That's interesting. The only printer I've ever owned is an HP Laserjet 4. Still chugging along great, it's lightly used. Been through maybe 1/2 dozen cartridges. I'll keep your little trick in mind in case I need to print some very thick stock.Originally posted by: Paperdoc
Within a reasonable range, no effect. A common Basis Weight of general-purpose copier paper (also suitable for laser printers) is 20 lb. They also sell 24 lb and 28 lb, each of which feels different - thicker and stiffer. But both should work just fine in most printers in terms of feeding through, etc. Now when you get to much heavier papers like a file folder stock, that definitely can be a problem. They are so stiff they simply will not feed through many printers that have tight turns in the paper path. For that kind of job I use an old HP LaserJet 4. You can use the fold-out secondary paper feed tray and open the cover on the back intended for clearing jammed paper out. That actually gives you a straight-through paper path. Only problem is, there's a sensor that detects the open back panel and prevents it from printing. I found a way to place a letter opener in the sensor and fool it for my special heavy-paper projects.
Every printer or copier is designed to handle paper within a certain range of stiffness. Something much heavier, OR even much lighter and more bendable, will not work. But most will handle papers from 16 lb to 30 lb with no trouble.
Originally posted by: Kitros
Simple enough.
Does (standard) paper weight affect the lastability of a printer? Thicker = harder on a printer, etc.?
Cheers!
Originally posted by: Paperdoc
Within a reasonable range, no effect. A common Basis Weight of general-purpose copier paper (also suitable for laser printers) is 20 lb. They also sell 24 lb and 28 lb, each of which feels different - thicker and stiffer. But both should work just fine in most printers in terms of feeding through, etc. Now when you get to much heavier papers like a file folder stock, that definitely can be a problem. They are so stiff they simply will not feed through many printers that have tight turns in the paper path. For that kind of job I use an old HP LaserJet 4. You can use the fold-out secondary paper feed tray and open the cover on the back intended for clearing jammed paper out. That actually gives you a straight-through paper path. Only problem is, there's a sensor that detects the open back panel and prevents it from printing. I found a way to place a letter opener in the sensor and fool it for my special heavy-paper projects.
Every printer or copier is designed to handle paper within a certain range of stiffness. Something much heavier, OR even much lighter and more bendable, will not work. But most will handle papers from 16 lb to 30 lb with no trouble.