When you need to print something quickly and your printer won’t cooperate (and won’t even tell you why! ), there are few things that may make you more frustrated. Dealing with a printer that won’t even acknowledge your existence is more difficult than dealing with photos or text that has faded or has streaky lines across them. Knowing where to start when your printer won’t print will help ease your irritation, regardless of whether you’re seeing an error message that doesn’t match up with reality or your printer is being silent.
Your printer model will determine the precise troubleshooting steps to take, but if you are aware of certain frequent problems, you may look out answers fast for your particular device. Manufacturers provide online tools to assist you in solving your most difficult printer problems, and we’ve got some fundamental advice right here!
Jam Paper and Ghost Jams
There are a few possible causes of paper jams, according to your printer. First, check to see that the paper is positioned correctly in the paper tray. Even a slight askewness in your paper might soon cause a blockage. The issue is typically resolved by taking the paper out of the machine and better aligning it with the feeding components. Paper trays are made to contain a certain amount of paper. It might only carry 100 sheets for some people while holding a complete ream for others.
The recommended paper capacity for your printer should be listed in the user manual. An overfilled paper tray will cause your printer to immediately signal a paper jam. Additionally, check sure the printer’s paper or media type selection matches the print project you are now working on. Printers include settings for a variety of paper types, including presentation paper, picture paper, and card stock. A paper jam can be caused by thicker paper if the settings are incorrect, however the problem can be immediately fixed by switching the paper type.
The rollers that pull paper from the tray and feed it to the printer are known as pick up rollers. These components may ultimately need to be replaced as they have been known to jam after prolonged usage.
There is likely a mechanical issue at hand when your printer reports a paper jam when there isn’t one. But hold off on throwing your printer into a field! Neal Poole noticed that frequently actual paper jams might leave behind residue that interfered with printer performance even after the jam is gone while looking for a fix for a ghost-jammed HP® printer.
Your printer could assume there is something stuck in the rear duplexer rather than the gear if there are tiny bits of shredded paper stuck between the gears that move the duplexer. Check that the mechanical components around your phantom jam are in good working order (some models give you a more precise idea where the jam is located, especially for more complex office units). Here is a helpful method that was provided on Fixya:
The HP® OfficeJet® L7680 is specifically mentioned here, however the main ideas apply to many printer types and manufacturers.
- Grab any of the four rollers after removing the rear duplexer. They move freely, right? If not, the following action is required.
- Use a paper clip to touch two of the brass contact points. You should keep this contact open throughout the last step since bridging it causes the printer to believe the duplexer is still in place.
- On the control panel, click OK.
- Look at the white plastic gears on the left-side of the machine. Do they move without stalling, skipping, freezing, or jamming? If the second situation applies, you need to remove paper fragments from the gears.
- Rotate while holding the furthest rubber roller. Inspect the gear teeth for paper fragments.
- You may take out the paper clip and reassemble after the rollers and gears are able to spin freely after the ghost jam has been freed.
- If after cleaning you are still receiving a paper jam notification, unplug your printer to reset the sensors.