Looking for advice printing envelopes

[kringle]

Hi all. I print A7 (7.25 x 5.25) announcement envelopes on the back flaps (mostly small logos and return address text) using a Xante impressia which is a rebranded Ricoh SP c820dn. My biggest problem is that I get a background overtone. The biggest culprit seems to be magenta (but can be other colors).... tiny specs of toner all over the envelope. Wouldn't be a problem, but when you open the flap of the envelope you can clearly see the perfect line where the flap shielded the part of the envelope from the toning, giving the envelope the appearance that it's dirty in the toned areas. No problems ever when running monochrome black, just when colors are engaged. I use oem toner and drum development units. I have spent hours upon hours tweaking the charge voltages and the concentration of the toner to developer. Sometimes I can get it to clean up for a bit. Usually it's the worst when I start up in the mornings (temperature or humidity doesn't seem to matter)

My biggest question is, does someone know of a printer with a relatively flat paper paper path that has a bypass tray I can push an envelope feeder up to? Of course, I am looking for something that prints clean in the background.

I'd like to stick with a toner based machine. I have tried inkjet, and the quality sucks. inkjet coated paper isn't available in the sizes and quantities I need to make envelopes in volume.

Other than that, if someone has any ideas on how to stop the overtone on my ricoh, I'm all ears.

Thanks!

[sandmanmac]

Re: Looking for advice printing envelopes

Probably needs a PM.
The thing is 12-13 years old after-all.
How long have you been using this printer? In other words, was it working well for a time , and then started doing this? Yet another sign that it needs a PM.
What is the colour print quality from the paper tray on regular paper?
Have you tried using a thick paper setting for envelopes?
Lots of questions here......

[kringle]

Re: Looking for advice printing envelopes

Probably needs a PM.
The thing is 12-13 years old after-all.
How long have you been using this printer? In other words, was it working well for a time , and then started doing this? Yet another sign that it needs a PM.
What is the colour print quality from the paper tray on regular paper?
Have you tried using a thick paper setting for envelopes?
Lots of questions here......

Hi, thanks for your reply. Yes it has done this since new. I have 2 of these and both do the same thing. They are 4 and 5 years old. We run envelopes for Christmas cards so they get used heavily the last few months of the year. Approximately 250,000 prints during those three months. During that time, all of the development drum units are replaced 2-3 times depending on volume and performance. I replace the fuser and ibt transfer belt assembly/cleaner annually. Recently I removed the laser assembly and completely cleaned all the glass windows, removed all the toner feed units from the back and cleaned them out, removed all the toner pumps and cleaned them out and removed any caked toner I could see in any of the lines. Other than that, just a general vacuum of all toner, clean transport rollers and run the music and procon routines. And many sets of bypass feed wheels of course. I think we keep fairly good care of them given their annual duty. Please let me know if we are missing anything that could contribute.

When the drums are new, the quality of print on plain paper is very nice. The longer the drums are in, the more it degrades of course. We run special converted envelopes from a commercial envelope house that are made from laser compatible #1 quality paper.

I have often thought the problem must be happening because of the constant low coverage and that the drums were just over toning. It's a small sheet and just small return address lines and occasional logos. Not sure how to overcome that if that is the case. Maybe that's not it though.

EDIT..... Additional information is I can see the toning on the transfer belt too when I pull back the fuser..... and I frequently clean the id or mob sensors (forgot to add that above)

[davel]

Re: Looking for advice printing envelopes

Can't remember for sure, but aren't the PCDU's only good for 80K,and stop fiddling with settings.

[slimslob]

Re: Looking for advice printing envelopes

Hi, thanks for your reply. Yes it has done this since new. I have 2 of these and both do the same thing. They are 4 and 5 years old. We run envelopes for Christmas cards so they get used heavily the last few months of the year. Approximately 250,000 prints during those three months. During that time, all of the development drum units are replaced 2-3 times depending on volume and performance. I replace the fuser and ibt transfer belt assembly/cleaner annually. Recently I removed the laser assembly and completely cleaned all the glass windows, removed all the toner feed units from the back and cleaned them out, removed all the toner pumps and cleaned them out and removed any caked toner I could see in any of the lines. Other than that, just a general vacuum of all toner, clean transport rollers and run the music and procon routines. And many sets of bypass feed wheels of course. I think we keep fairly good care of them given their annual duty. Please let me know if we are missing anything that could contribute.

When the drums are new, the quality of print on plain paper is very nice. The longer the drums are in, the more it degrades of course. We run special converted envelopes from a commercial envelope house that are made from laser compatible #1 quality paper.

I have often thought the problem must be happening because of the constant low coverage and that the drums were just over toning. It's a small sheet and just small return address lines and occasional logos. Not sure how to overcome that if that is the case. Maybe that's not it though.

EDIT..... Additional information is I can see the toning on the transfer belt too when I pull back the fuser..... and I frequently clean the id or mob sensors (forgot to add that above)

Doing it since new for a 12 to 13 year old machine and you are just now looking into doing something about? Or just new to you?

[kringle]

Re: Looking for advice printing envelopes

Doing it since new for a 12 to 13 year old machine and you are just now looking into doing something about? Or just new to you?

Xante sold these machines up until just a few years ago. Not sure when ricoh stopped. Xante now sells the updated ricoh in the same configuration (I think it's the C840dn??? - not sure as I don't have one - There are a lot of complaints about this newer printer in commercial printing forums related to envelope printing.)

My printers are roughly 5 years old. I have tried everything I know to do to solve the issue over the time I've had them. I fight through every holiday card season just trying to produce the best quality prints possible with what I have. Unfortunately, because we have to print on the back flaps, the issue is visible. Most people use these to print envelopes on the face, so the issue is undetectable to the eye. Over these years, I have purchased a couple different inkjet machines that just don't give the bright clean color of a laser. 1 was a Formax memjet envelope printer and another was the new HP FI-1000 on a custom envelope feed base.

