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  #11  
Old 09-28-2018, 02:16 PM
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Kevin WS Kevin WS is offline
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I agree with Rick - over the years I have printed on small and large laser printers (all Ricoh coincidentally) and have never had a flaking issue. Have also used Canon - again no problems.

In all instances, however, let me make it clear I am referring to "office" laser printers - which should not flake at all. It is not acceptable in an office or corporate environment for prints to flake so Ricoh and Canon machines are not unique.

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Flaking will occur if the machine is not bonding the paper at high temperatures.
  • Toner is fixed onto the paper using heat and pressure in the fuser assembly - which is made up two rollers generally.
  • One roller is a heat roller and the other is a rubber pressure roller.
  • The paper (with the charged toner particles sticking to it from an earlier process) passes between the rollers.
  • The heat roller has an infrared energy lamp in the centre which uniformly heats the roller - decent bonding temperatures are 800 °F +/- 8.
  • This heat and pressure from the other roller bonds the toner to the paper permanently - it is melted and pushed into the fibre.
So, bonding issues will arise if.....
  • Lower temperatures are used - cheap and small laser printers.
  • The fuser unit is faulty.
  • The pressure roller is damaged.
  • The machine is not being serviced (home machines for example). Office machines are generally not purchased but are on a contract. So servicing is not charged for and should then be done regularly - as well as preventative maintenance.
  • Paper is pushed through at faster speed then spec (less time for decent bonding).
  • The fuser roller is not uniformly hot.
  • Incorrect settings are used when printing - these include paper type (recycled, stock etc) and also importantly the correct paper thickness setting for the paper being used.
The last point is important - the paper type affects the passing time for bonding, as does the setting for paper thickness. It stands to reason that different paper textures, and thickness will require slower or faster speeds to ensure the temperature applied for bonding is correct. If the incorrect settings are used then flaking etc may well occur.

rickstef is correct when he says that THICK cardstock may flake, this will likely occur if thicker stock then that specified for the machine is used, or if there are no machine settings for thick stock.

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John - Hopefully all this also answers your questions regarding toner and paper - use the right machine and a decent quality paper and all will be well.

TIP - There is a lot of profit in paper and copier manufacturers and their dealers and agents sell branded paper as a result. This is generally labelled "Especially made/suited/for use in XX brand machines". This is a bit disingenuous as this paper comes from a general mill and mills do not make a lot of different spec papers - though they are happy to pack in custom wrappers and boxes as requested (and paid for of course!).

Any decent quality paper is fine.

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Can you get a decent small laser printer for home use? Yes.

I have a Ricoh MPC 305 (small office printer 30ppm) - scans, copies, prints. Colour laser. Prints up 1800 dpi. Superfine colour. Duplex. Only A4 paper though.Bypass Tray.

Aficioâ„ĒMP C305SPF | Colour Multifunctional | Ricoh

Could I afford it new - nope.

But because the business model for the manufacturers is contract based (click charges etc) at the end of the day most of the machines end up back at the manufacturer. They then have a refurb program - and this is how I got the machine I have - for less than 100 USD.

USA should be no different - contact Ricoh USA and ask for their refurbs. If you get the run-around get hold of the factory. They should be able to help.

Should be the same for other major manufacturers.

You need to get advice though on the right models to look for - it needs to be good (there are always models that are"pups") and a supersession - that should get you a good price - often if you are prepared to wait for one to turn up.

Phew - enough....!
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  #12  
Old 09-28-2018, 02:19 PM
JohnGay JohnGay is offline
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I have used both Dell and Xerox Business-grade printers and rarely have flaking problems, except for heavy Black areas. Or black lines if the print has been sitting around a while. But I'm sure my experience is due to using Business-grade printers rather than home market ones.
I would imagine that professional printers provide even better quality than I'm use to. But I'm too cheap to pay for professional printing.
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  #13  
Old 09-30-2018, 08:36 AM
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bigtodd bigtodd is offline
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What about applying heat gun on laser printed card stock

What would happen if you take a heat gun and heat up the printed card stock after it has been printed?

Will it mess up the printing? (curl edges, flake away)

Can it be heated from the bottom to get it to soak into the fibers?
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  #14  
Old 09-30-2018, 11:14 AM
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Kevin WS Kevin WS is offline
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I would think a disaster!

Remember you need to apply pressure as well.........
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