How to Fix a Paper Jam in Your Office Copier or Printer

Calendar Thursday, October 3rd, 2013

paper jam in printer paper trayAt some point in the process of doing office work, you will experience a paper jam in your copier. Usually, these paper jams happen when you are under a tight deadline and you need copies immediately. Do not panic. Do not kick the copier. With a few simple steps you can fix that paper jam and get your office copier or printer up and running.

Steps to Fix a Paper Jam

  1. Turn the copier off before you do anything. This is important. You don’t want to injure yourself or damage the copier.
  2. Find the location of the paper jam. Open the cover of the copy machine and remove the paper tray. Once the insides are exposed you should be able to see the jam.
  3. Remove the paper. You want to remove the page in the opposite direction it was fed into the machine. Pull slowly so you do not rip the paper.
  4. Check for any pieces of paper still in the machine. Even if the page you just pulled out is fully intact there may be some paper stuck from the previous use.
  5. Check the roller to make sure it is clear. See if there are any copier parts that are broken or loose. The roller should be clean and smooth all the way across.
  6. Replace the paper tray, close the cover and turn the machine back on. Once the copier is on cancel out the paper jam alert. You should be ready to go.

Having these skills can make you the office hero, but you want to be careful when you work on any machines. The last thing you want to do is make the situation worse.

Still Having Copier Issues?

If the copier is still not working, you should call a copier technician and let them take care of it. There is no sense in continuing to work on the machine when you could make it worse. Most large office copiers come with a service plan. You might as well use it since the company is paying for it.

If there is no other copy machine in the office you can always head to a local copy shop to get your copies done. It is not ideal but it will get the job done.

If your copier is continually jamming or breaking down it may be time for a new one. UCI in Amarillo, Texas provides a large selection of copiers that can fit any budget or workload. They also offer repair and maintenance for your current copy machine and boast a four hour or less technical response time. Contact this premier Amarillo copier company today.