Mike Chaney's Tech Corner

I have moved my printing on the Epson 3880 to cut paper of the ideal format ratio 2:3 size.  A 17x25.5 inch print is the ideal size for the 24x36mm FX sensor size.  Some outfits will sell paper that size, or do a special cut (Inkpress does.  Talk to Sam.).

So I cut my 17" roll paper to 25.5 inch lengths.  Problem is with that "Custom" length, it will only print with a small white border and not borderless that will cover any skewing that the longer paper may go through in the feed system.

My prints begin to come out okay with a small 1/8" border on both sides.  However, towards the end of the print the border disappeared on the left side coming out of the printer.  Looked very odd and crooked.  I thought I had cut it wrong and rollers picked it up with a slant in the extended length.  Not so.

I discovered if I took a small 3/8" round piece of thing brass hobby shop tubing, cut it 1-1/2" long and slit it maybe 1/2" and bent one leg out for the paper to rest on (cut the other leg off), flatten it in a vise to slide over the guide tab on the printer's pull up top feed shelf, that the addition skewed the paper to the left (looking at the printer) and the borders came out even on both sides.  It may be pushing or skewing the paper 1/8" or so to the left of the guide tab to make it perpendicular in the feed system.  Now the paper has a nice evenly spaced border along the entire length on both sides of the longer paper.

Too bad the printer cannot do borderless on the larger 17x25.5 inch (or longer) custom sizes to avoid skewed borders, but can't have it all.  Might skew even that too if not for the added brass bit.

Here's a shot of the thing slid over the guide tab that straightens out the uneven border issue.



Mack

Hi Mack,

Neat solution to a common problem. Thanks for showing.

Best wishes,

Ray