xerox 242 offset catch tray

[Island]

Does anyone have a decent schematic or good photograph of the standard xerox offset catch tray for the docucolor 242?

I'm a customer looking at all the literature and online docs and can't find a sufficient graphic showing the actual mechanisms -- I'm wondering how nicely it jogs the output stack in both the short and long direction (so I can turn and run the other side with no fuss and without introducing registration errors through rough jogging.)

(wondering if I can get by without the advanced finisher to stack up 500 11x17 shets and nicely jog them or if the offset catch tray just won't deliver a neat enough stack for my liking)

[Veedle]

My advice would be to go for the advanced finisher.

The stacking on the offset catch tray is OK, but if you want to stack 500 sheets nicely you will need a finisher.

Also the finisher has a de-curler built in - which is essential if you are running a variety of stocks, or heavier stock. With the offset tray there is no de-curling.

Also you will have to properly fan the paper before running it through again regardless of what tray you have.

Cheers

[Island]

Thanks Veedle. Will plan to go for the advanced finisher then. The specs say that the offset catch tray can stack up 500 sheets of 11x17 (or larger even) 24# weight, but from the pictures I've seen it looks pretty lightweight for the task so I worried that they would end up a bit dissheveled.

I've not run a xerox color machine before (all canon since 2002).
When you say "you will have to properly fan the paper before running it through again regardless of what tray you have" are prints on 20#-32# bond and color copy paper noticably more "stuck together" and "curled" coming out of a xerox than a canon color imagerunner for example?

With my canons I've had pretty good luck taking output from the finisher to a box (to maintain the stack perfectly straight) and then into the machine again for a second pass when I'm ready for the next side of that sheet. I'm sure it would be better if I more carefully fanned everything (not sure if I'm reading too much into "properly fan" if you mean an involved procedure or a simple fan of the stack of paper's leading edge when inserting each lift), but with good feed rubber on my canons I get very few jams without the time to fan very carefully (~1 in 5,000 pickup jams with little or no careful fanning.)

One more off-the-wall thought -- with the xerox would it be a good idea even to put the money instead of into the advanced finisher ($3000) into a traditional jogger that might do even a more robust job? (not sure, maybe not since it wouldn't be designed to decurl if that's an issue too.)

[Veedle]

Hi,

Welcome to the world of Xerox

You shouldn't have any problems on bond or colour copy paper as the 242 will auto duplex upto 170gsm paper. You only have to manually duplex over 170gsm - and then depending on the quality of the paper/card there will be noticeable curl without the finisher.

You only have to fan the paper to ease the separation as the paper tends to 'compress down' and stick together with static once it has been through the machine - again dependent on the type of stock, you shouldn't have any problems with bond or colour copy paper. You may also notice coated stocks will stick together with static. Actually it is not neccessarily static, it is just that there is no air between the sheets.

Fanning is just good practice - it doesn't always need it, but the benifits are great for a 2 second fan. You can see any quality issues easily with a quick fan...

Make sure they show the 'Tray Alignment' feature, you should be able to get near perfect back to back rego automatically with this set just right. Of course allowing for paper shrinkage and all that...

Good luck,

Veedle