Well, it’s Tuesday again. Time for another exciting blog about the world of copiers and printers! In the last post, I talked about what to do, and what NOT to do with your machine. Today, I am going to go into depth on one of the topics listed in that post.
We’re going to talk about a common issue that I’ve seen happen with our machines: Putting TOO much paper in the trays. Yes, you read that right. There IS such a thing as too much paper in a single tray.
We know, it’s hard to resist the urge to cram as much paper as you can into a tray, often filling it completely to the top. While this may seem like a good idea in practice, in reality, it’s just going to wreak havoc on your machine.
You see, every machine has a limit on how much a single tray can take. This is usually marked inside the tray as a max fill line. Trust me when I say this: You do NOT want to go past this line, EVER. Doing so will not only cause issues, but can cause damage to your machine. Did you know that damage caused by misuse or negligence is NOT covered under your service contract?
On a normal copier, each paper tray can hold upto 500 sheets of paper – This is exactly one ream of paper. If you have the high capacity feeder accessory, those trays can hold upto 1,500 sheets, or 3 full reams of paper each. You can also get the side feeder, which can hold 3,000 sheets, or 6 full reams in it’s tray
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU OVERLOAD THE TRAYS: Too much paper in a tray can cause any number of issues, ranging from excessive jamming, to the machine locking the tray out due to a lift error. This can also damage sensitive components, such as drive motors or the tray lift mechanism. Did I mention that damage caused by overloading the tray is NOT covered by your service contract?
CAN I PUT LESS THAN A FULL REAM OF PAPER IN A TRAY?: Absolutely! You can definitely put LESS than a full ream in the tray. You can even put one single sheet if you feel inclined to! (But why would you do that??). Underloading a tray does nothing to harm the equipment. (Although it could clamp your productivity a tiny bit!)
HOW CAN I TELL IF THE TRAY IS OVERFILLED?: Well, there’s two obvious ways to tell: The max fill indicator being totally covered up with paper, and the stack of paper in the tray being as thick as the tray itself. Other indications include, but are not limited to:
* Frequent jamming
* Error codes
* Paper tray no longer functioning
* Unable to open the paper tray – This last one can result if the paper stack is somehow higher than the top of the tray. (Although this would require someone going full hulk mode closing the tray!)
* Unusual sounds when using the tray
Just remember: Do NOT go past the line in your tray, and you will be OK. Remember these limits, and do not exceed them, not even by a single sheet:
* Standard paper trays: 500 sheets/1 Ream each
* High capacity feeder deck: 1,500 sheets/3 Reams each
* High capacity side feeder: 3,000 Sheets/6 Reams
Happy Copying!