8400 What prompts the printer to feed paper from Tray 1

[nicksims]

We use different kinds of extremely light weight papers in many different sizes. Often I'll need to feed them one at a time. This printer really does handle a wide range of papers nicely.

But when the Tray 1 door is open and I place a piece of paper on it, what exactly tells the printer to start the feed? Is it the weight of the paper? Is there a sensor right beneath the grey, rubbery feed wheel that says "Feed me?"

I ask because I haven't determined the trigger and can't figure out why sometimes it will take the single sheet almost immediately, yet other times, with the same paper (and size), I get the red light prompting me for the custom page. This doesn't normally happen with thicker or heavier stock.

No emergency on this. Just wondering.

Thanks. Nick

 

[marty5261]

There are a number of different factors around feeding from tray 1 or the MPT. When you put paper in it the printer senses it and promts you to confirm or change the type and size. As an example if you place 8.5 x 11 card stock you need to verify the settings are set for that type media. Then when you send a print job you select the media type such as card stock and the printer knows it has card stock in tray 1 and feeds it through. If you do not make the selection of card stock and leave it at default,typically lettter size plain paper then the printer will print from the tray which has the plain paper which may be tray 2 in this case. This process is teh same for meida sizes also. Hope this helps.

 

[nicksims]

Marty,
Thanks for the help. But let me clarify a little. I do normally specify type of paper as best as possible, ie. card stock, special, labels... Measurements are almost always custom and I am always entering the measurements. Using Illustrator a great deal and printing custom stationery, we are constantly using different sizes.

What I am trying to figure out, when all the specifications are, well, specified, and the print job is more than one page, what physically prompts the printer to feed the next page?

For example, I've got a non-standard sized piece of paper that is extremely light weight and flimsy. 5 prints of the same file. I'll feed one at a time to avoid any multiple pages feeding through and jamming. (Here in Denver, low humidity and static are an issue.)

I feed the first through, prints beautifully. It waits for my second page. I put the page in the Tray 1. Does it start the feeding phase because it sensed the weight of the page? Is there a sensor that "sees" the page? Does it feel the page by pressuer up against the small "wall" beneath the rubber wheel?

I ask because sometimes it senses and feeds the page immediately. Sometimes it takes a few tries at putting the page on the tray. I can't figure out the trigger.


Thank you for the help.
Nick

 

[marty5261]

There is an optical sensor that senses teh media when you place it in teh tray. This promts the front panel to ask you to verify the media type and size. There is a that if you do not respond it will default to what was set prior. This maybe why there is a delay to feeding it when placed in tray.

 

[nicksims]

Good to know. I wasn't sure if pressure or weight were involved.

Thanks for the help.
Nick