Epson ET-8550 Tray 2 Paper Skew: How to Fix Crooked Paper Feeding and Alignment Problems

Question

I watched your Epson ET-8550 rear paper feed repair video about worn rollers, the D-shaft, and hopper. I have a related issue: the regular Tray 2 does not always pull the paper in perfectly straight. When I print something that needs precise alignment, I can see noticeable skewing. What could be causing this, and how can I fix it?

Answer

For the Epson ET-8550, if Tray 2 is pulling the paper slightly crooked, the issue is usually related to paper loading, tray alignment, pickup roller wear, separation pad condition, side guide pressure, or mechanical resistance inside the paper path. Since the printer is still feeding paper but not feeding it perfectly straight, we are likely dealing with a skew problem rather than a complete paper-feed failure.

The first thing I would check is the paper itself and how it sits inside Tray 2. Make sure the paper stack is flat, not curled, not wavy, and not overfilled. Even a small curl on one edge can cause one side of the paper to touch the pickup roller slightly earlier than the other side. That small difference at the beginning becomes visible skew by the time the sheet reaches the print area. This becomes especially noticeable when printing borders, templates, stickers, transfers, alignment sheets, photos, or anything requiring exact positioning.

Next, check the side guides in Tray 2. The paper guides should touch the paper lightly but should not squeeze it. If the guides are too loose, the paper can shift before pickup. If they are too tight, they can create drag on one side, causing the paper to enter at an angle. A common mistake is pushing one side guide inward too hard, which slightly bows the paper stack. The paper should sit squarely in the tray with just enough guide contact to keep it from moving side to side.

Also check whether the rear paper edge is sitting evenly against the back stop of the tray. If the stack is not seated squarely, the printer may start feeding from a crooked position. Remove the paper, fan the stack, tap it on a flat surface to square all four edges, and reload it. Then slide the guides gently against the paper again.

If the loading and guides look good, the next area to inspect is the pickup roller. Tray 2 uses rollers to grab the top sheet and start the feeding process. If the roller surface is worn, glazed, dirty, or has uneven grip from side to side, the roller may pull one side of the sheet faster than the other. This causes skew. On the ET-8550, this can happen gradually, especially if the printer has handled glossy photo paper, thick media, labels, transfer paper, or dusty paper.

You can try cleaning the pickup roller with a lint-free cloth lightly dampened with distilled water. Do not soak the roller, and do not use strong solvents because they can damage the rubber. Rotate the roller and clean the full surface as much as possible. If you see shiny, hardened, cracked, or flattened rubber, cleaning may not be enough. In that case, the roller may need to be replaced or restored.

The separation pad or friction pad is another possible cause. Its job is to help separate one sheet from the stack. If one side of the pad is worn more than the other, or if dust and paper coating have built up on it, the paper may not release evenly. This can cause the printer to pull one side ahead of the other. Clean the separation area carefully and inspect for uneven wear, paper dust, adhesive residue, or small scraps of paper.

Since your question is related to the rear feed repair video about worn rollers, the D-shaft, and hopper, it is worth mentioning that Tray 2 skew can have a similar root cause: uneven pickup force. In the rear feed, skew often happens when the hopper, D-shaft, or rollers do not lift and grab the paper evenly. In Tray 2, the same principle applies. If one side of the pickup mechanism has more pressure or better grip than the other side, the paper will enter the printer at an angle.

You should also inspect the tray itself. Make sure Tray 2 is not warped, cracked, or slightly mis-seated. Remove the tray and reinstall it carefully. Check that it slides in evenly and locks into position. If the tray is not sitting squarely inside the printer, the paper may begin feeding from a slightly angled position. Also look for any small paper pieces, broken plastic tabs, foreign objects, or dried ink buildup inside the tray path.

Another thing to check is the paper type setting. If the printer thinks it is feeding one type of paper but the actual paper is thicker, slicker, or heavier, the feed timing and roller pressure may not be ideal. For precise printing, make sure the paper type and size in the printer settings match the actual paper. For thick or specialty media, Tray 2 may not always be the best feed path. The rear feed can sometimes give better alignment for specialty paper because the paper path is straighter and the sheet is not pulled from a stacked cassette in the same way.

