Possibly the most expensive labels I've ever used

[major_clanger]

Noises that laser printers aren't meant to make: Graunchhh...

The manual for our very nice colour laser printer doesn't say "don't try to print on labels". It does warn you to make sure that the labels you are going to use are suitable for use with laser printers, but then since the ones I picked up yesterday do actually say "for inkjet, laser printer and copier" on the packet, I rather assumed I'd covered this angle.

Which is why I was rather annoyed to find myself with the printer in bits as I carefully peeled two wayward labels off the (delicate and expensive) image transfer belt. The damage doesn't seem to be terminal, but there's evidently some residue left behind as we're now getting mild but definitely visible blotching. I've emailed Minolta tech support to ask if there's any way of cleaning a transfer belt - I'd be hesitant to try any solvents without checking carefully - and in the mean time have dragged out the old Deskjet to finish the label job.

Bugger, bugger and more bugger. This is definitely the weekend for mechanical devices to gang up on me: a whole load of components on my car have all worn out together (cunning design there!) resulting in an MOT bill of very painful proportions. Was it something I said?

Comments

[purplecthulhu.livejournal.com]

I think you'd have a case for complaint against the company that sold you the labels that were claimed to be usable in a laser. They would appear not to have been fit for purpose...

[major-clanger.livejournal.com]

That has occurred to me and if I can't fix the ITB problem I may pursue such action.

[bellinghman.livejournal.com]

Even now, I'm amazed that any labels are ever sold suitable for use in any printer.

Or that any printer is ever rated safe to use any labels in, if you prefer.

I have in the past use isopropyl alcohol to remove labels from an amorphous silicon printer drum. In the dark. Because the damned drum was not allowed to be exposed to strong light, and at £1000 a piece, I wasn't taking any risks.

[major-clanger.livejournal.com]

The transfer belt is made of (or at least coated with) very smooth, very shiny black rubber. As such, exposure to light isn't a problem, but I am cautious about using any solvents on it. If all else fails, I am inclined to try filtered water applied with moist cotton wool, or at most a weak solution of detergent. WD-40 claims to be safe on rubber but I'd be very nervous about using it.

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

Which model is the printer - I'm thinking of getting one, but I'd need it to handle labels pretty well for obvious reasons.

[major-clanger.livejournal.com]

A Konica-Minolta Magicolor 2350. I think it's no longer in production and has been replaced by the 2450. In most respects it's a good printer and it doesn't seem to have an especially convoluted paper path, so I am still inclined to think the labels are at fault. But, as bellinghman notes, it's probably best to avoid running labels through laser printers. (Yes, they can equally well come off in ink-jets, but there's less in the way of expensive gubbins to mess up if they do.)

[bohemiancoast.livejournal.com]

Critically, don't ever use any labels that are described as 'multi-purpose'. Personally, I only ever use labels made by Avery; they're expensive, but although I've had jams I have never had a label-stuck-to-roller incident -- and I have used many many labels.