Post AzXaVUX4WJZ42gGZw8 by llewelly@sauropods.win
(DIR) More posts by llewelly@sauropods.win
(DIR) Post #AzXQMSnwZlwWXGDMg4 by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-10-24T15:21:44Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
Years ago I was told not to put the copier paper in “upside down” at my first office job. The correct way was to open the seam on the back then drop in no less than a full ream to “prevent jams” — naturally I still do this: I’m superstitious about printers and have never had problems with jamming. However, when looking into if this was true I encountered three answers:1. That is office hazing2. This was true once but no longer 3. It’s true but not that important Does anyone know?
(DIR) Post #AzXQez9b2bNu4rAroG by independentpen@mas.to
2025-10-24T15:25:02Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird I'm guessing it's not hazing, because it's barely an inconvenience and wouldn't make for much of a gotcha story
(DIR) Post #AzXQjrrJafnYttx2si by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-10-24T15:25:57Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
There is a notion that all paper is slightly curved— so it’s better to run it one way than the other. This sounds just possible enough to be true. But, the kind of person who would give this advice was the kind of person who could make the printer work— so I follow the rituals—
(DIR) Post #AzXQr0Qi7ejxVfuYPw by rk@mastodon.well.com
2025-10-24T15:27:12Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird I don’t think it’s hazing, but I also don’t think it’s true. I’d guess (guess!) it’s perpetuated superstition. You are an adherent of Printerism. There’s also the heretical sect of the Top Openers, declared anathema in the Break Room Synod of 1996.
(DIR) Post #AzXQrzJjkCPILi7LW4 by cammerman@mstdn.social
2025-10-24T15:27:22Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird I'm 99.9% sure that all of this is either hazing or superstition.The only thing I think is a reasonable caution/advice is to fan the edge of the stack that you put in facing the feeder, to try to reduce the likelihood of it grabbing multiple pages at once.
(DIR) Post #AzXQsRkI34HgWAkwnA by sewblue@sfba.social
2025-10-24T15:27:16Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird It likely depends on the printer and how it operates.At work printers were like this, put in an entire rehm of paper once with minimal fussing worth it. It preferred paper straight from the factory, basically. My printer at home? You've got to do batches far smaller than the printer can take and fan them or first to minimize them sticking together. Otherwise you will 2 pages through with each page, or it will jam.
(DIR) Post #AzXQta3AeqyoZ080wK by toerror@mastodon.gamedev.place
2025-10-24T15:27:31Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird I flick carbonated drinks tins to stop them fizzing up before I open them, and similarly, it always works, despite claims it's superstition. I wonder if the world is actually glued together by these little acts of faith, and nothing really works ;)
(DIR) Post #AzXQuVFXzVkRxtMCe0 by aadeacon@mastodon.social
2025-10-24T15:27:42Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird If it works don't knock it.
(DIR) Post #AzXQvRHgDjutxInj1M by pauliehedron@infosec.exchange
2025-10-24T15:27:49Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird I heard items 2 and 3. Unless the ream has an arrow on the edge identifying the printing side, I stopped worrying about it 20+ years ago.
(DIR) Post #AzXQxtV4HkwS2qEYzY by david_chisnall@infosec.exchange
2025-10-24T15:28:27Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird Way back, we had copier paper that was smoother one one side than the other. I don't think it caused jams if you got it the wrong way around, but you'd get some smudging if you printed on the wrong side. When double-sided copiers became more common, I think this kind of paper went away.
(DIR) Post #AzXQypP30IaXcxrZey by sollat@masto.ai
2025-10-24T15:28:32Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird I do no such thing, other than loosening the wrapping enough not to mess up the edges of the paper. Copy paper is packed into stacks in boxes and boxes on pallets. It is very flat.
(DIR) Post #AzXR2xawUMDKBzOgk4 by EverydayMoggie@sfba.social
2025-10-24T15:29:22Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
I used to work in digital print production. We printed thousands of pages every day. I was taught to hold up a ream of paper to find its natural curl direction, and also to fan the paper so the sheets wouldn't stick together.@futurebird
(DIR) Post #AzXRAeZL6tMBV9Jdy4 by cammerman@mstdn.social
2025-10-24T15:30:46Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird I don't think there's any way to know which way the curve is facing inside the packaging. And also: a printer curves the page around multiple times, at least once in each direction. So I'm not sure how much it could matter.