I'd like to find a laser that prints with a clean background and has a bypass tray that I can push a straight shooter envelope feeder up to. Alternately, I would love to solve the toning issue of the Xante/Ricoh.

[slimslob]

Re: Looking for advice printing envelopes

I think some one else has already asked this but what are the PM counts? Are you using Genuine Ricoh toner and parts purchased from an authorized Ricoh dealer? OEM is not Genuine, it is only made to the original recipe for ingredients. It does not guarantee quality of the ingredients.

[davel]

Re: Looking for advice printing envelopes

Ok, I checked, PCDU's good for 40K so for your 250K you should need at least 6 replacement sets. If you don't change them at these intervals don't expect perfect prints.
You are also way over maximum monthly volume so expect performance to be reduced, not to mention the other PM parts that will need to be replaced.

[luca72]

Re: Looking for advice printing envelopes

Hi all. I print A7 (7.25 x 5.25) announcement envelopes on the back flaps (mostly small logos and return address text) using a Xante impressia which is a rebranded Ricoh SP c820dn. My biggest problem is that I get a background overtone. The biggest culprit seems to be magenta (but can be other colors).... tiny specs of toner all over the envelope. Wouldn't be a problem, but when you open the flap of the envelope you can clearly see the perfect line where the flap shielded the part of the envelope from the toning, giving the envelope the appearance that it's dirty in the toned areas. No problems ever when running monochrome black, just when colors are engaged. I use oem toner and drum development units. I have spent hours upon hours tweaking the charge voltages and the concentration of the toner to developer. Sometimes I can get it to clean up for a bit. Usually it's the worst when I start up in the mornings (temperature or humidity doesn't seem to matter)

My biggest question is, does someone know of a printer with a relatively flat paper paper path that has a bypass tray I can push an envelope feeder up to? Of course, I am looking for something that prints clean in the background.

I'd like to stick with a toner based machine. I have tried inkjet, and the quality sucks. inkjet coated paper isn't available in the sizes and quantities I need to make envelopes in volume.

Other than that, if someone has any ideas on how to stop the overtone on my ricoh, I'm all ears.

Thanks!

that machine must print any type of envelope well, it seems to me that you have cleaned everything you could.
try to do this:

1) after cleaned, run process control via sp 3

2) set the paper type in the driver to "cardboard"

3) set "quality" in detail instead of "speed"

4) increase the resolution in the driver to maximum power

it takes much longer to process the "blue led" image flashes" and the support/envelope will pass much more slowly, but inevitably it must work!

...only one thing! does it only do magenta? could it be a bad drum/gr.development(?) or a problem in the hvt section on the magenta output(?)

[kringle]

Re: Looking for advice printing envelopes

that machine must print any type of envelope well, it seems to me that you have cleaned everything you could.
try to do this:

1) after cleaned, run process control via sp 3

2) set the paper type in the driver to "cardboard"

3) set "quality" in detail instead of "speed"

4) increase the resolution in the driver to maximum power

it takes much longer to process the "blue led" image flashes" and the support/envelope will pass much more slowly, but inevitably it must work!

...only one thing! does it only do magenta? could it be a bad drum/gr.development(?) or a problem in the hvt section on the magenta output(?)

I'll recheck all the settings in the driver. The settings for each job are controlled in an iqueue rip software, but maybe there is a default print driver causing issue. Definately using a heavy stock slower speed. If you run envelopes too fast, they don't fuse well. Resolution is set at either 1200 or 2400. I have been going back and forth for years, but the resolution doesn't seem to matter. It happens when the drums and all are new, so it's not an over rated prints issue I don't think. MOSTLY always magenta but can be other colors.

Do you know if there is a setting that accounts for low coverage? I really feel like the drums are being fed more toner than is being laid down on paper and the excess toner is ending up toning over the sheet.

[luca72]

Re: Looking for advice printing envelopes

I'll recheck all the settings in the driver. The settings for each job are controlled in an iqueue rip software, but maybe there is a default print driver causing issue. Definately using a heavy stock slower speed. If you run envelopes too fast, they don't fuse well. Resolution is set at either 1200 or 2400. I have been going back and forth for years, but the resolution doesn't seem to matter. It happens when the drums and all are new, so it's not an over rated prints issue I don't think. MOSTLY always magenta but can be other colors.

Do you know if there is a setting that accounts for low coverage? I really feel like the drums are being fed more toner than is being laid down on paper and the excess toner is ending up toning over the sheet.

The fact of increasing the resolution, has only the purpose of further slowing down the print engine as much as possible.

The machine all clean and in place, with the process control (SP3) should balance everything efficiently, there is something that does not come back to me, if I understand correctly, you have 2 identical machines with the same problem, you swap the parts, and the defect remains?... Do you do the initiation of the developer or the PCU when you change? Are drums, toners original?... have you ever replaced the PTR roller?.. try to do as I told you above, and if you do not get a good result, look on the SM, the SP's, to reduce the transfer current on that type of support

[slimslob]

Re: Looking for advice printing envelopes

Check PM counters for Rotation (%) SP 7803-061 through SP 7803-076. Anything that is over 100% needs to be replaced soon. Anything over 200% needs to be replaced immediately if not sooner. Note, Drum, Dev Unit and Developer are all replaced together as User Replacement PCDU units and for most Printers are available as a Maintenance Kit that includes all 4 colors. After everything is within PM specifications and all toner scattering has been properly cleaned, making the adjustments found in the first pages of the attached.

Service Program (SP) Settings.pdf