HP IIIP Paper pickup problem

Okay, this is all good stuff so far, but I'm cautious that I need to be
methodical here or I'll end up creating further problems.

A4 documents on A4 paper, printer and driver and software set to A4. As
below (original post) lower tray is A4.
Problem noticed when printing multiple copies of a page in a document
(different documents similar problem).
Problem seems to be, additionsal blank pages ejected from the printer
following good prints.

Today I selected page 1 of a 2-page document number 1 and requested 3
copies.
I got in order, copy1, blank page, copy2, blank page, copy3 (end).

So I printed a "self test" to see what the printer was set to (I expected an
infomation sheet plus a cleaning page (that's what it does)).
I got, information sheet, blank page, cleaning page (end). Not what I
expected - but can't remember really.

To eliminate the documents (external source/possible conversions), I picked
a totally different 1-paged document and requested 3 copies.
I got, copy1, blank page, copy2, blank page, copy 3 (end).

To attempt to test a little independance I used another xp machine on the
network (nb. this driver is possibly from mine), I picked another different
1-paged document and requested 3 copies.
I got, copy1, blank page, copy2, as many blank pages as I left running -
pulled the lower tray and counted 25 blank pages). No jams - even at the
tray pull, must have timed it spot on. [As said earlier, good printer
fortunately slow!]

The info sheet was expected, copies=1, job size=A4, Man feed=off. From much
earlier in it's life AutoCont=off (fitted 2Mb to cure big rasters),
PagePro=off.

This is why I need to be better organised here. From Admin account, I've
now been in to the printer driver - couldn't get the ver/date and have
clicked WindowsUpdate. I've checked the jobs sizes etc and also been in the
print server. Nothing out of the ordinary to see. Collate copies was on,
now off.

I did wonder if the HP IIIP had corrupted its own config through infrequent
use (powering on) but seems okay. Same for the JetDirect print server for
power glitches.

Just tried a new document; 1-page requested 3 copies. Printed perfectly -
using the manual tray.
Tried same document with an added second page to it, 1-page requested, 3
copies (collate switched on too - does nothing on 1pg). Printed perfectly -
using manual tray.
Felt brave, printed 3 copies of previous 1-page document as above, got
copy1-blank-copy2-blank-blank -I've pulled the tray!!
Tried my new document (with the second page added) requested 1 page, 3
copies, got copy1-blank-blank-blank - tray pulled.

Before I doing anything with the JetDirect server I need to grab all the
details - if I did the big reset blind it'd never work again!).
I assume now my printer driver is up to date/reset - else kill that and
repeat.
Off to soak the cork pad in water - if nothing else to eliminate it (was
rather shiney, part seemingly not available here in GB land).

I think my only outstanding questions are;
1/ why is the LC tray is prone to this
2/ if a paper was larger than size (say A4x2 length) would the IIIP eject
the page or stop with jam - if the former, perhaps some dirt over a paper
end led sensor??

V.sorry for such long post, but all these ideas are valid.

NB. Had this printer from new, this is a recent problem.
PS. Good to hear from you also Arthur, my Epson760 is still going!!

"Will" wrote:
Okay, this is all good stuff so far, but I'm cautious that I need to be
methodical here or I'll end up creating further problems.

A4 documents on A4 paper, printer and driver and software set to A4. As
below (original post) lower tray is A4.
Problem noticed when printing multiple copies of a page in a document
(different documents similar problem).
Problem seems to be, additionsal blank pages ejected from the printer
following good prints.

Today I selected page 1 of a 2-page document number 1 and requested 3
copies.
I got in order, copy1, blank page, copy2, blank page, copy3 (end).

So I printed a "self test" to see what the printer was set to (I expected an
infomation sheet plus a cleaning page (that's what it does)).
I got, information sheet, blank page, cleaning page (end). Not what I
expected - but can't remember really.

To eliminate the documents (external source/possible conversions), I picked
a totally different 1-paged document and requested 3 copies.
I got, copy1, blank page, copy2, blank page, copy 3 (end).

To attempt to test a little independance I used another xp machine on the
network (nb. this driver is possibly from mine), I picked another different
1-paged document and requested 3 copies.
I got, copy1, blank page, copy2, as many blank pages as I left running -
pulled the lower tray and counted 25 blank pages). No jams - even at the
tray pull, must have timed it spot on. [As said earlier, good printer
fortunately slow!]

The info sheet was expected, copies=1, job size=A4, Man feed=off. From much
earlier in it's life AutoCont=off (fitted 2Mb to cure big rasters),
PagePro=off.

This is why I need to be better organised here. From Admin account, I've
now been in to the printer driver - couldn't get the ver/date and have
clicked WindowsUpdate. I've checked the jobs sizes etc and also been in the
print server. Nothing out of the ordinary to see. Collate copies was on,
now off.

I did wonder if the HP IIIP had corrupted its own config through infrequent
use (powering on) but seems okay. Same for the JetDirect print server for
power glitches.

