What Causes LaserJet Printer Pages to Smear?

HP’s LaserJet product line debuted in 1984 with a $3,500 model that printed eight pages per minute using a 3,000-page toner cartridge. When your modern office LaserJet begins to print pages that smear when touched, concentrate your troubleshooting on the printing components and consumables that directly contribute to the faulty sheets in the output tray. Toner Cartridge Toner is a powder that combines pigment and finely ground plastic to form a heat-set bond with paper. Toner formulations differ depending on the machine and manufacturer. Although new cartridges typically contain toner with the appropriate fusing properties for the printer they are intended for, remanufactured cartridges may be refilled with material that requires a higher fusing temperature than your LaserJet. Toner cannot bond properly under these conditions, causing it to smear and wipe off. To resolve the issue, try a different toner cartridge. Fuser The fuser in your LaserJet provides the heat source that permanently bonds toner to paper. If the fuser does not reach the proper temperature to complete the bonding process, the result is similar to what happens when you accidentally insert the wrong toner into your printer. Fuser problems can be caused by component failures, the use of improperly remanufactured parts, or improper setup after a repair. Some failures may result in a warning message on the printer’s front panel as a result of the machine detecting the fuser’s inability to reach the proper temperature, while others simply result in blotchy, smeared toner. These issues necessitate the assistance of a technician. Paper Selection Too-thick or too-smooth paper, as well as sheets with a heavy surface texture, can limit the ability of your LaserJet to fuse toner onto your chosen media. The recommended range of thicknesses that fall within your printer’s paper-handling capacity is specified in your user guide. Excessive paper may be unable to move smoothly through the sometimes-complex twists and turns of the printing path inside the device, limiting the fuser’s function. Heavily textured sheets have a surface that is too complex for the fuser’s heat to reach into the design’s low and high points. The too-smooth surface of glossy sheets, on the other hand, prevents a Smears that appear in addition to otherwise well-formed output may signal toner contamination inside your LaserJet, either from a leaky cartridge or from improperly fused sheets that leave toner residue behind. Smears at the edge of the sheet that enters the printer first point to dirty paper guides. Although you can follow your user guide’s directions for basic cleaning inside the printer, any cleanup that requires disassembly should be left to experts who know how to handle the laser and heat sources these devices contain.assembly should be left to experts who are familiar with the laser and heat sources contained in these devices.

My Computer Printer Won’t Pull in Paper

Desktop printers provide dependable service that becomes ingrained in your daily office routine. If your hardware suddenly refuses to accept paper into its output mechanism, plan on using diagnostic procedures instead of page output until you figure out what’s wrong. These symptoms can indicate a variety of causes, from hardware configuration to paper selection. Examine your device and your media carefully to determine and correct the cause of your printer’s appetite loss. Paper Feed Mechanism Setup Some printers include feed guides, paper supports, and other mechanisms to facilitate proper paper pickup. Sliding guides fit alongside the stack of sheets you insert in printers with adjustable-size or manual-feed trays. If you overtighten or undertighten these guides, the paper will feed incorrectly or not at all. Paper supports on printers with vertical feed paths allow sheets to be loaded from an insert slot on top of the device. To allow the printer to correctly pick up media from the paper slot, you must extend these supports into their working position. Inappropriate Media Because of their dimensions or surface properties, paper that is too thick or media that your printer cannot accommodate may fail to feed correctly. Some inkjet printers use hardware or software modifications to accommodate premium photo paper, which is thicker than the standard sheets accepted by these devices. If you print with the incorrect settings, your paper may not move at all. Regardless of the setting you use, paper that exceeds the device’s handling specifications may be impossible to use. Similarly, if you try to print on a media type that your printer cannot handle, such as transparency film, the results will be disappointing. Dirty Rollers Printers use rollers to pull paper in and feed it through the machine. These rollers’ functionality is jeopardised if they become soiled with ink, dust, or other contaminants from the environment in which the device operates. Some desktop devices have rollers that can be cleaned by hand; in this case, your user guide should detail the proper procedure. Solvents, stiff-bristled brushes, fluids, petroleum-based lubricants, and other oils should be avoided as they may damage the printer. If you buy paper that comes with a cleaning sheet, make sure it’s compatible with your printer before using it, even if it’s manufactured by the same company. Other Considerations To ensure proper operation, a firm, level surface is required when setting up a printer. Feed failures may occur if the device is set crookedly or unevenly, or if it operates on a platform that allows it to vibrate or wobble. Loading one-sided media with the wrong side presented to the feed mechanism may also cause issues. Avoid damaged or damp paper, as well as sheets from a package that has been stored under a heavy weight. These conditions may cause your media’s flexibility and other printing properties to change, rendering it unsuitable for output.

