Jam troubleshooting Jams occur in the printer when print media does not reach or clear a photosensor along the printer paper path within a specific amount of time. The following table contains general questions and topics to explore before troubleshooting. Table 34. General jam troubleshooting questions Locating and correcting jams See "Pickup/feed system" in chapter 5 for an account of the operation of the paper-feed system. After reading that section, use the diagrams listed below to locate and troubleshoot the possible causes of the jam. See figure 165, “Printer paper path, sensors, and signals,” on page 220. See figure 166, “Tray 3 paper path, sensors, and signal lever,” on page 221.
The process of correcting jams might be simplified by categorizing jams according to frequency, location, and type of jam. See figure 158, “Frequency of jams process flow,” on page 194 and figure 159, “Location of jams” on page 195. See figure 167, “General printer-component locations (1 of 2),” on page 222. C7058-90936 Media-handling problems 193 Problem Action What is the frequency of the jams (for example: continuous, one jam per 100 pages, one jam per 1000 pages)? Verify with the customer. See “Troubleshooting with control-panel messages” on page 182 and “Status-log messages” on page 198, and evaluate the Status Log. Do jams occur with a specific type of media?
Try using media that you know is of good quality. See “Media troubleshooting” on page 209 Where does the leading edge of the first sheet of media in the printer paper path stop when a jam occurs? Are any sheets damaged or torn? Attempt to duplicate the problem. Inspect the paper path and all paper path mechanical assemblies located before the leading edge of the jam. Use the chapter 3 to aid in locating jams. Is the customer loading the trays or cassettes correctly? Observe the customer loading media. Instruct the customer to break the ream, and not to fan the media. See “Media troubleshooting” on page 209 Is the customer overfilling the trays or cassettes?
Observe the customer loading media in the trays or cassettes. Make sure that the media is not over the maximum fill marks in the trays or cassettes. Are the tray guides set correctly? Make sure all front and rear tray 2 and optional 250-sheet or 500-sheet feeder guides are set correctly. Does the printer need cleaning? Inspect the paper path and paper-path rollers.