Printer, paper pick up

[ss]

Samsung laser ML2240 printer.

When my stack of A4 gets down to around the last 3 sheets the printer picks up all 3 and jams.

So have tried when down to say a dozen sheets refilling and adding the dozen sheets to the top of the pile, it then jams with a couple of sheets where the dozen has been added. I have tried `flicking` the sheets several times on all edges before inserting them but still it jams. (Paper is from the same ream)

Its not a major issue for me just annoying. Anyone got experience of laser printers that can offer a solution, or is it normal for printers to do this. The printer is a few years old but works well otherwise.

[Pamela]

Assuming the paper's been loaded properly and the guides are correctly adjusted then there's often a rubberised grip which pulls one page at a time off the top of the pile.

If that's become slippery, it might be worth cleaning it. You probably need to remove the paper tray to get to it.

[Harry Bloomfield, Esq.]

Pamela formulated on Thursday :

The pickup rollers are usually replaceable. On the HP printers they are particularly easy to replace, no tools necessary for most of the rollers. A complete set of replacements can be had on Ebay for not much money.

Isopropyl alcohol can be used to clean up dirty rollers, providing they have not dried out and become hard.

[ss]

Thanks, I will have a look at the rollers if I can accesss ok.

[Martin Brown]

That is typically an indication that you have the printer set for thicker paper than you are actually using. My Dell will accept anything from 60gsm to 250gsm (thin card) without complaining too much.

Leave it set for card and it will take ordinary paper two or three sheets at a time. Simple solution if it only does it on the last three sheets is replace the bulk paper stock sooner. There is a guage on the front of my ML2250. Every now and then the paper feed misbehaves if it encounters a sheet with a damaged edge/corner.

Not really normal unless you have paper thickness mismatched.

[ss]

Thats what confuses me as the paper is from the same 500 page pack and it still happens and I do check for damaged corners/edges. Hopefully if I clean the roller it may solve it.

[alan_m]

When HP had a batch of dodgy pickup rollers they sent out a repair kit. It was effectively a green pan scourer attached to a sprung flat plate which pressed the green scourer against the surface of the roller whilst a supplied program was run on the computer which just turned the roller.

[Steve Walker]

I don't know the design of that printer, but in the past I had a Canon (HP mechanism) that started doing something similar. The paper "tray" was almost vertical at the back of the printer and it relied upon a pad at the bottom to provide friction against the bottom edge of the paper to prevent multi-feeding. After a time the pad became less grippy and the problems started. Canon and HP did a repair kit consisting of an additional pad and an origami cardboard tool to position it perfectly in the paper slot.

SteveW

[John Rumm]

It may be simply the moisture content of the paper changes after its been in the printer for a bit.

Yup that would be a good first start.

(note if you need OEM spares, then samsung printers are now part of HP)

[ss]

I just realised I can actually see the `pick-up` roller in action if I illuminate it with a torch so will watch the action when the stack is down to a few sheets, I am normally ok fixing mechanical things, not so electronic.

[Dave W]

I have nn HP printer which sometimes does that. The most thorough thing you can do is to dismantle the take-up mechanism, and make sure the frictional properties of the take-up cam, and the felt pads under the paper and to the side are all good.

The pads under the paper are meant to prevent the bottom sheet from being dragged in too easily.

An unrelated problem I had recently was the paper curling ridiculously out of the heater. The packet said Xerox, bought from Wilkinsons, but I'm suspicious because nowhere did it state gsm.

[ss]

Didnt know about the pads I will have a look at that when next refill.

[Scott]

I'm having the same issue with an HP LaserJet 1120w.

It is clearly not a cost-effective repair (just quoted £70 + VAT) but it is irksome I have an unopened toner cartridge likely to go to waste.

[Dave W]

This is a D-I-Y group. It is clearly a cost-effective repair if you do it yourself.

[Scott]

You have expressed it far more clearly than me :-)

[ss]

In that case you have nothing to lose by ettempting a DIY repair. Start easy by just cleaning rollers etc. Thats what I will be doing. My issue maybe not as great as it is only a couple of sheets per refill.

[Scott]

Can you clean them with meths/alcohol (not sanitiser obviously!) or does it have to be a damp cloth?

[ss]

I would start with a damp cloth. And then:

[ss]

Looking at the image on ebay the roller should have a textured finish, mine is not as textured as that so probably part worn.