My Printer Will Not Communicate With a Computer

Sending digital documents to a desktop printer appears simple: deceptively so, as you’ll discover if your office output device stops communicating with the computer to which it’s connected. A problem prevents the process from reaching its natural conclusion somewhere between your application software and the tray where you expect to see completed pages emerge. Follow your output from computer to printer to diagnose and remove the bottleneck. ConnectionsData cables may appear to be as strong as power cords, but damage that is not visible can prevent them from functioning properly. You can fill your print queue with documents without the integrity of a reliable data connection. To rule out a bad cable as the source of your communication issues, turn off your printer and computer and replace the cable. When you restart your system, you should be able to print again. DriverAlong with the physical connection between your computer and printer, your hardware is controlled by a software driver to process data and print page information. If you use the incorrect driver for your hardware and operating system, or if your driver becomes corrupted due to a hard-drive crash, the output process is halted because the printer no longer receives data that it can process. Visit the manufacturer’s website and look for version-appropriate drivers to download. ConsumablesWhen printers run out of paper, ink, or toner, they stop processing new output until you replenish their supplies. An inkjet printer may stop communicating if only one of its ink tanks runs dry, providing self-protection against printhead damage caused by attempting to supply ink for heated or micro-piezo ink nozzles from a dry cartridge. Similarly, a laser printer will halt its output cycles if its toner runs out. Check the front panel of your hardware for indicator-light signals that indicate an empty consumable, and replenish supplies to put your device back in service. Media JamPaper misfeeds or jams, like an empty paper input tray, prevent printers from processing documents. With a stray sheet caught in its mechanism, a printer cannot process more pages without exacerbating the situation. Removing jammed sheets requires a deft touch to extricate the misfeed in one piece, because leftover scraps from a torn sheet will cause another jam. To ensure that you’ve extracted the entire sheet, flatten it out on a desktop and look for missing corners.. Output QueueWhen you pause or stop your computer’s output queue, you also stop your printer from processing new jobs. Because the same software you use to hold the print queue also gives you access to print jobs so you can delete them, it’s easy to press the wrong button in the printer management module and stop the entire queue instead of just removing one extraneous project. Examine your print management software for indications that someone — you or another user, if the printer is networked — pressed the pause button.

My Printer Says to Check That Cables Are Connected But Everything Is Connected Correctly

