Might have screwed up my Epson 3800. Can anyone comment or help?

[laarree]

Recently I sent some images to my Epson 3800 to print with paper loaded in the sheet feeder and left my studio briefly.  When I returned, I noticed to my great dismay that I had left the front door/output tray closed, and could hear paper crunching against the closed door attempting to exit.  I turned off the printer, extracted the crushed paper, examined what I could see in the paper paths.  It seems more or less clean, and luckily the printer still prints.  However, when a sheet loads into the printer to begin printing, I hear a repetitive scraping sound from inside the printer, which is not a sound the printer had ever made before.  The sound stops during most of the printing process, but when the printing finishes, the scraping sound starts again until the paper is free of the rollers and is sitting in the output tray.  There is no apparent scraping on the paper, but sometimes paper skews leftward at the end of the printing process and falls into the output tray crooked.  Other times it exits normally.

I assume I've damaged something inside the 3800, but there is nothing that I can see, unless I risk disassembling it in what I assume would be a warranty-violating and probably fruitless escapade.  I have Epson's Preferred Plus extended warranty, and I have the name, phone # and location of the one and only Epson Pro service center in my area (Total Office Solutions, Inc. in Brooklyn, NY -- I am also in Brooklyn).

I have a couple of questions: is my mishap familiar to anyone here, and if so, there a way to diagnose the problem and fix it without schlepping the 3800 to the service center and doing without it for 7-10 business days?  Also, looking at my warranty, the problem with my printer is technically due to user misuse.  If I just drop it off at the service center asking for a repair, will it most likely be covered by my warranty?

Thanks in advance for any help.  I am very sheepish about what I did, as I am usually fanatically careful with all my equipment.

[JohnBrew]

Recently I sent some images to my Epson 3800 to print with paper loaded in the sheet feeder and left my studio briefly.  When I returned, I noticed to my great dismay that I had left the front door/output tray closed, and could hear paper crunching against the closed door attempting to exit.  I turned off the printer, extracted the crushed paper, examined what I could see in the paper paths.  It seems more or less clean, and luckily the printer still prints.  However, when a sheet loads into the printer to begin printing, I hear a repetitive scraping sound from inside the printer, which is not a sound the printer had ever made before.  The sound stops during most of the printing process, but when the printing finishes, the scraping sound starts again until the paper is free of the rollers and is sitting in the output tray.  There is no apparent scraping on the paper, but sometimes paper skews leftward at the end of the printing process and falls into the output tray crooked.  Other times it exits normally.

I assume I've damaged something inside the 3800, but there is nothing that I can see, unless I risk disassembling it in what I assume would be a warranty-violating and probably fruitless escapade.  I have Epson's Preferred Plus extended warranty, and I have the name, phone # and location of the one and only Epson Pro service center in my area (Total Office Solutions, Inc. in Brooklyn, NY -- I am also in Brooklyn).

I have a couple of questions: is my mishap familiar to anyone here, and if so, there a way to diagnose the problem and fix it without schlepping the 3800 to the service center and doing without it for 7-10 business days?  Also, looking at my warranty, the problem with my printer is technically due to user misuse.  If I just drop it off at the service center asking for a repair, will it most likely be covered by my warranty?

Thanks in advance for any help.  I am very sheepish about what I did, as I am usually fanatically careful with all my equipment.

I doubt if you hurt anything. My 3800 makes all sorts of weird noises (for a printer) and yes, sometimes it skews the paper right at the end of a print job. It has only done it on 8 1/2 x 11 sheets. I turn off the printer and leave it alone for the rest of the day. The next morning everything is A-OK. Go figure.

[Doombrain]

Have you accounted for all the paper? there be a small bit left inside.

[laarree]

I doubt if you hurt anything. My 3800 makes all sorts of weird noises (for a printer) and yes, sometimes it skews the paper right at the end of a print job. It has only done it on 8 1/2 x 11 sheets. I turn off the printer and leave it alone for the rest of the day. The next morning everything is A-OK. Go figure.

It's been more than a few days since this has happened, and it hasn't gone away by itself.  

Have you accounted for all the paper? there be a small bit left inside.

AFAIK I got all of the paper out.  It's hard to tell, because there is a big part of the machinery inside the printer that cannot be looked out without disassembling the printer.  The paper path that can be viewed with the output tray open is clear, as is the paper path that is viewable with the top of the printer open (where the print heads move back and forth).  It's the metallic-sounding scraping that makes me think that something came loose, or has popped out of place inside.

[Doombrain]

Could be something from the paper eject roller just before the exit tray.

[Lisa Nikodym]

My 3800 occasionally starts making one of a variety of weird noises for awhile while printing (a scraping sound, a clicking sound, etc.), but it's been doing them intermittantly for about a year now with no apparent ill effect.  If your prints are fine, I wouldn't worry about it.

Lisa

[madmanchan]

Sounds to me like a head strike. The timing you mention (near the beginning of the print, near the end of the print) corresponds perfectly with common head strike timings on the 3800. Make sure the paper is flat before feeding. Also try setting the Platen Gap option in the driver to Wide, instead of Auto or Standard.

[laarree]

Sounds to me like a head strike. The timing you mention (near the beginning of the print, near the end of the print) corresponds perfectly with common head strike timings on the 3800. Make sure the paper is flat before feeding. Also try setting the Platen Gap option in the driver to Wide, instead of Auto or Standard.

Eric, it just might be only a head strike as you suggest.  I'm testing as I write this.  I had been printing to Hahnemuhle Fine Art Pearl, which does have paper curl along its short edges--I don't remember if this is what I was using when my closed-door mishap occurred, but it sure produces the scraping sound.  I set Platen Gap to Wide, and have been testing with plain inkjet paper and Epson Enhanced Matte paper, and am not experiencing this sound.  I also had periodically experienced ink at the leading edge of paper, which I see you describing on your FAQ and see illustrated at the page you link to: http://www.outbackphoto.com/printinginsigh...y.html#20061219 , so the evidence is mounting for head strike as the explanation.  BTW, thanks very much for your Epson 3800 FAQ!  

I appreciate all the reassurances and suggestions I've gotten so far.  I'd like to avoid needing a printer repair if at all possible, and the results of my tests tonight are promising.