[Misc] Asking for advise: envelopes on Ricoh machines

[mrwho]

Good morning, all.

I'd like to know from techs on the field with customers printing envelopes, what are your insights?

Interested on tips for improving throughput, print quality or minimize trouble (all three, if at all possible).

Thank you! Stay safe.

[mikadonovan]

Re: Asking for advise: envelopes on Ricoh machines

I have some 4100's with the envelope feeder tray, and they seem to work well (no service calls reported for feeding issues). The only initial trouble I run into is envelopes in the bypass tray on the MFP's, but after you experiment a little with media and settings to find the sweet spot, they seem to work OK. You need a savvy customer to avoid unecessary
complaints.

[DH1980]

Re: Asking for advise: envelopes on Ricoh machines

Had a Ricoh P 800 printer that would wrinkle envelopes no matter what setting I used. The envelopes were the standard com 10.
Switched to the pre stick with tape and they worked perfectly. Envelopes can be strange.

[Phil B.]

Re: Asking for advise: envelopes on Ricoh machines

make sure they get 'flat folded ' envelopes.. or they will be calling for for wrinkles

[JaysOnTheEDGE]

Re: Asking for advise: envelopes on Ricoh machines

if using a full color solid fill logo The image density will look slightly off if you print close the corners where the back and the sides are glued together to form the envelope. because of the paper being thicker where the over laps are. for black text like return address it will be fine only issue i have run into customer complains about image looking bad then i explain that to them and they understand.

Use envelopes specifically for laser printers / copiers, especially if window had a customer run offset window envelopes and the windows melted in the fuser

[Phil B.]

Re: Asking for advise: envelopes on Ricoh machines

if using a full color solid fill logo The image density will look slightly off if you print close the corners where the back and the sides are glued together to form the envelope. because of the paper being thicker where the over laps are. for black text like return address it will be fine only issue i have run into customer complains about image looking bad then i explain that to them and they understand.

Use envelopes specifically for laser printers / copiers, especially if window had a customer run offset window envelopes and the windows melted in the fuser

correct Jay,

but I guess I ASSumed they would be using the products MEDIA GUIDE as to allowable media. Every machine comes with one. Even within brands, media specs CAN change between the models. WINDOWS envelopes are highly frowned upon.... there are only a FEW brands that pass muster.

I guess studying both the service/user/admin/network manuals would help any tech or user.

How many calls have all of us taken that turned out to be a simple end user F' up? Spent a good of my 31+ years chasing stupid end user mistakes and some have been intentional disregards for contract rules.. Manufacturer Specs... tech advice.

+1 to the immortal phrase " Customers Effin' Lie "

Good Call brother!

[bsm2]

Re: Asking for advise: envelopes on Ricoh machines

Printing envelopes on copiers usually Suck no fix if it wrinkles them
printers IE HP always seem to work

[skinnyb]

Re: Asking for advise: envelopes on Ricoh machines

My SP 4310 feeds them great from the bypass. There is an envelope lever I can flip up if feeding several otherwise I leave it alone. It wrinkles occasionally but I only feed them once in a while...

Sent from my LM-V405 using Tapatalk

[mrwho]

Re: Asking for advise: envelopes on Ricoh machines

Thank you all for your input - some of the stuff I already knew from experience, but I've also read some new things. Oddly, no one mentioned production machines - I'd guess speed and high temperature aren't an envelope's best friend?

[slimslob]

Re: Asking for advise: envelopes on Ricoh machines

Thank you all for your input - some of the stuff I already knew from experience, but I've also read some new things. Oddly, no one mentioned production machines - I'd guess speed and high temperature aren't an envelope's best friend?

How enveloped react to speed and heat are not a problem. The bugaboo for envelopes on Pro models is the length of paper path leading to a much greater opportunity for the envelopes to JAM. If you have a customer, like a school district, with an occasional need to bulk print return addresses on window envelopes high speed duplicator works quite well. Short flat paper path. Speeds up to 150 ppm.

[anothertech]

Re: Asking for advise: envelopes on Ricoh machines

Thank you all for your input - some of the stuff I already knew from experience, but I've also read some new things. Oddly, no one mentioned production machines - I'd guess speed and high temperature aren't an envelope's best friend?

Envelopes run really well through the production machines. They need to be loaded flap open and flap toward trail edge, in the vacuum feed large capacity tray. You can not fill the tray, customers put between 50 and 100 at a time, more than that seems to be a problem.

[Klydon]

Re: Asking for advise: envelopes on Ricoh machines

My experience with the medium sized MFP's (20-60 CPM) is you should be using the bypass and you want a thicker setting to slow the machine down. This doesn't eliminate the wrinkles, but it usually does a good enough job that the customer finds it acceptable.

I also agree with the sentiment that running envelopes on a copier sort of sucks, but then customers can have issues with labels as well and label issues inside the machine can have far more serious consequences than trying to run envelopes.

[slimslob]

Re: Asking for advise: envelopes on Ricoh machines

My experience with the medium sized MFP's (20-60 CPM) is you should be using the bypass and you want a thicker setting to slow the machine down. This doesn't eliminate the wrinkles, but it usually does a good enough job that the customer finds it acceptable.

I also agree with the sentiment that running envelopes on a copier sort of sucks, but then customers can have issues with labels as well and label issues inside the machine can have far more serious consequences than trying to run envelopes.

The biggest problem with labels is improper storage. If they get too warm in storage or are kept to long before using then the adhesive will start to leak out around the edges. This will result in labels stuck to drums, transfer belts and fusing units. I have even had labels on originals peal off in the Document Feeder.

[Klydon]

Re: Asking for advise: envelopes on Ricoh machines

The biggest problem with labels is improper storage. If they get too warm in storage or are kept to long before using then the adhesive will start to leak out around the edges. This will result in labels stuck to drums, transfer belts and fusing units. I have even had labels on originals peal off in the Document Feeder.

Not to mention people trying to use the cheapest labels they can find. I believe the only labels Ricoh recommends are Avery.

[slimslob]

Re: Asking for advise: envelopes on Ricoh machines

Not to mention people trying to use the cheapest labels they can find. I believe the only labels Ricoh recommends are Avery.

Avery labels do tend to stay fresher in the box longer than others but still eventually suffer the same edge leakage.