Hello, and happy Tuesday! The final Tuesday of October!
You may look at your printer or copier, and wonder what types of paper or material it can print on. I know, I covered this in a post way back, but I definitely want to touch on it again. For this post, I will be a little more brief in what you can print to, what you might be able to print to, and what you should never try to print to.
GOOD IDEA TO PRINT TO:
* Standard copy paper: Any size, from 8.5×11 all the way up to 12×18. All are good, just make sure you set your machine and print drivers properly.
* Envelopes: Again, common thing to print to. Just use the bypass tray for best results.
* Colored Paper: Same as standard copy paper in many cases.
* Letterhead or pre-printed: Again, similar to standard paper.
* Cardstock: Be sure you adjust your machine and drivers for cardstock or thick paper. Use the bypass tray for best results.
* Odd sized paper: Adjust machine and drivers accordingly, and ONLY use the bypass tray for these odd sizes.
* Gloss Paper: Again, be sure to adjust machine and drivers accordingly. Remember: Only use the bypass tray.
MAY BE OK TO PRINT TO, WITH SOME TWEAKS:
* Labels: Use only copier labels. Copier labels are designed for use in high speed copy machines. These are NOT the same as inkjet or laser printer labels.
* Small sheets/Index cards: May be OK in some machines, but could potentially get jammed in larger machines. Adjust machine and drivers accordingly, and ONLY use the bypass tray for these odd sizes.
BAD IDEA TO PRINT TO:
* Carbon Copy Paper: This paper is designed more for dot matrix printers. Running this through an inkjet machine will only produce an image on the first page, while running it through a laser machine can produce an image on the first page, and your carbon copies would be totally blank or blackened.
* Thermal Paper: Trust us, it won’t work, especially on a laser machine. All you will get is a completely black strip of paper, that is if it even passes through without jamming. Leave that in the thermal printer!
* Inkjet/Laser Labels: Remember how I said that copier labels are designed for high speed copiers and printers? Well, there’s a reason why! You see, Inkjet and Laser labels have a tendency to, you know……..come off the sheet and wind up somewhere inside your copier. This would require a tech to come out and clean out these wayward labels. Did I mention that these wayward labels can (and will) stick to vital components, such as drums and the fuser? I didn’t? Well, that can and usually does happen! Did I also mention that this is not covered under your service contract?
* Ripped paper: Why would you even attempt this?? With how fast paper passes through a copier, you have a 25% chance that you get that whole sheet out in one piece, IF that. Just don’t.
* Odd-shaped sheets: You really expect your copier or printer to pass flower, star, moon or circular sheets of paper? Good luck! Try that and you’ll be calling us to free said sheet of paper out of wherever it gets stuck at. Print first, cut last!
* Wax coated paper: Hard NO. What happens to wax when it gets hot? Anyone? If you answered “It melts”, you’re absolutely right! Not only is this an issue in laser machines with a HOT FUSER, but even in inkjets, where the head does come fairly close to the paper. The wax coating can easily chip or scrape off the sheet, and get caught in feed rollers, print heads, etc. In laser machines, the wax will coat the fuser, causing degraded print quality, and even jams. Not to mention everything else you print after that will likely come out all sticky. Ewwww!
* Business cards: The main issue here is that business cards are simply far too small to run through a copier. They will get stuck somewhere in the machine. If you’re lucky, it’ll fail to feed from the bypass tray, OR it’ll get stuck just inside the tray.
* Notebook paper: While it is paper shaped, and feels like paper, it is considerably thinner than normal paper, and can buckle in the feed path, causing a jam.