Even if your printer cabling matches the diagrams in your user guide, your printer may still display error messages on your screen warning you to check your connections. Resolving a situation in which a device acts as if it’s disconnected can entail looking for clues in both obvious places, such as your cabling, and in parts of your system that don’t appear to be potential culprits. Cabling The most straightforward printer issue is caused by faulty connections. Simply plugging a data cable into your printer and your computer, hub, switch, or router does not imply that the connection is functional. Even if you performed a digital autopsy with a wire stripper and a magnifying glass, the insulation covering a perfectly normal-looking USB or Ethernet net cable can conceal physical damage or defects. Replace your cable and see if your problems disappear. If they do, throw the faulty cable in with your recycling so it doesn’t end up back in – or, more accurately, out of – service. Printer Driver Many printer problems that appear to be unrelated to software are caused by faulty printer drivers. When the software that handles the processes that make document data understandable to output hardware fails, you may see half-printed files, bogus error messages, and pages with content that appears to have exploded. Modern operating systems include built-in support for a wide range of output devices, detect new printers when they are plugged in, and offer to locate appropriate drivers for them. These conveniences are useless if your software becomes corrupted due to malware or hard drive issues, or if it requires an update to remain compatible with an upgraded operating system. Examine your system for hardware and malware issues, and then go to the printer manufacturer’s website to download new drivers. Hub If you connect a USB printer through a hub, especially one that draws its power from the USB port on your computer rather than an electrical outlet, your system and output device may not see each other properly. While some devices, such as flash memory drives and media card readers, may work flawlessly when connected via a hub, not all printers will function properly without a direct connection to a port on your system. Try directly connecting your printer to your computer. If your issues go away, go through your USB devices to find another candidate to plug into the hub or remove when you need to print. Other Considerations Even if nothing goes wrong between the computer and the printer, the process of moving bits and bytes from one to the other can leave the output device with a bad taste in its mouth. If an application crashed while you were printing from it, or if your electrical power fluctuated enough to cause your lights to dim slightly and your monitor to blink off and on, shut down your printer and computer before restarting them. Power cycling clears memory buffers, flushing away stale data and malfunction byproducts.

How to Set Up a Printer on an iPad

The iPad has a multitude of features which make it applicable for business use, including wireless printing via AirPrint. Printing directly from your iPad is definitely convenient, but the downside is that you must have an AirPrint compatible printer to use the feature. As of 2012 more than 200 printers are compatible with AirPrint, from the brands Brother, Canon, Dell, Epson, Hewlett Packard, Lexmark and Samsung. AirPrint also requires iOS 4.2 or higher and a Wi-Fi connection. 1.Connect your printer to your Wi-Fi network. 2.Connect your iPad to the same Wi-Fi network as your printer. 3.Tap any AirPrint compatible app. Native AirPrint compatible apps include Mail, Safari, Photos, Notes and Maps; many third-part apps and paid Apple apps are also compatible with AirPrint. 4.Tap the envelope icon. 5.Tap “Print.” 6.Tap “Select Printer.” If your printer appears on the list, you have correctly configured it for AirPrint.

