Feeding fine art paper

[roa5100xx]

Hi,
I am having a hard time feeding Fine Art Paper in my Epson P800 using the manual front feed. It will feed, but not easily. Not easily at all. I really have to work at it. When I insert the paper it seems to be hitting a stop or some part of the printer. Anyone having this problem, other then me? Paper size is 13"x19".

Thanks
Herbert

[Mark D Segal]

Feed the paper from the back roll feeder with the FFA tray open as if you were feeding it through the front. Push-pull the paper through from behind and line it up with the front ridge of the FFA feed trsy. You should be fine.

[BobShaw]

I expect that it is the same as the 3880. The paper droops and hits at the back.
It was very difficult unless using very stiff board. One way is to put in a piece of cardboard and jiggle it over back and then feed the paper in over the top of the board. Then pull the board out.

I found that the best way is to do as Mark said and use the rear and I always use that unless the paper is too stiff for the back. Not sure how that goes if you already have a paper roll in a P800. Actually that is my only concern about getting a P800 as I use the rear consistently.

[roa5100xx]

Thanks for your reply. I will try feeding the paper from the back.

Thanks
Herbert

[rdonson]

Herbert,

For me it was a learning experience to use the front feed for fine art paper on my SC P800.  A bit of trial and error but in one of the LuLa videos Kevin, Jeff and Dan showed a technique of kind of moving the paper around until you hit a sweet spot where it would feed properly.  I know that sounds ridiculous but I eventually got the hang of it and have no problems since I stopped expecting a straight on feed from the front.

[Mark D Segal]

I found that the best way is to do as Mark said and use the rear and I always use that unless the paper is too stiff for the back. Not sure how that goes if you already have a paper roll in a P800. Actually that is my only concern about getting a P800 as I use the rear consistently.

There's no problem as long as you don't feed both the roll and the sheet into the back path at the same time.

[BradSmith]

Here is a link to a prior thread on this same topic:   http://forum.luminous-landscape.com/index.php?action=search2

I've had bad problems with 2 different P800's loading single sheet fine art thickness/weight  paper.  Here is my detailed method of feeding the paper (essentially Mark's method), but even with this, at least on PK ink paper, as I'm manipulating the paper to get it to pass through the printer, I manage to put crimps into about half the sheets I feed, thereby ruining them.  I had no such problems in 7 years of using a 3800.  I believe this to be a serious design flaw.

How to Load Fine Art Paper on P800


1.   Open the front fine art paper tray and the rear paper feed chute.

2.   Feed paper into the rear paper feed chute.  It may feed in to the printhead area easily.  Or.........It will go in about 1 or 2 inches then bump into a ridge.  Skew the print a little toward one side or the other so a corner is bumping into the ridge.  Slight pressure should get it to jump up over the ridge.  Then square up the paper and proceed to feed a couple more inches into the print head area.

3.  Open the top to see the print head area.  You should have inserted the sheet enough so about 1” of it is visible.

4.   Try to shove it all the way through, but it often will feed out the front UNDER the fine art tray.   It needs to be raised to come out on top of, rather than under the tray.   

5.   To do this, take a sheet of paper (8.5x11 seems to work) similar to a stiff luster or glossy paper and insert it a couple inches into the front fine art tray.  Looking in the opened top, you will see it enter the printhead area.  Skew it so a corner goes up to the full sheet you’re feeding from the rear.  You want to slide it under the print paper.  Jiggle it or push it downward with your finger while shoving it in so it goes UNDER the print paper.  This will allow the front edge of the print paper you’re feeding from the rear to come out ON TOP of the fine art paper tray.  You may need to slide the lower sheet from one edge of the print paper to the other to get the print unstuck and riding up on both sides onto the fine art tray.

6.  The print should come out onto the fine art tray.  Remove the “guide” sheet.   Line the print paper up at the front of the tray.  Hit LOAD.  After it rolls in to the correct “load” position, close the front fine art tray and extend the front output tray to catch the final print.  Close the top cover.

7.   Go to computer and go through the Lightroom print process.  Be sure you’ve got Front Fine Art chosen in Print Settings in the Driver. 

Many of these printers seem to have this problem.  It shouldn't be this way.

[snowrs]

I just finished printing a bunch of 12x18 prints on 13x19 Hahn Silk Baryta.  I was having trouble at first getting it to feed as described by the OP, but finally tried starting from scratch on each print using the on-printer menu to set it up.  Worked like a charm!!  When you go through the various steps, at one point you can hear something open up inside the printer, and can then push the paper through without a problem.

Did about 20 prints using this method without further problems.

bob snow

[roa5100xx]

I just tried loading a few sheets of paper using the back feeder and it worked just fine. Will use it until it starts not to work. Front feeder will work some of the time, but it's a lot of work. This printer is not working as advertised on loading paper.

Thanks for your help
Herbert

[rschambach]

I can't tell you how many fine art sheets of paper that this Epson P800 has ruined, really fustrated with this printer will be selling it a purchasing a Canon printer. Paper feed is a real peace of junk. I should be asking Epson to reinburse me for all the fine art paper that their printer has ruined.

[Mark D Segal]

I can't tell you how many fine art sheets of paper that this Epson P800 has ruined, really fustrated with this printer will be selling it a purchasing a Canon printer. Paper feed is a real peace of junk. I should be asking Epson to reinburse me for all the fine art paper that their printer has ruined.

Before you waste money selling the printer and buying another one, try feeding your fine art paper through the roll feed in the back, operating it exactly as instructed for the Front Fine Art feed, but instead of trying to feed it through the front, you feed it through the rear where it eventually comes out when printing. This usually works easily and flawlessly.

[rschambach]

I was really disapointed in Epsons Fine Art front feed the paper would hit the back suport and then get stuck and jam, lost quite a few expensive sheets of paper. I just discovered a way that solves this, just insert the a same size sheet in the back suport so that the fine art paper loaded in the front will curve and feed properly without getting stuck in the back support.

[Mark D Segal]

I was really disapointed in Epsons Fine Art front feed the paper would hit the back suport and then get stuck and jam, lost quite a few expensive sheets of paper. I just discovered a way that solves this, just insert the a same size sheet in the back suport so that the fine art paper loaded in the front will curve and feed properly without getting stuck in the back support.

What did you "discover"? This is exactly what I recommended to you above. Anyhow, good that your "problem" is now solved.