Prob printing from an Epson R2400 from a MacBookPro

[lash]

Does anyone have any idea how to deal with the following printing
problem?:
I am trying to print from an Epson R2400 running OS 10.4.9 on an intel-
MacBook Pro. The thing seems to work fine on most programs when
printing on normal low-grade paper from the sheet feeder. But it
starts to become very erratic when I specify to print onto inkjet
paper and especially double-sided paper. It will work for a while but
then will start just running the paper through without printing and
declaring that media is out or misfed. After a couple of rounds of
this it will just jiggle the paper in the paper feeder and not feed it
at all. This is the case for trying to print from all programs: Quark,
Indesign, Photoshop, Acrobat, even Textedit. Epson and Apple basically
blame each other's product. I have tried resetting the printing system
and reloading the printer driver software. I haven't yet gone as far
as reloaded the OS software. Anyone with any similar experience and
ideas?

 

[Arthur Entlich]

The likely cause of this, and reason everyone is pointing fingers at one
another, is that it is not a driver issue, but a mechanical one with the
printer.

The problem is that unlike plain bond paper which is porous and rough
and have so surface to come off, inkjet papers are coated with a surface
that is smooth, slightly slippery, and it transfer from the paper
surface to the paper transport rollers, and makes them slip. Once they
start to slip, they tend to slip more and more, as they pick up more of
the slippery material off the paper surface.

Epson printers have a sensor that determines if the paper has arrived at
the head before printing, to help prevent the printer from printing onto
the platen with no paper under the head. If the paper arrives slightly
late because it has slipped somewhat the printer rejects the paper and
sends it through without printing on it.

Although sometimes the problem is incorrect tolerances of the printer
parts during manufacturing or from wear, the most common cause is simply
contaminated paper transport rollers.

There are several ways of fixing this. The easiest is to get a sheet of
medium weight student grade watercolor paper, and spray it with a window
cleaner, or with isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol - 70% solution is
fine for this, just do not get the type that has additives like perfumes
or oils in it) in the center area, leaving the margins dry, and then
sending it through the printer numerous times using the load and eject
buttons, turning the paper around a few times to rotates the surface.

Your don't want to over saturate the paper so it is dripping, just damp
enough to clean the rollers. If the liquid evaporates too rapidly, you
can apply another dose. After you are done, run some clean bond (like
laser) paper through the printer to remove any additional residue and to
dry it well before placing inkjet paper through it.

Some people will tell you that isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol will dry the
rubber parts out, and with excessive use this may be true, but I find
the occasional application does not seem to make a big difference.
There are rubber rejuvenation liquids, but I do not suggest they be sent
through the printer in the same manner as described above, as they can
dissolve plastics. If you use a rubber restorer, do so with caution and
only apply the liquid on rubber parts. Some rubberized plastic parts
may also dissolve with the restorer, and it is often difficult to know
which is which. (Most if these restorers are based upon orange/citrus oil).

Anyway, try the suggestions above and see if you can't get the rollers
clean enough to prevent the slippage and see if that resolves your issues.

Art

 

[frederick]

I've copied the procedure for cleaning from the service manual and
posted it here:
http://i14.tinypic.com/6faaw5e.jpg
Seems that this would give quite aggressive cleaning of the PF roller.
http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/...3540920&infoType=Downloads&platform=Macintosh
For driver version 3.0aAs (OSX V 10.4.4 or later)