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Author Topic: Roll paper shelf life (on the printer)  (Read 1523 times)

David Eckels

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Roll paper shelf life (on the printer)
« on: October 27, 2014, 01:48:37 pm »

Just printed my first images on roll paper (Epson Premium Luster 260 on Canon ipf8400). Printing about 1 to 3 images per week and wonder how long I can leave a roll on the printer. Fairly constant temp and humidity (Arizona) and lights are off most of the time, no window light to speak of. Am I better off repacking the roll after each limited run? Finally, would this apply to higher quality papers or canvas as well?

Wayne Fox

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Re: Roll paper shelf life (on the printer)
« Reply #1 on: October 27, 2014, 02:57:50 pm »

tough to say, probably OK to leave it, but if there isn’t much humidity over time the roll may become excessively curly and prints hard to manage.  Pain to pack it back up each time, guess you can try it and see.

If you are controlling the humidity of the print room, I think it would be less of an issue (and better for your printer as well).
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jferrari

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Re: Roll paper shelf life (on the printer)
« Reply #2 on: October 27, 2014, 10:16:17 pm »

With the controlled environment you have I personally don't see any difference whether it's stored in the printer or in a plastic bag/cardboard box.
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Wayne Fox

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Re: Roll paper shelf life (on the printer)
« Reply #3 on: October 28, 2014, 03:57:26 pm »

With the controlled environment you have I personally don't see any difference whether it's stored in the printer or in a plastic bag/cardboard box.
I didn’t read that in the OP.  he said constant temp and humidity ... but a constant humidity of 20% can be an issue (which living in AZ could easily be what he has) whereas a constant humidity of 45-50% much better for paper storage, printing, and printer longevity.
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jferrari

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Re: Roll paper shelf life (on the printer)
« Reply #4 on: October 28, 2014, 07:49:04 pm »

I didn’t read that in the OP.  he said constant temp and humidity ... but a constant humidity of 20% can be an issue (which living in AZ could easily be what he has) whereas a constant humidity of 45-50% much better for paper storage, printing, and printer longevity.

Wayne, you missed by point. What is the difference between storing the roll of stock in the printer or bagged and boxed in the corner of the room? There is none. That was the OP's question and that was my point.    - Jim
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Wayne Fox

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Re: Roll paper shelf life (on the printer)
« Reply #5 on: October 28, 2014, 08:19:29 pm »

Wayne, you missed by point. What is the difference between storing the roll of stock in the printer or bagged and boxed in the corner of the room? There is none. That was the OP's question and that was my point.    - Jim
Seems to me the bag makes the environmental humidity irrelevant, as it will stabilize and not continue to draw moisture out of the paper.  I think paper stored a year or more outside of the bag at humidities between 10 and 20% will show more curling and be more challenging to work with.
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David Eckels

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Re: Roll paper shelf life (on the printer)
« Reply #6 on: November 03, 2014, 10:51:07 am »

Thanks for the comments so far. Spoke to a Canon rep at the NYC PhotoPlus Expo, and he thought leaving on the roll was OK and that they see no problems with yellowing and curling. Of course, I didn't tell him I had Epson paper on the printer ;)
BTW, he made an interesting comment on paper, downplaying the absolute need to use their paper although he also said they do extensive testing in order to put their stamp of approval on other mfr's papers.

Jim Kasson

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Re: Roll paper shelf life (on the printer)
« Reply #7 on: November 03, 2014, 11:05:24 am »

Whatever roll I last printed from lives on my 9800 until the next time I print. I mostly print on cut sheets, so I've had rolls on the printer for as long as two years, with no ill effects. I live in northern California, so it's not so dry.

Jim

arlon

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Re: Roll paper shelf life (on the printer)
« Reply #8 on: November 11, 2014, 10:55:26 am »

I've left rolls on my printer for 6mo now. They do curl pretty bad and can be difficult to manage on smaller prints. One of the issues with living in a desert. Our humidity out here in West Texas is pretty low. I have considered making a "deroller" to try and take some of the roll out. To make a difference, with storing they would have to be seriously resealed. I don't think anything can keep the paper from drying out here. You just learn to deal with it like everything else.
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