Flattening rolled paper before printing.

[Spinosaurus]

I print on an Epson 3880 so paper rolls are not supported.  I have had some problems printing on cut pieces of rolled paper because of the curl.  Most suggestions are reverse rolling to eliminate curl.  Does anyone have a well worked out method for flattening rolled paper before printing?

[Alan Goldhammer]

I cut 17x25 sheets from a roll of Museo Silver Rag.  I use a 4 inch by 19 inch cardboard mailing tube to reverse roll the paper on prior to printing.  I use a piece of archival paper to protect the printing surface.  This works quite well and it doesn't take too long for the paper to flatten.  I cut several sheets at a time, flatten them, and store them in an archival box when I need to print.

[Ferp]

There has been a recent thread on this topic, although it seems to have run out of steam:
http://forum.luminous-landscape.com/index.php?topic=102054.0

The question that I asked in that thread is still not fully resolved - how does the P800 manage to avoid any problems with roll paper, given that it's effectively otherwise the same printer?  I think the answer is the one I suggested - it uses a lead strip to ensure that the paper is pinned between all the rollers before the printing starts, and the remainder of the roll acts as a trailing strip to keep the paper pinned down for the final stages of the print.  So I believe that you can avoid the straightening routine if you are prepared to waste an extra 2" or paper at either end.  I've always found straightening to be a bit tedious and you have to be careful not to damage the paper in the process.  Clearly others find it easier than I do.

[JimAscher]

I think I reported my technique in this forum a few years ago.  I cut my sheets from the roll then press them briefly on the reverse side on my wife's ironing board with her (steam) iron, set to a pretty hot setting (Linen).  This has seemed to work fine for me over the years.  I have not noticed the quality of my prints in any way being negatively affected by this technique.  (Other contributors to this forum however may gasp!)

[Spinosaurus]

Thanks everyone for your input.  I recognized what had to be done but was relying on cleverer people than I.  BTW here is a video I obtained on another forum that shows how to make a cheap and simple "de-roller" out of PVC pipe and a vinyl shade.  http://www.samlinvillephotography.com/Website/Test-Gallery/n-B7cRj/i-Nw7THP8/A
I will see what works best.