If the skew only happens with certain paper, then the problem may not be the printer alone. Glossy paper, sublimation paper, DTF-related sheets, sticker paper, cardstock, and curled transfer paper can all feed less consistently than plain copy paper. Test with fresh, flat, standard letter-size copy paper. If plain paper feeds straight but specialty paper skews, then the printer's mechanism may be acceptable, but the media may need to be flattened, loaded in smaller stacks, or fed through a different paper path.

If the skew happens with all paper, including plain paper, then I would focus more on the Tray 2 pickup roller, separation pad, tray seating, and internal paper path alignment. You may also want to print a test page with straight vertical and horizontal lines to confirm whether the problem is paper skew during feeding or a print alignment issue. If the paper itself is feeding straight but the printed image is angled or distorted, then the issue may involve printhead alignment, encoder strip contamination, carriage movement, or software scaling. However, if the physical sheet is entering crooked, then it is a paper-feed problem.

There is also a difference between paper skew and image shift. Paper skew means the sheet is physically pulled in at an angle. Image shift means the paper may feed straight, but the printed content is not positioned where expected. If you are doing precision work, both can look similar at first. Watch the sheet as it begins feeding. If one corner enters before the other, that is true skew. If the sheet enters straight but the image prints off-position, then you may need to check print settings, borderless expansion, scaling, paper size selection, and printhead alignment.

For practical troubleshooting, I would try the following steps:

1. Remove the paper from Tray 2 and square the stack on a flat surface.

2. Reload fewer sheets instead of a full stack.

3. Make sure the side guides touch the paper lightly without squeezing it.

4. Confirm the paper is flat and not curled.

5. Test with standard copy paper.

6. Clean the Tray 2 pickup roller with a lightly dampened lint-free cloth.

7. Inspect and clean the separation pad or friction area.

8. Remove and reseat Tray 2 to make sure it is installed squarely.

9. Check for paper scraps, broken tabs, or debris inside the tray path.

10. Confirm the correct paper size and paper type are selected in the driver and printer menu.

11. For high-precision or specialty media, try the rear feed path and compare the result.

If cleaning improves the problem but does not fully solve it, the roller or separation pad may be worn. If there is no improvement at all, then I would inspect the tray alignment and internal feed mechanism more closely. A worn pickup roller usually causes intermittent slipping, delayed pickup, or skew that varies from page to page. A tray alignment issue tends to create skew more consistently in the same direction.

For precise work on the ET-8550, I usually recommend keeping the paper stack small, using flat media, and avoiding side-guide pressure. If the project requires very accurate registration, the rear feed may produce better results than Tray 2, especially with thicker or coated media. Tray 2 is convenient, but it is not always the most precise path for specialty printing.

Addressing printer issues can be a complicated affair because many of these problems require hands-on inspection, testing, and adjustment. For that reason, we are not able to provide remote troubleshooting, repair suggestions, or individualized support for printer repairs. We do offer an in-person evaluation and repair service through our local diagnostic facility: BCH Technologies Printer Repair Service [https://bchtechnologies.com/printer-repair-service]. Because demand is high, we operate on a first-come, first-served basis, so it may take a few weeks before your printer can be dropped off. Our services are structured to repair either a complete printer or specific parts, with clear instructions on how to proceed. However, we understand that our rates are not always the most economical option. Therefore, we strongly recommend using self-help resources and online research whenever possible. You can start by checking YouTube or visiting our channel homepage at BCH Technologies on YouTube [https://youtube.com/@bchtechnologies]. Look for specific videos by using the search icon next to "About" on the right-hand side of the menu bar. I receive dozens of questions every day asking about videos for specific topics. Since we have been creating videos for the past nine years, it is difficult to remember every single one. YouTube's search function is usually the most efficient way to find the right topic, and YouTube may also suggest relevant repair videos from other channels that can help.

Thanks again for your question and for watching our Epson ET-8550 repair content. For your Tray 2 skewing issue, I would start with paper loading, side-guide pressure, roller cleaning, tray seating, and testing with plain paper. Those checks will usually tell you whether the problem is caused by the media, the cassette setup, or a worn paper-feed component.