(DIR) Post #AzXRcIYuWbRVMAIVGK by albertcardona@mathstodon.xyz
2025-10-24T15:35:45Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird Confirmation bias at play. Do the experiments? As in, put it in the other way, or in smaller blocks rather than the whole thing, etc.
(DIR) Post #AzXRlQvqm66DvDNobA by TerryHancock@realsocial.life
2025-10-24T15:37:23Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebirdWell. I know a full ream is too much paper for my printer's paper tray.I do usually thumb the paper apart and pat it flat to avoid paper sticking together to cause a jam.I suspect it was "office hazing"?🤔
(DIR) Post #AzXRo9mT020hb3ICw4 by beandreams@friendhole.social
2025-10-24T15:37:41Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird I don't know the answer but I love this story. I swear printers spawn more superstitions than any other type of equipment
(DIR) Post #AzXS3fhQbnaEw0Kldo by anguinea@mstdn.social
2025-10-24T15:40:41Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird That makes a sense that it’s a little curved if it was on a huge roll prior to being trimmed to size. And I know there are two slightly different surfaces to paper and the pack often has a arrow to let you know which is the better side. We were advised keep it in a solid stack, too, but to fan one end of the stack with a thumb to separate the pages to prevent jams. Our machine was eager to swallow and choke on multiple sheets.
(DIR) Post #AzXSjmbLL17uVEZH9c by paelse@mastodon.online
2025-10-24T15:48:19Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird I've never been in an office environment as such, but I've done my fair share of copying.My first experience with putting paper in a photocopier was in 1979 or so.Then, it was advisable to hold the stack of paper between both hands, bend it slightly, and blow forcefully at the long edge before loading them, to make sure the sheets separated properly when going through the machine.Eventually, this procedure seemed to become unnecessary.
(DIR) Post #AzXSlpewwGTMZCERuK by JamesWidman@mastodon.social
2025-10-24T15:48:41Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird if it's true, it would have to be mentioned in the manual for that specific model of printer (which is probably still online somewhere in PDF form)
(DIR) Post #AzXTHwBMDsoq3yhQhc by quoidian@mastodon.online
2025-10-24T15:54:29Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird 1. You Have Been Hazed.
(DIR) Post #AzXTKS4KdjtLXMc1PU by BenAveling@mastodon.ie
2025-10-24T15:54:57Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird the wrapping on printer paper used to say which side should be preferred for printing. My current ream doesn't, so I guess either 2, or maybe 2 & 3.
(DIR) Post #AzXUBz30kxvXAOWKe0 by jjLitke@wandering.shop
2025-10-24T16:04:32Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird I don't think that it's hazing. Like, "I got the new person to open the paper and load the printer in a neat and orderly way, ha ha," just doesn't have real zing or hilarity to it. Whether truly needed or not, whoever told you that probably believed it to be true.And you're right about paper curl, so it could make a difference, especially with a touchy printer.
(DIR) Post #AzXUGOFsydRAVNdy76 by temporal_spider@masto.ai
2025-10-24T16:05:25Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird I used to dabble in papermaking, and have observed the material behaves differently than we might expect based on our experience with other materials that are superficially similar. Once you scoop the fiber onto your screen, that's it. You can affect the surface by smoothing or whatever, but the underlying structure and direction of the fibers is what it is.
(DIR) Post #AzXUMYz7zsbXWJkUfQ by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-10-24T16:06:33Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@letsbekind2 In the orthodoxy i came up in seam up.
(DIR) Post #AzXUaCmdL3HwiYPSe8 by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-10-24T16:09:02Z
0 likes, 1 repeats
@albertcardona The people who don’t follow “the way of loading” always have jams on their big jobs— but this could just be because they are the kind of people that machines dislike— I used to not think this was real but I’ve met people and thing just always break when they try to use them.
(DIR) Post #AzXV8FB2weXdzI3kdk by EverydayMoggie@sfba.social
2025-10-24T16:15:09Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
My housemate is one of those people. Laptops just die around her, for no good reason.@futurebird @albertcardona
(DIR) Post #AzXVNSGIZw3auellFQ by dmarti@federate.social
2025-10-24T16:17:53Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird @albertcardona I have had the same experience. Sometimes I have been helping someone with a computer or printer problem and have had to ask them, please step away just for a minute, you're stressing it out. And when they stand back and take a deep breath the thing starts working
(DIR) Post #AzXVYgoknjAXF4F6a8 by dragonfrog@mastodon.sdf.org
2025-10-24T16:19:53Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird @albertcardona most machines are ok around me, but gas pumps where you pay at the pump will go into a screaming panic cycle if I touch them. Can't even start over, have to move the car to another pump.
