Before you start
- Switch the printer off and unplug it before reaching inside.
- On laser printers, let it cool for several minutes. The fuser near the output can be hot enough to burn.
- Do not use tools such as knives or tweezers inside the printer, and never force a part that does not move easily.
Remove the sheet the right way
- Open the doors and trays your printer’s display or manual points to. Many printers have a rear door or duplex unit as well as the front.
- Hold the paper with both hands and pull slowly in the direction it normally travels. Pulling backwards against the rollers can tear the sheet or damage the mechanism.
- If the sheet tears, find every piece. A small corner left behind is the most common cause of repeat jams.
Finding hidden fragments
Use a torch to look along the paper path, around rollers and under the cartridge or drum area. If the printer still reports a jam after you have removed all visible paper, a fragment may be sitting on a sensor, or a sensor flag may be stuck. That needs inspection rather than another attempt.
Stop jams coming back
- Fan and square the stack before loading, and do not fill above the tray’s maximum mark.
- Set the guides so they touch the paper without bending it.
- Match the paper setting to what is in the tray, especially for card, labels or envelopes.
- Store paper flat and dry. Damp or curled paper jams even in healthy printers.
- Do not mix paper types in one tray.
When to book a repair
Book a repair if jams happen in the same place on most jobs, several sheets feed at once, paper comes out creased or skewed, or the printer reports jams with no paper inside. Those point to worn rollers, a separation pad or a sensor.
General guidance only. Follow your printer’s manual and safety warnings, and unplug the printer before reaching inside.
