3800 not printing straight

[rogan]

Anyone seen this? While printing 11x17 borderless, I get a sliver of white at the bottom of about 40% of the prints. Doesn't matter how far over I put the paper. Any idea how to fix this?

[Lisa Nikodym]

Yeah, I had a similar problem for awhile.  I rummaged around, and either on the Epson web site or somewhere in the manual (I think on the web site) I found the suggestion to use the little fold-out paper guide on the paper feeder, and that solved the problem for me.  I'm not sure how to best describe it, but somewhere on the right hand side of the plastic slide-out thing that holds the paper there's a small hinged plastic thing that flips out and helps hold the paper straight.  I don't have the printer in front of me right now, but that's my best memory of where it was and what it looked like.  Look for it and try it.

Lisa

[jasonrandolph]

Yeah, I had a similar problem for awhile.  I rummaged around, and either on the Epson web site or somewhere in the manual (I think on the web site) I found the suggestion to use the little fold-out paper guide on the paper feeder, and that solved the problem for me.  I'm not sure how to best describe it, but somewhere on the right hand side of the plastic slide-out thing that holds the paper there's a small hinged plastic thing that flips out and helps hold the paper straight.  I don't have the printer in front of me right now, but that's my best memory of where it was and what it looked like.  Look for it and try it.

Lisa

Those are some highly technical terms!  I need to digest that one slowly...  

[Eric Myrvaagnes]

I looked up Lisa's technical terms in an appropriate glossary and then searched the web for a solution (I'm interested because I have a practically new 3800, but I haven't encountered this problem yet.)

What I get from my web searches is the following:

On both the stack loader and the rear single sheet loader there is a sliding gizmo (a.k.a. "thingy") that one should slide against the left side of the paper, after making sure the paper is snug against the right edge of the sheet feeder (left, right, looking from the front of the printer.)

If this gizmo is too tight against the paper, there will be a misfeed. But if it is too loose, the printer "thinks" the paper is too big, and starts cropping. So it seems important to be sure that gizmo is snug against the paper but not too tight.

Good luck!

[howardm]

I'm hopelessly confused.  the vocabulary here is just overwhelming me  

[AFairley]

So is it a "thingy" or a "gizmo"?  There is a difference, you know.  

[howardm]

I think it's a thingy or widget but definitely not a gizmo.

[Eric Myrvaagnes]

I think it's a thingy or widget but definitely not a gizmo.

I can see another of those infamous flame wars starting here. Can we all agree peaceably to call it (loosely speaking, of course) a "whatchamacallit?"

[Lisa Nikodym]

I thought the correct term was "whoziwhatzit"?  Unless it's actually a "thingamabob".

And actually, Eric, I wasn't talking about the sliding thingamabob (OK, "gizmo") on the left side of the paper, though that needs to be in about the correct place too.  There's another whoziwhatzit on the *right* side, a much smaller thing at a higher elevation than the left-side gizmo, that flips out to help guide the right side of the paper.  I didn't even notice it was there until I went looking for it after seeing the reference to it on the Epson web site.   My angled-paper problem only happened with large sheets, not letter size; the large sheets sometimes need that extra bit of guidance higher up the side to keep them within the proper straightness tolerance.  Also, it started happening about a year or so after I got the printer, so something must have worn down or gotten misaligned along the way in such a way that large sheets don't go through the printer as straight as they used to without that extra bit of help from the gizmo.

Lisa

[alain]

I thought the correct term was "whoziwhatzit"?  Unless it's actually a "thingamabob".

And actually, Eric, I wasn't talking about the sliding thingamabob (OK, "gizmo") on the left side of the paper, though that needs to be in about the correct place too.  There's another whoziwhatzit on the *right* side, a much smaller thing at a higher elevation than the left-side gizmo, that flips out to help guide the right side of the paper.  I didn't even notice it was there until I went looking for it after seeing the reference to it on the Epson web site.   My angled-paper problem only happened with large sheets, not letter size; the large sheets sometimes need that extra bit of guidance higher up the side to keep them within the proper straightness tolerance.  Also, it started happening about a year or so after I got the printer, so something must have worn down or gotten misaligned along the way in such a way that large sheets don't go through the printer as straight as they used to without that extra bit of help from the gizmo.

