offbeat question

OK, a while back I got a French press, and I use it from time to time when I don't want a whole pot of coffee.

But I'm being baffled by how to empty it. After pressing, the coffee is pretty compacted. For a while I was running some tap water into the carafe and pouring the mixture into the disposal. But then I noticed that my disposal wasn't actually chewing up and passing on the crushed beans; they were just accumulating. So I cleared them out (yikes!) but that method doesn't seem like a good one anymore. But if I rinse the residue to loosen it, there's going to be more liquid than I want to pour into the kitchen trash can.

What do other people do?

a printer question

And while I'm at it, does anyone have experience with Canon i560 laser printers? Mine won't feed paper in. I hadn't used it for a while and now when I try to print something it says it's out of paper. There's paper there. I take it out and put it back. I've turned it on and turned it off, unplugged it and plugged it back in, even. I've run the feed-roller self-cleaning protocol. I've partially disassembled it to get out what was rattling inside when I picked it up (turned out to be a catfood kibble--don't ask). But nothing will get it to recongnize that, yes, there *is* paper there!

Help!