Printing on smaller paper than the printer thinks.

Hi,

 

Probably a stupid question, but a couple of times I have printed on 5x7 paper and forgotten to change the printer setting, which was set to A4 (Epson P600). How bad is this for the printer? I assume the print head travels 8.3” whereas the paper is only 5” wide, so what happens to the excess ink?

 

Thanks,

 

Gerry.

what happens to the excess ink?

If there is any, which will depend on your subject, it will smear something internally, that you might be able to clean. But 3 images on a rather soft rubber counterpresseur shouldn't matter that much.

I have occasionally 'overprinted'. I've found no harm except the waste of ink. On the other hand, it's a very good idea to clean the platen after this happens. There are YouTube videos on this, of course, but I've found naphtha or alcohol to do the job.

 

Is counterpressseur one of those linguistic nationalist thingies?? :rolleyes:

I think it depends on the printer. Some printers have pads to absorb stray ink, and in some cases, they are replaceable. Some printers have a disposable cartridge that catches ink used in head cleaning, but I don't know whether it also catches overshoot.

Thanks for the replies and advice. The printer is fairly new so I don't really feel up to taking it apart and cleaning it just yet. It was only twice, so I will just take more care in the future.

I would never use naphtha, nor any hydrocarbon solvent on plastic, rubber, or anything not designed for that purpose. Distilled water is pretty save, as is ethanol or IPA (alcohol crazes polystyrene).

The ink will probably end up on the back of your next print in streaks or spots.

I seem to remember seeing special papers sold to clean up excess ink from overprinting. Not a problem for me anymore as all mu photo printing is done via an on-line service. The printer at home has been changed to a colour laser, still able to do colour images for the wife & kids yet no more issues with dried up ink.

I would never use naphtha, nor any hydrocarbon solvent on plastic, rubber, or anything not designed for that purpose.

 

You don't have to SOAK it, a little solvent on a rag evaporates very quickly and leaves no residue*. Unlike water, and even better than ethanol, it actually dissolves the ink.

 

By the way, most platens are easy to remove without any "disassembly"

 

______________

*To test the purity of your solvent, put a drop on glass and let it evaporate and it should show no residue.

Printers designed for borderless printing have to survive some ink outside the paper.

 

The above might have more ink outside, but not that much more.