Lisa

Indeed on the right side (from the front) on the second part of the sheet feeder.  It's small 2cm *1cm (about 1 inch) and you turn it from the side.

[howardm]

I never even noticed that little doodad before.

[Eric Myrvaagnes]

I thought the correct term was "whoziwhatzit"?  Unless it's actually a "thingamabob".

And actually, Eric, I wasn't talking about the sliding thingamabob (OK, "gizmo") on the left side of the paper, though that needs to be in about the correct place too.  There's another whoziwhatzit on the *right* side, a much smaller thing at a higher elevation than the left-side gizmo, that flips out to help guide the right side of the paper.  I didn't even notice it was there until I went looking for it after seeing the reference to it on the Epson web site.   My angled-paper problem only happened with large sheets, not letter size; the large sheets sometimes need that extra bit of guidance higher up the side to keep them within the proper straightness tolerance.  Also, it started happening about a year or so after I got the printer, so something must have worn down or gotten misaligned along the way in such a way that large sheets don't go through the printer as straight as they used to without that extra bit of help from the gizmo.

Lisa

Golly, Lisa! You're right! (Alain, too.)


And I would agree that it looks more like a "whoziwhatzit" than a "thingamabob", and it is just above the top of letter-size paper when all the ___________s (paper supports?) are fully extended.

Having printed a total of two big (17x22") prints so far on my new 3800, I guess I was lucky. 

Thank you, Lisa, for pointing out that whoziwhatzit (and enriching our technical lexicon). I must now check to see if Eric Chan's 3800 notes and FAQs mention it.

If not, he should add it.

-Eric

[rogan]

Yeah, I had a similar problem for awhile.  I rummaged around, and either on the Epson web site or somewhere in the manual (I think on the web site) I found the suggestion to use the little fold-out paper guide on the paper feeder, and that solved the problem for me.  I'm not sure how to best describe it, but somewhere on the right hand side of the plastic slide-out thing that holds the paper there's a small hinged plastic thing that flips out and helps hold the paper straight.  I don't have the printer in front of me right now, but that's my best memory of where it was and what it looked like.  Look for it and try it.

Lisa

Thanks boys and girls, the Do-Hickey fixed it! You saved me a lot of work. I really appreciate it

[Eric Myrvaagnes]

Thanks boys and girls, the Do-Hickey fixed it! You saved me a lot of work. I really appreciate it

So the Whoziwhatsit is really a Do-Hickey.

Whoda thunk that a little bit of plastic could make so much difference. I'm glad it finally worked out.

[Lisa Nikodym]

OK, an update...

When my 12"x18" prints on 13"x19" paper (Ilford Gold Fibre Silk) starting coming out slightly skewed some months back, I found the (official term) "paper guide" (gizmo/doohickey/whoziwhatsit discussed above) fixed the problem.  The last couple of weeks, however, the problem is back, even when I'm using the paper guide.  I sent an email request for suggestions to Epson USA a few days ago, but haven't heard anything back.  Has anyone else who *is* using the paper guide seen this problem, and hopefully found a fix for it?  (It's *hard* to slice off the white borders straight when the print is tilted relative to the paper edges...)

Lisa

[Agawa_Bob]

If anyone knows a photographer, could they please have them post a photo of the Do-Hickey.

Thanks,

Bob

[Lisa Nikodym]

I don't have my camera with me now, but I can give you directions to where on the Epson web site you can find a picture of the doo-hickey:

http://files.support.epson.com/htmldocs/pr..._ug/trble_1.htm

Then use the link at the top that says: "Paper skew occurs when printing on A3 or larger plain paper"

Lisa

[edwinb]

a piece of bluetac could suffice if you dont have a do-hickey
edwin

[Eric Myrvaagnes]

I don't have my camera with me now, but I can give you directions to where on the Epson web site you can find a picture of the doo-hickey:

http://files.support.epson.com/htmldocs/pr..._ug/trble_1.htm

Then use the link at the top that says: "Paper skew occurs when printing on A3 or larger plain paper"

Lisa

The picture looks right. But they misspell "Do-Hickey" and call it an "edge guide".

Flip it out for big prints. If that doesn't suffice, perhaps the paper guide on the other side (left as you face the printer) isn't snug enough against the paper. My 3800 sometimes seems fussy about having the right edge really snug against the side of the paper support.