HP DeskJet/DeskWriter 5xx
Printers
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- DeskJet
500 (C2106A)
- DeskJet 500C (C2114A)
- DeskJet 500K (C2605A)
- DeskJet 500Q (C2620A)
- DeskJet 505J (C2608A)
- DeskJet 505K (C2618A)
- DeskJet 510 (C2127A)
- DeskJet 520 (C2170A)
- DeskJet 525Q (C2638A)
- DeskJet 540 (C2162A)
- DeskJet 550C (C2121A)
- DeskJet 560C C2168A)
- DeskJet 560J (C2626A)
- DeskJet 560K (C2627A)
Note:
Use your computer keyboard scrolling or page down feature to view the
sections of thisdocument. (This document is several pages long and you
may want to print a copy.)
Avoiding
Print Skew
Description
Print skew
occurs when the movement of paper in the mechanism is not square to
the carriage movement. The result is inconsistent print margins along
the paper's edge (printing appears tilted on the page). The resulting
print skew is a result of three factors:
- The
printer
- The
squareness of the paper
- The
loading and handling of paper
The print skew specification
for the printer mechanism is 0.006 inches per inch on 95% of all pages
printed. How paper is loaded and the squareness of the paper can impact
print skew. Preprinted forms can increase the print skew appearance if
the form is skewed in the opposite direction of the printer's skew. Any
skew on the printed form must be taken into account when measuring print
skew.
Measuring Paper
Squareness
Print skew may be
impacted by the squareness of the paper. The industry standard for paper
squareness is 0.003 inches per inch. This measurement must be added
to the print skew specification to obtain a true overall print skew
specification. Test the paper squareness by printing on one side of
the paper, flipping the paper over, then printing on the other side.
If the print slopes down on one side and up on the other side, the squareness
of the paper may be impacting the print skew. In this case, try a different
paper to improve the printer's print skew.
Loading
Paper to Avoid Skew
Loading
paper can impact print skew. It is important to have the paper placed
squarely in the IN tray and aligned against the right wall. Remove the
output tray and try tapping the stack of paper against the right wall
of the IN tray. Install the output tray and check for skew.
Factors
To Consider When Solving Print Skew
The measured print
skew is a result of the printer and the paper skew. Know the printer's
and paper's skew specifications.
Use envelopes with rectangular flaps rather than triangular flaps.
Proper loading and handling of the paper can minimize print skew.
Make sure the paper is loaded evenly against the right wall of the IN
tray.
Maintain a stack of paper in the IN tray.
Load only one type of media (paper or transparencies) in the IN tray.
Note:
Always load a stack
of paper into an empty IN tray rather than placing paper on top of paper
in the IN tray.
Measuring Print
Skew
- Load
a full stack of paper in the printer, but no more than one-half inch
thick.
- Print a page of information that should display a
consistent left margin down the page.
- Take measurements to determine the print skew on
the page.
- Measure
the distance from the left edge of the paper to the upper left corner
of the printout. This is distance “A” in the figure
below.
- Measure the distance from the left edge of the
paper to the lower left corner of the pattern. This is distance
“B” in the figure in this section.
- Measure the vertical distance between “A” and “B.”
This is distance “C” in the figure in this section.
- Use
one of the following equations to determine the print skew on the
page:
- If
A>B, use the equation (A-B)/C
- If B>A, use the equation (B-A)/C
- Repeat
the process on at least 20 pages. The measurement should be within
the print skew specification on 19 out of 20 pages.
- Try
the process again with a different type of paper.
- If the
print skew is consistently out of tolerance, there may be a hardware
problem.
- Check
the pen-to-paper spacing. See the adjustment procedures in the “Adjustments”
chapter.
- The
mechanism may be faulty. Replace the mechanism.
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