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How to Avoid Paper Jams in an Office Printer
Most paper jams come from damp paper, an overfilled tray, or sheets pushed too far into the feed.
Keep paper wrapped in a dry cupboard, fill the tray to the line and let the rollers pick the sheet up themselves.
Keep paper dry
Paper soaks up moisture from the air.
Damp sheets curl and stick together, so the rollers pull two at once or catch a bent edge.
Paper makers suggest storing it where the humidity sits between 35 and 55 percent.
In most offices that means a cupboard away from the kitchen, the bathroom and outside walls.
Keep each ream in its wrapper until you need it, and fold the wrapper back over any sheets you do not load.
Store boxes flat on a shelf rather than on the floor.
Do not overfill the tray
Every tray has a fill line marked on the side guide.
Paper stacked above it presses too hard on the pickup roller, and the roller then grabs more than one sheet.
Set the paper guides
The side and back guides hold the stack straight as it feeds.
If they sit loose, the sheet enters at an angle and creases inside the machine.
Slide both guides until they just touch the paper, without bending it.
Use the right paper
Standard office paper is 80 gsm, which is what most office printers are set up to feed.
Very thin or cheap paper curls easily and tears in the paper path.
Heavier card and labels usually belong in the bypass tray, with the paper type set to match on the panel.
Never reload sheets that have already been through the machine, because heat leaves them curled and brittle.
Get your set monthly price
Tell us your monthly page count and we send back one written figure, from $160 a month (plus GST).
Toner, parts, servicing and call outs all sit inside it.
The only thing you ever buy on top is paper.
Load the tray the right way
Pushing the stack hard against the back of the tray bends the leading edge.
That small bend is a common cause of repeat jams.
Fan the ream gently before loading so the sheets separate, then square the stack on a flat surface.
Close the tray slowly rather than slamming it.
How to clear a jam safely
Follow the steps on the control panel, because it shows where the sheet is stuck.
Open only the covers it points to.
Pull the paper out slowly, in the direction it normally travels, so it does not tear.
Check for small scraps, since a torn corner left behind will cause the next jam.
Take care around the fuser, the heated roller near the exit, because it gets very hot.
Close every cover firmly and let the machine reset before you print again.
Keep the machine clean
Paper dust builds up on the rollers and makes them slip.
A slipping roller feeds sheets late or at an angle, and the machine reports a jam.
Regular servicing cleans or replaces the rollers before that happens.
When jams keep coming back
Repeat jams in the same spot usually point to worn rollers or a part that needs adjusting.
Rollers lose their grip over time, and new paper will not fix that.
If the jams keep coming back, our service team can take a look before it turns into downtime.
What causes paper jams and how to stop them
Short, direct answers to what Australian businesses ask us most about this.
What causes most paper jams in an office printer?
Four causes account for most of them.
Paper loaded past the fill line.
Damp or curled paper.
Worn pickup rollers.
Paper guides not set to the sheet size sitting in the tray.
How do I clear a paper jam without damaging the printer?
Open the section the panel names.
Pull the sheet slowly in the direction the paper was travelling.
Pulling backwards through the fuser tears the sheet and leaves fragments that cause the next jam.
Does paper quality actually matter?
Yes.
Use 80 gsm laser or copier grade paper.
Keep it sealed until use, then store it flat and dry.
Inkjet paper, recycled stock with high dust content and paper left open in a humid room all raise the jam rate.
How often should pickup rollers be replaced?
Rollers are a wear part, replaced at a set page count rather than when they fail.
On a service agreement that replacement is scheduled and included.
That is why jam rates fall on maintained machines.
Want the number for your office? Get a set monthly figure in writing.
Not ready for a quote? Ask our AI printer expert, or call 1300 873 460.
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What causes paper jams and how to stop them
Short, direct answers to what Australian businesses ask us most about this.
What causes most paper jams in an office printer?
Four causes account for most of them.
Paper loaded past the fill line.
Damp or curled paper.
Worn pickup rollers.
Paper guides not set to the sheet size sitting in the tray.
How do I clear a paper jam without damaging the printer?
Open the section the panel names.
Pull the sheet slowly in the direction the paper was travelling.
Pulling backwards through the fuser tears the sheet and leaves fragments that cause the next jam.
Does paper quality actually matter?
Yes.
Use 80 gsm laser or copier grade paper.
Keep it sealed until use, then store it flat and dry.
Inkjet paper, recycled stock with high dust content and paper left open in a humid room all raise the jam rate.
How often should pickup rollers be replaced?
Rollers are a wear part, replaced at a set page count rather than when they fail.
On a service agreement that replacement is scheduled and included.
That is why jam rates fall on maintained machines.
Want the number for your office? Get a set monthly figure in writing.
Not ready for a quote? Ask our AI printer expert, or call 1300 873 460.