HP 8610 picks up multiple sheets when printing.

[Geek-9pm]

This is about an HP all-in-one printer. The 8610 is similar to other HP printers in the same model series,  8520, 8630  etc.
http://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/c04204791.pdf

This HP 8610 is over a year old, so I can not send it back now. The first year I did a lot of printing with no big problems. But now, it is wasting ink, paper and my nerves. When printing a job, either single or duplex, it will pick up 2, 3 or even more sheets of paper. It is standard 20lb letter paper I have always used.

Yes, I have cleaned the rulers time and time again. There does not seem to be any kind of adjustment to correct this. A Google check shows this problem is frequent on HP printers in the model group. The suggestions by HP on forums do not after a real fix.

Any ideas?

[Salmon Trout]

I always shingle the paper before loading. I mean grip the stack at one end and flap it slightly to make the sheets separate from each other.

[Geek-9pm]

Yes, that does help. Nut not always. Your remark caught my eye and I did a Google. Turns out there are two recent patents from Pitney Bowes Inc. for a devise called a
"Shingle media item feed tray with spring loaded self locking sled
US 7427063 B2"
and-
"Multimode stack and shingle document feeder
US 7699303 B2"

So one might guess that HP did not wish to use the design of Pitney Bowes. Or it would seem so. Or maybe it just wears out.

I never hears of shingle document before. New to me.

[Salmon Trout]

I learned the term when I was working in an office doing bulk print runs with some big old HP laser printers. They had rather worn out rollers and in an economy drive the company had switched to cheaper recycled paper. They started getting lots of double feeds. An old guy who remembered the days of mimeographs said "try shingling the paper". As well as flapping the stack you can do this to the stack - give the short ends a slope - I have exaggerated the scale


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Also you can try adjusting the guides in the paper tray (if there are any) to make them tight to put a little pressure on the sides of the stack. Lastly you might try a different weight or type of paper (more/less glossy).