List of Printers That Work With the iPhone

With smartphones and tablets becoming more commonplace and affordable, many businesses are opting to switch to products such as iPads and iPhones for their day-to-day computing needs. One concern about utilizing iPhones and tablets in the workplace has been their printing capabilities — or lack thereof. Not to be outdone by competitors, Apple has created a list of printers capable of printing from iPhones and iPads using Apple’s AirPrint technology. AirPrint Requirements Before trying to print to a printer using AirPrint, each of your devices must be upgraded to the most recent version of iOS. You will also need an AirPrint-enabled printer that is connected to your company’s wireless router. Additionally, your iPhone must be connected to the same wireless network as your printer, as opposed to your cellular provider’s mobile Wi-Fi service. Where to Buy AirPrint-enabled Printers Apple’s Online Store and the company’s retail locations offer a variety of AirPrint-enabled printers for sale. Like many retail outlets, Apple does not stock every available printer on the market, so you may be able to find a better deal by looking at other major retailers or by ordering directly from the manufacturer. List of Brother Printers Brother has several printers that are compatible with the iPhone’s AirPrint technology. These printers include models: DCP-J525N, DCP-J525W, DCP-J725DW, DCP-J725N, DCP-J925DW, DCP-J925N, DCP-8110DN, DCP-8150DN, DCP-8155DN, HL-5450DN, HL-5470DW, HL-6180DW, MFC-J280W, MFC-J425W, MFC-J430W, MFC-J432W, MFC-J435W, MFC-J4510DW, MFC-J5910DW, MFC-J625DW, MFC-J825DW, MFC-J825N, MFC-J835DW, MFC-J955DN, MFC-J955DWN, MFC-8510DN, MFC-8515DN, MFC-8520DN, MFC-8910DN and MFC-8950DW. List of Canon Printers Not to be outdone, Canon has several dozen models of AirPrint-enabled printers available that will print from your iPhone. These models include: Canon MG3210, MG3220, MG3255, MG3260, MG3270, MG4210, MG4220, MG4240 Canon MG4250, MG4260, MG5310, MG5320, MG5330, MG5340, MG5350, MG5370, MG5380, MG6210, MG6220, MG6230, MG6240, MG6250, MG6270, MG6280, MG8220, MG8230, MG8240, MG8250, MG8270, MG8280, MX431, MX432, MX434, MX435, MX436, MX437,MX438, MX511, MX512, MX513, MX514, MX515, MX516, MX517, MX518, MX711, MX712, MX714, MX715, MX892, MX893, MX894, MX895, MX897 and the Canon MX898. List of Epson Printers Epson too has several dozen choices in printers for anyone interested in printing from their iPhones or iPads. These printers include the Epson Artisan 730, Artisan 837, EP-775A, EP-775AW, EP-804A, EP-804AR, EP-804AW, EP-805A, EP-805AR, EP-805AW, EP-904A, EP-904F, EP-905A, EP-905F, ME Office 940FW, PX-1600F, PX-1700F, PX-504A, PX-535F, PX-605F, PX-675F, PX-B700, PX-B750F, PX-435A, Stylus NX430, Stylus NX530, Stylus NX635, Stylus Office BX535WD, Stylus Office BX630FW, Stylus Office BX635FWD, Stylus Office BX935FWD, Stylus Photo PX730WD, Stylus Photo PX830FWD, Stylus SX440W, Stylus SX445W, Stylus SX535WD, Stylus TX435W, Stylus Photo TX730WD, WorkForce 545, WorkForce 645, WorkForce 7510, WorkForce 7520, WorkForce 845, Workforce WF-7011, Workforce WF-7511, Workforce WF-7515, Workforce WF-7521, Workforce WF-7525, WP-4010, WP-4011, WP-4015, WP-4020, WP-4022, WP-4023, WP-4025, WP-4090, WP-4091, WP-4092, WP-4095, WP-4511, WP-4515, WP-4520, WP-4521, WP-4525, WP-4530, WP-4531, WP-4532, WP-4533, WP-4535, WP-4540, WP-4545, WP-4590, WP-4592, WP-4595, XP-200, XP-205, XP-207, XP-302, XP-303, XP-305, XP-306, XP-400, XP-402, XP-405 and finally the Epson XP-406. List of HP Printers While not as extensive a list as Epson and Canon, Hewlett-Packard’s printers are often bundled with scanning and faxing functions, making them heavy-hitting multitaskers in any office. Hewlett-Packard’s AirPrint-enabled printers include the: HP Deskjet 3050A J611, HP Deskjet 3054A J611, HP Deskjet 3070A, HP Envy 100 e-All-In-One D410, HP Envy 110 e-All-In-One D411a, HP Envy 114 e-All-In-One D411a, HP LaserJet P1102w Printer, HP LaserJet P1606dn Printer, HP LaserJet Pro 100 color MFP M175nw, HP LaserJet Pro 300 Color MFP M375nw, HP LaserJet Pro 400 Color M451nw-M451dn-M451dw, HP LaserJet Pro 400 Color MFP M475dn-M475dw, HP LaserJet Pro CM1415fn Color MFP, HP LaserJet Pro CM1415fnw Color MFP, HP LaserJet Pro CP1025nw Color Printer, HP LaserJet Pro CP1525nw Color Printer, HP LaserJet Pro M1212nf MFP, HP LaserJet Pro M1213nf MFP, HP LaserJet Pro M1214nf MFP, HP LaserJet Pro M1216nf MFP, HP LaserJet Pro M1217nfw MFP, HP LaserJet Pro M1536dnf MFP, HP Officejet 4620 e-All-In-One, HP Officejet 6100 e-Printer H611a, HP Officejet 6500A e-All-In-One E710a, HP Officejet 6500A Plus e-All-In-One E710n, HP Officejet 6600 e-All-In-One H711a, HP Officejet 6700 e-All-In-One H711n, HP Officejet 7500A Wide Format e-All-In-One E910a, HP Officejet Pro 8100 e-Printer N811a, HP Officejet Pro 8500A e-All-In-One A910a, HP Officejet Pro 8500A Plus e-All-In-One A910g, HP Officejet Pro 8500A Premium e-All-In-One A910g, HP Officejet Pro 8600A e-All-in-One Printer N911a, HP Officejet Pro 8600A Plus e-All-in-One N911g, HP Officejet Pro 8600A Premium e-All-in-One N911g, HP Photosmart 5510 e-AiO B111a, HP Photosmart 5514 e-AiO B111h, HP Photosmart 6510 e-AiO B211a, HP Photosmart 7510 e-AiO C311a, HP Photosmart e-All-in-One D110a, HP Photosmart eStation C510, HP Photosmart Plus e-All-In-One B210a, HP Photosmart Premium e-All-In-One C310, HP Photosmart Premium Fax e-All-In-One C410a, HP Photosmart Wireless e-All-In-One B110—Europe and Asia-Pacific and HP TopShot LaserJet Pro M275. List of Lexmark Printers The Lexmark family of printers offers several options to choose from, ranging in price and functionality. The following Lexmark printers are equipped with AirPrint technology: Lexmark C734, C736, C746, C748, C792, C925, C950, E460, E462, OfficeEdge Pro4000, OfficeEdge Pro4000c, OfficeEdge Pro5500, OfficeEdge Pro5500t, Pro715, Pro915, S315, S415, S515, T650, T652, T654, W850, X460, X463, X464, X466, X548, X652, X654, X656, X658, X734, X736, X738, X748, X792, X860, X862, X864, X925, X950, X952 and the X954. List of Dell, Lenovo and Samsung printers As of the date of publication, Dell has four printers capable of printing from your iPhone — the Dell B1260dn, B1265dnf, V525w and V725w. Lenovo’s three AirPrint-enabled printers include the Lenovo LJ3700DN, LJ3800DN and LJ3800DW. Finally, a total of six printers by Samsung are capable of printing from your iPhone — the ML-1865W, ML-1865WK, ML-1866W, SCX-3205W, SCX-3205WK and SCX-3206W printers.

