Paper pick kit
It sounds even better when an HP tech support dude from India says it.
So the HP Photosmart 3110 multifunction printer we got at the end of last year has been screwing up on and off, especially with the paper feed. You need to entice the printer to take up paper by patting it gently and saying kind words to it. So I gave HP support a call a few months ago, and they recommended physically cleaning the paper rollers from the back of the printer with a cloth, and then doing this media sense calibration thing. That fixed the problem, for about 1 print. Then I couldn’t be bothered calling them up again until this week.
Gave them a call, quoted the reference number from before, and they sent me this ‘paper pick pit’, also known as an ‘HP Paper Feed Cleaning Kit’. It’s basically a plastic tray with a rough patch at the end which you slot into the paper tray and it grinds the paper rollers thanks to the attached software. 24 minutes, loud grinding and a burning rubber smell later, the printer now picks up paper properly, hooray! No more error beeps when trying to print or copy. The photo shows the grinding area and the sanded-off bits of paper roller. Funky. Who would have thought they’d make these things. I guess it’s cheaper than replacing the whole printer, which by the way HP was willing to do if this paper pick kit didn’t do anything. HP support rocks. Too bad the calls are rerouted to India.