was a very small
utility room without any windows. I had an exhaust fan installed to use
when we ran the monthly billing cycle. It also used a proprietary roll
paper and had a cutter. What a dinosaur!

 

[Tony]

Art
Isn't life interesting. Sometimes we do damage to do good.
The problem of course is that replacing rollers in many inkjets can be
demanding and if it is done in a repair centre can be too expensive so a few
weeks or months of life seems like a good outcome to me for the cost of a few
cents worth of Isopropyl. Fortunately most modern laser printers have easy
roller replacement; entry level HP lasers have rollers that can be replaced by
the user.
Damn, that costs me some business
Tony