What Are the Benefits of Color Laser Printers?

A printer is an extremely useful addition to any computer, whether at home or in the office. When it comes to purchasing a colour printer, you must choose between an inkjet model and a laser printer. While inkjet printers are excellent for printing photographs, there are numerous advantages to using a colour laser printer that make it a more cost-effective and productive option. Ink Does Not Smear Documents with smudged ink appear unprofessional. Laser toner, which is used in colour laser printers, adheres to the paper via static electricity and is then fused to the paper via heat. Unlike inkjet documents, there is no wet ink that can smear if the paper is moistened by drops of water or sweaty fingers. As a result, the printed words and images will always be readable and clear. Cost Per Page The initial cost of purchasing a laser printer has decreased significantly over the years, putting them in the same price range as many higher-end inkjet printers. The replacement toner cartridges now account for the cost difference. Toner cartridges for a colour laser printer are more expensive than ink cartridges for a colour inkjet printer, but the cost per page for a laser printer is much lower because the cartridge produces far more pages than an inkjet cartridge. The exact figures vary, but a laser cartridge typically prints over 1500 pages, whereas an inkjet cartridge typically prints a little more than 150 pages. Large Print Jobs Laser printers do have to warm up to get the fuser hot, but once it is ready a laser printer will print 50 percent faster than an inkjet. Not only are color laser printers faster, but their paper tray capacity is larger as well, so there is no need to continually refill the paper tray in the middle of a high volume print job. Since they’re built for larger print jobs, laser printers are also less likely to jam and cause a disruption in the print process. Less Maintenance When an inkjet printer requires a new cartridge, the heads must be aligned to ensure accurate print quality. The print heads must be cleaned and aligned throughout the life of the cartridge. Add to that the fact that ink can dry up in the printer’s moving parts, and you have a printer that can be difficult to maintain. This is not required for laser printers. When toner cartridges are replaced, no additional work is required for printing. Because toner is a dry powder, it does not cause the same cleaning issues that ink does.

