Sharp AR M355N Load Paper Error

[strex]

I should preface this by saying I am not a licensed copy machine technician, I work IT. I have experience setting up and doing basic maintenance on a few different gestetners which is what all our other clients have.

One of our clients have recently purchased a Sharp AR M355N which we had set up by a local copy machine retailer. We use this sharp for a dedicated incoming fax machine, network attached printer, and of course, copy machine. Lately our users have been getting a "COM 10: Load Paper" error when printing envelopes from their pc. The machine is not out of paper, and if I check the tray status over our network it displays as 33% full.

I've had some sharp technicians come in, and so far they have checked the paper tray sensor and its connections on the motherboard. No out of paper error is displayed on the pc's and for all intents and purposes the pc views the job as completed successfully. On the sharp the error message is displayed, and the job is moved to the queue. I cannot force the job in the queue because when I try to select paper to output on the envelope tray is grayed out. There is paper in the tray and the guides are in the correct position.

This problem is very intermittent and sometimes the machine will print fine for a week and sometimes it will fail on the first job. Resetting the machine daily makes no difference. I've been in communication with the technicians who have now been telling me to check things like duplicate IP's and port setting in the print drivers. I am willing to investigate problems with our network and hardware on my end but so far, I've came up blank. This problem only happens in relation to printing envelopes, and I don't understand how it could be a software or network issue, when it only happens with envelope printing and it is the copy machine throwing the error. Are my copy people jerking me around? What can I do to help troubleshoot this problem?

[OMD-227]

If the copier display is asking to load COM10 envelope, it means the copier is being told by the document and print driver this is the paper type required. The copier checks each tray, including the paper type & size in the bypass tray, and if it matches the document template and print driver request, it will work automatically. If there are no paper trays matching the request by the document and driver, the job will sit in the job status queue and will prompt you to load the correct paper/envelope.
What you are experiencing is normal on the Sharps. The bypass tray on these machines is a multipurpose tray, meaning the tray can support many different types of media. The paper type selected on the operation panel must match the paper type in the document and driver for it to work without any messages or prompting.
Are you printing from Microsoft Word? If so, check the paper size in 'page setup' menu. Often I've found the client trying to print on DL envelope, selected DL envelope on the panel, loaded DL envelope in the bypass tray, but still prompts to load envelopes. The page setup menu was setup as COM10 as the paper size.
This is NOT a machine fault. Your techs should know this!! Geeeeezzzz!!! They are wasting time and looking for excuses by checking the mainboards and sensors. If the machine is asking to LOAD a paper or envelope type, it means the copier DOES NOT have a matching paper or envelope type according to the driver and document template.
The driver and document are telling the copier what it should print on. If there are no matching trays, sizes or types, the machine will just sit there with the job in the queue.
Also, do a copy on each tray. If each tray works ok on copies, but on print jobs it prompts for a paper load, it's the document/driver fault. Basic fault finding is all that is required here.
Check each PC driver. You mentioned it only happens sometimes or can work fine for a week. I've seen the drivers and word setup ok on some PC's, but incorrect on others. Just run the auto configuration utility through the driver to update everything.
Sort this out yourself, then give your brainless techs a blasting! Not a very good representation of the industry.

[NCArt]

The universal tray should be used for COM 10. I had a simular problem when I used the bypass tray. Make certain that the drawer is identified as having COM 10 as well. This works for both Microsoft Words and Works.

[Skookum]

As a general rule I tell all my customers for paper selection in the SHARP driver "Always leave Tray Select on Automatic, if you need something other than Plain use Paper Type Select." Paper type rules the SHARP world, does not matter if you tell the copier what type paper it has before or after you send the job, although if the copier tray has already been set before sending the job it works better.

The only time this system breaks down as someone mentioned is when the page setup in the software has default settings for particular trays. This will monkey wrench the whole system.

I hate the fact the the driver has that picture that you can click on and select trays with. The tray lights up and customers like the interface, while salesman love to show it off. Then I come in and say DON'T TOUCH, Paper Type, Paper Type, Paper Type.

[strex]

OK, I appreciate the quick responses, this has given me a lot of information to digest. The thing that was weirding me out the most, was in order to reproduce this problem, I would sit at a pc and print a stack of blank envelopes. Sometime I could print out blank envelopes till the cows came home. Sometime it would prompt me to load paper after the second try. All from the same computer with never any settings changed.

I have reinstalled the drivers, ran the auto-config, and set Word to use the specific tray for envelopes, if this doesn't fix it, I'm going to switch the COM10 paper to the universal tray as it does currently reside in the multi-purpose/bypass tray, which to me might be interesting, because in the operations manual it says never do this.

If I ever do in fact get this fixed, I will tell my printer techs what the solution is and will refrain from lambasting them, while I have had the displeasure, it is always weird correcting people with more experience in the industry than I have in age.

Again, thanks a lot for the prompt and insightful replies, and I'll keep you guys posted on the situation.