(DIR) Post #AzXVuweWbixUiy4QEK by mrcopilot@mstdn.social
2025-10-24T16:23:55Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird The method of friction grabbing works best on uniform stacks. Adding small stacks introduces slight skewing and if done sloppily can produce jams in the most well engineered paper paths.However testing often involves stacks and feedings of all sizes to reduce this problem as much as possible.So, I must admit, all 3 answers are factual.
(DIR) Post #AzXWSjglJUYoMaEI4m by fritzoids@mas.to
2025-10-24T16:30:03Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird @albertcardona I once read that carrying a small screwdriver with you will scare the machines into doing what you want them to.I just bing an "I am not afraid of taking you apart" energy to the machine; I also cuss at printers when they've misbehaved for someone else. It works for me.
(DIR) Post #AzXWqlY634xd5BdPQu by ryan@m29.us
2025-10-24T16:34:19Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird Interesting, the superstition I learned for loading copy paper into the tray (and still keep doing for my home laser printer) is the exact opposite: you need to fan out the ream a bit before loading it into the tray, to prevent jams.
(DIR) Post #AzXaVUX4WJZ42gGZw8 by llewelly@sauropods.win
2025-10-24T16:33:08Z
0 likes, 1 repeats
@beandreams @futurebird tarot deck:* stack of paper* all look the same until drawn, then there's a meaning* reasons for what was drawn are complex and obscurecopier/printer paper:* stack of paper* all look the same until drawn, then there's a meaning* reasons for what was drawn are complex and obscure
(DIR) Post #AzXaiBsvA9fByLXdku by HappytoBe@mastodon.social
2025-10-24T17:17:40Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird I don't have an unopened ream to double check this is still true, but it used to be the wrapper around the ream would say "use this side up" with an arrow showing which side.
(DIR) Post #AzXeV5ezOWC2id2A1w by paulc@mstdn.social
2025-10-24T18:00:06Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird I go with true once but no longer. Copiers are my enemy. I remember in my younger days copier/printer jams being very common. I very rarely see them these days. I work in IT.I remember the paper sides being different in the old days. Subtle but I could tell the difference, I think it had to do with the curl. I bet that both paper and improved paper feeds have made jamming much less frequent.
(DIR) Post #AzXf1S1LnG0hKsvLO4 by paulc@mstdn.social
2025-10-24T18:05:58Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird @albertcardona I remember having to fan paper before putting into the copier.These days I usually don't fan but I make sure it goes in as a neat stack.The worst abuses I see are those who move the sides in the cartridges for the size of paper. Some are so bad that the copier has no idea what size paper is in that cartridge. But usually I never have to think about the paper these days.
(DIR) Post #AzXf8mtcZtBG6fo60e by paulc@mstdn.social
2025-10-24T18:07:15Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird @albertcardona As to whether computers/machiens like or dislike a person, they either like me or fear me (I hope the former). The most common comment I hear when someone is trying to show me the problem they are having is “Of course it is working properly now that you are here.”
(DIR) Post #AzXz9PtVa80w8mKcMq by MennoWolff@ohai.social
2025-10-24T21:51:30Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird I classify this as absolute bs.There might have been a point to this in the very old days, but I can tell you with confidence that neither my printer at home, nor the printer at our office cares at all about paper orientation.Also, if it even was once true that the orientation of the paper mattered it would surely depend on the make and model of your copier/printer at the time.I think it's just one of those things that can't be proven, so whoever said it was always right.
(DIR) Post #AzYCE2VrEv78TanthY by dank@jorts.horse
2025-10-25T00:17:51Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird i spent three years running production at a very busy franchise copy shop. curl is absolutely a thing. the stock should be loaded curl up or down depending on the paper path of the machine. multiple techs and several other machine operators passed this on, and over the millions and millions of pages i've printed, it really makes a difference. it's much more pronounced on thicker stock, but even with regular 20/24lb paper i'd say loading it the wrong way up increases jams 2-5x.
(DIR) Post #AzaoIetgeeBxFvV0ro by KanaMauna@sauropods.win
2025-10-26T06:34:04Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird 4. It was true but probably not for the reasons you were given. Did your office work with preprinted forms?