Printers That Use Continuous Feed Printer Paper

Continuous-feed paper is used in two types of printing applications. The first accommodates long documents, while the second accommodates large page or image dimensions. Although roll- or fan-fed paper will not be found in laser or solid-ink printers, which image a page at a time in a single pass, these feeder-hardware types can be found in many types of line-at-a-time devices that rely on bidirectional printheads traversing a moving medium. Depending on the nature of your business, one of these devices may be better suited to your output than page-by-page hardware. Dot Matrix Before and after printing, dot matrix printers use fan-folded paper that stacks in a single-page-sized pile. These printers can work with multi-part forms, labels, microperforated sheets that resemble cut-sheet media, cash-register receipts, and other point-of-sale or point-of-shipping materials because they are fed by sprocket-driven mechanisms that resemble the hardware that advances film through a camera or projector. Because their printheads make physical contact with the paper surface, they can produce multiple copies of a single page in a single pass, making them ideal for distributing paperwork across multiple company departments. Thermal Label and barcode printers use thermal technology, which has two output options. Direct thermal printers use heat to turn the surface of special paper black where information must appear. Ribbon printers use heat to lay down an image on a colour medium that is made of wax, resin, or a combination of the two. These printers are frequently used as cash register output devices. Some printers use continuous-feed paper, which is cut to length as it prints. Others make use of labels that peel away from a continuously fed backing sheet. Inkjet Inkjet printers use roll-fed media to create large images, from desktop and wide-format printers used by individual artists and graphic-design studios to big-bed devices that output vehicle wraps and signage. Some of these devices can produce weather-resistant output for outdoor use thanks to UV ink-curing systems. The largest of these machines print on substrates such as plastics and fabrics. Plotter To create maps, equipment, and building designs, the plotting device in the cartographer’s, architect’s, or engineer’s office uses pens to draw lines, shapes, and lettering. These drafting machines are incapable of combining colours or rendering continuous-tone imagery, but they can quickly create exploded diagrams of manufacturing processes, blueprint-style floor plans and elevations, and line drawings. Some models include blades that can cut out artwork from vinyl and other sign-making materials. Dye-Sublimation Photo To print images on cut-to-length continuous media, small photo printers can use dye-sublimation hardware. Unlike ink-based printers, which use fluid dyes or pigments to generate output, dye-sublimation printers vaporise a sheet of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black onto the printing medium. In terms of image quality, their photographic output rivals film prints, but their comparatively low resolution becomes apparent when they print type. When compared to inkjet-based photo printers, dye sublimation has a shorter output life.

Is Magnetic Inkjet Paper Safe for Printers?