Just tried a new document; 1-page requested 3 copies. Printed perfectly -
using the manual tray.
Tried same document with an added second page to it, 1-page requested, 3
copies (collate switched on too - does nothing on 1pg). Printed perfectly -
using manual tray.
Felt brave, printed 3 copies of previous 1-page document as above, got
copy1-blank-copy2-blank-blank -I've pulled the tray!!
Tried my new document (with the second page added) requested 1 page, 3
copies, got copy1-blank-blank-blank - tray pulled.

Before I doing anything with the JetDirect server I need to grab all the
details - if I did the big reset blind it'd never work again!).
I assume now my printer driver is up to date/reset - else kill that and
repeat.
Off to soak the cork pad in water - if nothing else to eliminate it (was
rather shiney, part seemingly not available here in GB land).

I think my only outstanding questions are;
1/ why is the LC tray is prone to this
2/ if a paper was larger than size (say A4x2 length) would the IIIP eject
the page or stop with jam - if the former, perhaps some dirt over a paper
end led sensor??

V.sorry for such long post, but all these ideas are valid.

NB. Had this printer from new, this is a recent problem.
PS. Good to hear from you also Arthur, my Epson760 is still going!!

Thank you for putting this all together. It gives me more information that just
might help.
If you are able to remove the paper feed clutch. I am not 100% sure but you may
find that there is a piece of material between the clutch armature and the
magnet. Sometimes these perish and become sticky causing the clutch to release
late.
On some models this causes a similar problem to the one you are experiencing.
The material is for soundproofing and you can remove it and clean up the
armature and magnet surfaces with alocohol or similar. If that fixes the issue
the result will be a noisy clicj when paper is being fed but no other problem.
I do not believe this is a driver problem nor is it the separation pad but if
the pad is shiny you can rough it up with a very fine sandpaper if you can't
locate a replacement.
Good luck
Tony

I'm going to bow out of this, as Tony is much more knowledgeable when it
comes to laser printers than I.

The only thing I will add is a possible guess. I believe A4 is about
1/2" longer than North American letter size paper. If you are using A4
paper and everything is set to A4, then my theory makes no sense, but if
you are using letter sized paper and sending an A4 format to it, the
printer may be trying to fix the A4 image onto two pages, but since the
extra length probably would be blank, it may issue a completely blank
page.. although under those circumstances, one would expect to see a
blank page after the last copy as well...

OK, so much for that idea...

Like I said, I'll leave this to Tony. ;-)

Art


If you are interested in issues surrounding e-waste,
I invite you to enter the discussion at my blog:

http://e-trashtalk.spaces.live.com/

Tony wrote:
"Will" wrote:
Okay, this is all good stuff so far, but I'm cautious that I need to be
methodical here or I'll end up creating further problems.

A4 documents on A4 paper, printer and driver and software set to A4. As
below (original post) lower tray is A4.
Problem noticed when printing multiple copies of a page in a document
(different documents similar problem).
Problem seems to be, additionsal blank pages ejected from the printer
following good prints.

Today I selected page 1 of a 2-page document number 1 and requested 3
copies.
I got in order, copy1, blank page, copy2, blank page, copy3 (end).

So I printed a "self test" to see what the printer was set to (I expected an
infomation sheet plus a cleaning page (that's what it does)).
I got, information sheet, blank page, cleaning page (end). Not what I
expected - but can't remember really.

To eliminate the documents (external source/possible conversions), I picked
a totally different 1-paged document and requested 3 copies.
I got, copy1, blank page, copy2, blank page, copy 3 (end).

To attempt to test a little independance I used another xp machine on the
network (nb. this driver is possibly from mine), I picked another different
1-paged document and requested 3 copies.
I got, copy1, blank page, copy2, as many blank pages as I left running -
pulled the lower tray and counted 25 blank pages). No jams - even at the
tray pull, must have timed it spot on. [As said earlier, good printer
fortunately slow!]

The info sheet was expected, copies=1, job size=A4, Man feed=off. From much
earlier in it's life AutoCont=off (fitted 2Mb to cure big rasters),
PagePro=off.

This is why I need to be better organised here. From Admin account, I've
now been in to the printer driver - couldn't get the ver/date and have
clicked WindowsUpdate. I've checked the jobs sizes etc and also been in the
print server. Nothing out of the ordinary to see. Collate copies was on,
now off.

I did wonder if the HP IIIP had corrupted its own config through infrequent
use (powering on) but seems okay. Same for the JetDirect print server for
power glitches.

Just tried a new document; 1-page requested 3 copies. Printed perfectly -
using the manual tray.
Tried same document with an added second page to it, 1-page requested, 3
copies (collate switched on too - does nothing on 1pg). Printed perfectly -
using manual tray.
Felt brave, printed 3 copies of previous 1-page document as above, got
copy1-blank-copy2-blank-blank -I've pulled the tray!!
Tried my new document (with the second page added) requested 1 page, 3
copies, got copy1-blank-blank-blank - tray pulled.

