P600 Roll Width and Thickness Question

[Greatwhitewing]

Hi, this is probably a dumb question but... the answer alludes me

Epson specifies roll paper thickness between .003 and .004 inches in the published user manual. I looked on the Epson website and there are NO 13" wide roll papers within that thickness range.

I think a safe assumption is the thinner papers will work but they all start thicker than .004"

So how thick can the roll paper paper handling mechanism really handle or is this an error in the manual?

 

[Ink stained Fingers]

one important parameter is the platen gap, the distance between the printhead nozzle plate and the platen, this should be adjustable in the driver, sometimes hidden in some extended paper settings. The P600 should be able to handle all major types of roll paper, the platen gap is probably adjusted automatically via the driver based on the paper selection you do, and there should be some adjustment possible for non-OEM papers.

 

[Greatwhitewing]

I saw that setting in an advanced panel about paper configuration. Default comes with a 3 in the editable box and next to it (0.1 mm) is in parenthesis and not editable, which is confusing in and of itself. If it were 0.1 inches and not mm that's almost 3mm so I am unclear what the number in the box really means unless it's just a number meaning 3 = 0.1mm. New units to learn..lol

There is nothing telling me if the number I type is supposed to be inches or millimeters.

There is a setting for platen gap also which is a choice of standard or wide.

 

[Ink stained Fingers]

It is .3mm, which is pretty much a standard value for thinner to normal papers up to photopapers (~250gr/m2). It depends on the printer model whether you just have the standard or wide option or a more incremental adjustment in the driver. If you are unsure with thicker papers just run a quick test with both settings. The printhead should not leave streaks and traces on the paper.

 

[Greatwhitewing]

My biggest question is why does Epson specify a roll paper thickness range and none of their papers meet it? In my short search I found NO roll paper that thin. The printer obviously accepts thicker paper than .004 inches (or .11 mm) so why not say so? Looking for an excuse to void warranty, says my paranoid side?

They also go on to say any paper over .11 mm is considered thick paper and to be fed from front like a poster board or art paper.

I don't know if this an error or they are really serious to consider a .005 INCH paper THICK!

My quite thin Epson Premium Glossy is .010 INCH or 0.254 mm over which is twice the "limit" of the sheet feeder.

I understand your answer about the number in the box and it makes sense now but I am trained to think like a mechanical engineer when parenthesis are used it's a secondary dimension for dual dimensioned drawings or a reference only dimension.

 

[Ink stained Fingers]

I am trained to think like a mechanical engineer

I think you should relax a little bit and assume that such publications are probably not written exactly against such drawing standards you refer to. And it's not the first time that people get it wrong with the inches and millimeters etc - even several times in space activities - Mars landers etc.

 

[Greatwhitewing]

I am relaxed. I am am just seeing something that "appears" to be an error and see if someone else might have some insight or be able to reconcile it. Large manufacturers take great pains in what they publish so it's most likely there for a reason.
I made a lot of mistakes my first go around with printing a few years ago by assuming and not paying attention to details. I don't want to ruin a $750 printer.

 

[Ink stained Fingers]

I checked one of my roll papers, a medium heavy (250gr/m2) semiglossy paper which measures 0.25mm thick which would make 0.01 inches, send them an e-mail and ask for clarification.
https://files.support.epson.com/docid/cpd4/cpd41370.pdf
The rollpaper spec on pp 194-195 is the same as for plain paper -
17 lb (64 g/m2) to 20 lb (90 g/m2) which does not make sense for this type of printer.

But when looking to this manual
ftp://download.epson-europe.com/pub/download/3796/epson379627eu.pdf on p112
you'll see Epson premium photo papers listed as roll papers. That's not a good visibility overall
of these details.

 

[Greatwhitewing]

When I am ready for roll paper I'll just pick the surface I like and not sweat it but still scratching my head.

I was looking for a place to ask Epson the question but all I saw was a phone number and wasn't in the mood for 300 menu selections only to get disconnected...