Is Magnetic Inkjet Paper Safe for Printers? If you use refrigerator magnets or magnetic business cards to help with marketing, it may be more convenient and cost-effective to print these items yourself rather than purchase them. Magnetic inkjet papers can help with that, but they should be used with caution. While magnetic inkjet papers are compatible with most inkjet printers, they require special storage and handling, and they do not work with laser printers. The MediumMagnetic inkjet paper consists of a laminate that combines paper with magnetic sheeting. Although most products in this category come in letter-sized sheets pre-cut to feed through a desktop output device, some manufacturers produce roll-fed magnetic paper in widths suitable for use in a wide-format inkjet printer. You can cut the material with scissors, a razor-blade knife or a cutting plotter. Additionally, some sheet-fed media incorporate scoring to trim out a set of 10 business cards from each page. AdvantagesMagnetic inkjet paper quickly produces short-run promotional magnets that can be incorporated into a client mailing or a presentation. The sheets are compatible with most standard desktop inkjet printers manufactured after 1999, but you should double-check compatibility with your specific printer. The soft, flexible material is easy to cut with standard scissors and can hold text, graphics, and photos printed from any software, including word processors and graphics applications. DisadvantagesBecause magnets attract other magnets, you won’t be able to load multiple sheets of this special substrate into your printer at the same time. The sheets would stick together and fail to load correctly. Likewise, the thickness of these sheets mandates feeding them one at a time. They require special storage away from recordable, erasable items such as audio or data tapes, whose contents they may damage. Magnetic inkjet paper doesn’t accommodate outdoor use, moisture or light exposure. For the best chances of printing success, your output hardware needs a straight, simple paper path from the feeder to the output tray, avoiding the prospect of curling the sheets or dislodging pre-scored items such as business cards. Finally, because of their cost, save these sheets for after you’ve proofed and verified your design on plain paper. RisksMagnetic paper poses significant risks to your hardware when fed through a laser printer rather than an inkjet device. The material, like most specialty media designed for inkjet use, cannot withstand the heat of the fuser assembly, which bonds toner to paper. Magnetic paper, despite its designation as an inkjet-friendly medium, requires caution in inkjet devices as well. Some hardware controls parts of its operation with electromagnets, which can be disrupted by magnetic media. Other devices contain ferrous metals, which attract and hold the magnet.

Can You Put a Transparency Into a Printer?

Desktop printing technologies support a variety of output media, such as decorative and translucent papers, labels, and cards. In addition to traditional and non-traditional papers, overhead transparency film that is ready to print and present is available. To use these clear sheets in your printer, select the appropriate stock to ensure trouble-free output. Media Selection Transparency film manufacturers create versions that are optimised for use with specific output technologies. Products are packaged for laser and inkjet printers, as well as colour copiers. Always match the media to the method for the best results, both in terms of output and hardware health. Transparencies designed for laser printers can withstand the fusing heat inside these machines while still properly accepting the toner bond. Inkjet transparencies accommodate the dyes and pigments sprayed onto output surfaces by these machines, as well as the drying requirements of the technology. Impact printers, such as dot matrix and daisy wheel devices, are the only printer types that do not use these media because they cannot withstand the printer-head hits that these devices require. Loading Techniques Transparency film feeds best when it is placed in the printer tray by itself. Removing paper and loading transparencies separately, or designating a specific tray in a multi-tray printer for these media, best suits the low-friction surface they present to your device’s feeding hardware. Transparencies can slip and skew when mixed with paper, resulting in a jammed sheet. If your device has a manual-feed tray with adjustable sliding guides, snug them up against the stack of transparencies just enough to hold and support them – but not so much that the sheets curve up in the middle. Uses Transparencies, in addition to their traditional use as presentation materials, can be repurposed to create a variety of useful printed items, such as special section dividers for documents, exhibits that show multiple elements of a design or timeline on separate overlays, and design alternatives placed on a floor plan or map to show alternative ways to build. You can achieve relatively good registration among the various elements of your printed sandwich because you can print on transparencies using the same applications you use to create the base art onto which you set these overlays. Other Considerations Store unused transparencies away from sources of light, heat, and dust, and avoid unnecessary handling that can scratch their surfaces, to keep them in good ready-to-print condition. Because they are made of plastic, they generate static electricity that can cause them to stick together, so carefully inspect your stock as you load it into the printer. If your office has a variety of printers, keep the consumables – paper and transparencies – for each one separate from the others to avoid potential mixups.