Before I doing anything with the JetDirect server I need to grab all the
details - if I did the big reset blind it'd never work again!).
I assume now my printer driver is up to date/reset - else kill that and
repeat.
Off to soak the cork pad in water - if nothing else to eliminate it (was
rather shiney, part seemingly not available here in GB land).

I think my only outstanding questions are;
1/ why is the LC tray is prone to this
2/ if a paper was larger than size (say A4x2 length) would the IIIP eject
the page or stop with jam - if the former, perhaps some dirt over a paper
end led sensor??

V.sorry for such long post, but all these ideas are valid.

NB. Had this printer from new, this is a recent problem.
PS. Good to hear from you also Arthur, my Epson760 is still going!!

Thank you for putting this all together. It gives me more information that just
might help.
If you are able to remove the paper feed clutch. I am not 100% sure but you may
find that there is a piece of material between the clutch armature and the
magnet. Sometimes these perish and become sticky causing the clutch to release
late.
On some models this causes a similar problem to the one you are experiencing.
The material is for soundproofing and you can remove it and clean up the
armature and magnet surfaces with alocohol or similar. If that fixes the issue
the result will be a noisy clicj when paper is being fed but no other problem.
I do not believe this is a driver problem nor is it the separation pad but if
the pad is shiny you can rough it up with a very fine sandpaper if you can't
locate a replacement.
Good luck
Tony

Thank you for putting this all together. It gives me more information that
just
might help.
If you are able to remove the paper feed clutch. I am not 100% sure but
you may
find that there is a piece of material between the clutch armature and the
magnet. Sometimes these perish and become sticky causing the clutch to
release
late.
On some models this causes a similar problem to the one you are
experiencing.
The material is for soundproofing and you can remove it and clean up the
armature and magnet surfaces with alocohol or similar. If that fixes the
issue
the result will be a noisy clicj when paper is being fed but no other
problem.
I do not believe this is a driver problem nor is it the separation pad but
if
the pad is shiny you can rough it up with a very fine sandpaper if you
can't
locate a replacement.
Good luck
Tony

Thanks Tony - and Arthur too. Tony, do you know where I can get a decent
pictorial of the IIIP. I can't seem to make much sense of half the diagrams
I see on the web. Missed that page seperator several times, couldn't think
which of the many parts is the clutch armature. I'd quite like to know the
correct way in, or I might end up with parts I can't reassemble.
Cork seperator currenly in soak.

"Will" wrote:
Thank you for putting this all together. It gives me more information that
just
might help.
If you are able to remove the paper feed clutch. I am not 100% sure but
you may
find that there is a piece of material between the clutch armature and the
magnet. Sometimes these perish and become sticky causing the clutch to
release
late.
On some models this causes a similar problem to the one you are
experiencing.
The material is for soundproofing and you can remove it and clean up the
armature and magnet surfaces with alocohol or similar. If that fixes the
issue
the result will be a noisy clicj when paper is being fed but no other
problem.
I do not believe this is a driver problem nor is it the separation pad but
if
the pad is shiny you can rough it up with a very fine sandpaper if you
can't
locate a replacement.
Good luck
Tony

Thanks Tony - and Arthur too. Tony, do you know where I can get a decent
pictorial of the IIIP. I can't seem to make much sense of half the diagrams
I see on the web. Missed that page seperator several times, couldn't think
which of the many parts is the clutch armature. I'd quite like to know the
correct way in, or I might end up with parts I can't reassemble.
Cork seperator currenly in soak.

Two possible sources
http://www.eserviceinfo.com/equipment_mfg/HP_22.html
You will need to download all the parts of the manual you need and un RAR them
in the same folder
OR
http://partsurfer.hp.com/cgi-bin/spi/main
Select your country and go through the menus until you find IIIP
Good luck


Tony

Arthur Entlich wrote:
Fanning paper which has been packaged or stacked for long periods is
good advice.

The paper is pressed tightly together during packaging and storage, as
it usually stacked may cases high and thsi causes all teh air betwene
the pages to be removed. It also can pick up static which causes the
paper to "stick" together. Fanning, actually traps air between the
pages which can act as a lubricant as the paper is moved. As Richard
suggests paper has a natural tooth which can allow it to "catch" one
another.

Also, I understand that inkjet paper is lightly coated so that the
liquid ink won't sink into the fibers and spread (blur), so the print is
sharper.

In addition, this note:
I'm printing on both sides with my HP injkets using the duplexer
attachment. I find that I often don't need top-quality printing, but
don't want to see the printing on the opposite side through the paper.

Inkjet paper usually can't be found in less than 25# weight. I prefer
thinner paper. Like being able to print on both sides, lighter paper
simply takes less room in a binder. "Multi-purpose" paper has been
filling this need for me in 22#. I might like to try 20# for this, but I
know that copier/laser paper won't be suitable and 22# seems to be "it"
for multipurpose. 20# is pretty routine for copier paper, and it's fine.
I keep forgetting what "multipurpose" paper actually is; I recall that
it's not quite what you'd expect.