I am new and have never done a signing before. I am so confused about scanbacks and laser printers. Why do you need a second tray? Do the documents come mixed with letter and legal size in the same stack? I currently have an Hp laser printer that has one tray that can be converted from letter to legal size. Do I still need a dual tray printer?
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Second tray makes your life easier by not having to swap out paper; also saves you money because legal paper is extremely expensive; yes, packages are scanned in to you in both sizes…a second tray just makes your life easier and your business more efficient.
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Do you have to order some kind of special add-on in order to make the printer draw from the right tray when the paper size changes?
You’d need to buy a second paper tray and install it, then configure the printer in your printer settings to set what paper is in which tray and get it set to automatically pull from the correct tray.
First though, I’d strongly suggest you look up your printer specs and make sure your printer is capable of adding a second tray - some are not.
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Thank you. Your feedback really helped.
Starting out, one can use a single-tray printer. There are tools out there that will allow you to print one, then the other and provide a map to bring them together.
For example, there’s Notary Rotary PDF Sorter (https://www.notaryrotary.com/mc/pdfsorter.asp) and SnapDocs allows you to download the documents broken-out (see https://support.snapdocs.com/hc/en-us/articles/115013357247-How-to-download-loan-documents-by-letter-and-legal-size).
As you move forward, you’ll probably find the investment in a multi-tray printer, especially with packages over 100-200 pages long (often the most profitable).
My last few tray add-ons averaged around $200 in addition to the price of the printer. If your not sure whether a printer can take a second tray, google the spec sheet for the printer, and check the accessories entry - the tray would be listed there.
FYI, used multi-tray printers are available on ebay for $100-250 including shipping. These older printers also have the advantage of using non-manufacturer (third-party) toner.
One note: often one tray being 100-300 pgs; the other(s) something like 550 or 1050;choose which tray gets the legal by what your most common closings use). I’ve even played with a separator page (in blue) on a 3-tray printer.
As far as scanbacks are concerned, a couple of issues:
- You need to have adequate time to make the scan to make the scans between signing and overnight courier deadline. This can sometimes be difficult.
- Often, a scanback means going to the signer’s location, returning to the home/office to scan, then heading out to drop off the overnight package (if not being picked up).
- You have to have a device that’s capable of scanning with a sheetfeeder. Some multi-function printers can do this well, some cant.
- Most MFP’s scan one size (letter or legal) at once, requiring you to break out the document. A scanner that can handle automatic size detection is really handy.
- Your time has value; a scanback, to me, represents at least $25 additional in the job cost (depending upon size, much more).
- If I get notified of the job and the scanback is added as “a detail” (like additional signers, notary-supplied witnesses, etc…), either the price is adjusted or I refuse the job.
Finally, albeit a personal view, I do not recommend either debt resolution or reverse mortgages.
The debt resolution marketplace is rife with scammers that harm consumers, and often these arrangement put the notary at risk.
I avoid reverse mortgages for a different reason. On both the application and the closing process, the signers are often difficult, do not understand the transaction and do not understand that the signing agent is not making the loan. I had one that finally let me go after an hour and a half; we were three (3) pages in to the 125 page package (in fairness, the lender paid me 100%, even though we got nowhere - they talked to him and took pity on me, I guess).
Good luck, and welcome to the fold.
HWB.