[rescue] Phaser ink

[Curious George]

--- On Tue, 8/19/08, Mr Ian Primus <ian_primus at yahoo.com> wrote:

> > Is there any (visible) ink transfer as a result?
> 
> No. Not to the car, and not between pages. The ink will
> cause the prints to stick, but it won't transfer, and
> they peel right apart. Only in rare cases do you get ink
> transfer, and it only really happens when you fold a sheet
> with a solid image on it, and then leave it in a hot

But what about, for example, a 3x4" photo on one page...
would it transfer to the "back" of the page above in the
same circumstances?

I imagine that even my single-sided stack of paper will
cause at least some sticking just from the *weight* of the
paper pressing down on those beneath?  (e.g., think of
500+ pages in a stack)

> environment. Then the print can smear and come off, sticking
> to the other side of the fold.
> 
> > > And it's fun to watch them duplex!
> > 
> > Do they need a separate duplexer for this?  I know my LJ4M+
> > did -- and *it* is amusing to watch.
> 
> No. The printer has all the hardware it needs to duplex.
> The controller board needs the proper ID chip to tell it
> that it's a "D" model.

Ah, OK.  So it's just a "switch" in the software that
needs to be turned on (by the presence of a "magic bean"  :< )

> On the 850, you can simply add a bunch of ram (PC100). If
> you install 128mb or more, I think, and it will believe it's
> the DX, which can duplex.

Excellent! Worth remembering!  So, if I stumble across an
850, I should swap out the 840 (and/or 860??) in favor of it?

> When the printer duplexes, it feeds the paper
> out allmost all the way, stops, reverses, and feeds it back
> in, and prints to the other side.

Yes.  The LJ4M+ does similarly.  The duplexer sits under the
printer and replaces the back paper path as well.  As the
printed (first side) page is normally fed up to the output
tray, it is, instead, sent out a slot almost vertically.
When it seems like the paper is going to fall out on the
floor, it gets sucked back down in for the "verso" printing.

> If you find a junked 850, save it, the logic board can be
> swapped into your printer, and it will run a bit faster,
> render faster, and it won't waste as much ink at
> startup. Also, it's easy to upgrade an 850 to duplex.

Presumably, if I find a *working* 850, it would be
preferable to keep in lieu of the 840?

> The only difference between the duplexing 840 and the
> non-duplexing 840 is a single chip, an 8 legged PROM (serial
> EEPROM, I think).

I'll poke around inside and see if I find a spot for it... 

> > Wouldn't you end up with *more* "sticky" problems on the
> > phaser if you printed double sided?  I only use mine for
> > "finished presentations" and, so, have always
> > found single sided
> > to be almost preferable (move to next sheet instead of flip
> > to backside of sheet, etc.).  But, it would be nice to print
> > an archive copy of these things double-sided just to cut
> > down on the size of the stack of paper!
> 
> Sorta - that's where I've seen the 'sticky'
> problem, is on manuals printed (double sided) and three-ring
> bound. There isn't any ink transfer, it's just a bit
> of a clicking as you turn the pages, and they unstick. Also,

OK.

> it has to be seriously heated to do this. I only brought it

<grin>  I live in the desert southwest... :>

> up because it was a difference between inks, not because it
> was really an actual problem with the format.
> 
> Since the black ink is free on the older Phasers, I print a
> lot of large manuals on them. Double sided, of course. 

I use the LJ4M+ for that -- it seems more economical (getting
a spare toner cartridge is relatively easy) and *feels* faster...
But, that's only B&W stuff.