Tips For Preventing Paper Jams

Paper jams can be annoying and time-consuming. Want to keep your printer working smoothly? Keep reading for tips on doing just that.

Can Your Printer Handle Your Chosen Media with Creating a Paper Jam?

Not all printers can handle card stock, t-shirt transfers, labels, envelopes, bumper stickers, glossy photo paper, and more. Some only accept standard 20-lb. paper. Be sure to check your printer’s manual before you buy media. If you don’t have any documentation for your printer, check out the manufacturer’s website. Many of them offer user guides to download or read online. When buying media such as labels or photo paper, it’s best to buy a brand that says it’s inkjet or laser compatible, to match the type of printer you have.  A generic stock may work but it may also cause your printer to jam. Inkjet printers lay the ink down and may not work well on certain types of coated paper. Laserjet printers use heat to melt toner onto a page . It is important to make sure the media surface won’t melt or cause problems inside your printer.

What Sizes of Paper Will My Printer Accept?

All printers have minimum and maximum media sizes they’ll accept. Letter size (8 1/2” x 11”) is the standard size in the U.S., but some home printers can handle media as small as 3 x 5 cards, or as large as tabloid size (11” x 17”). However, paper that’s too small for the printer is likely to get jammed and can be quite difficult to locate and remove. One way to work around this problem is if you need to print something that’s smaller than your printer’s minimum media size (such as a note card), consider printing on a standard-size sheet of cardstock and cutting it after printing.

Save Your Damaged Paper for Other Projects

Bent or curled corners on paper can easily cause a jam. If you must use imperfect paper, position it so the flattest, straightest edge feeds into the printer first. Also, most manufacturers recommend only using full sheets of labels. Did you know that once labels have been removed from the sheet, the edges of the leftover sticky surface can catch inside the printer? A way to work around this problem is to consider purchasing a label printer, especially if you print lots of labels.

Are You Using the Right Tray?

Many printers have a separate tray or slot for special media such as envelopes or labels. This may be called the multipurpose tray, the single-sheet input slot, or the manual-feed tray. If so, be sure to use it when printing special media. Some printers also have more than one output bin. These bins allow the paper to feed through the printer in a more direct path. This can help prevent jams, and help prevent the paper from wrinkling or curling. Check your printer’s documentation for information on how to use these trays, and how to select them in your software. Or go to the manufacturer’s website and download the documentation there.

Load the Paper Correctly

Be sure to adjust your printer’s guides for the size of paper that you’re using. Paper guides that are too loose or too tight can cause the paper to go into the printer at an angle, causing a jam. Don’t mix more than one paper size or type in the tray at the same time. Also, don’t overload the paper trays. Your printer’s documentation should say how many sheets of paper or envelopes the tray can hold. To add more paper to a stack, first remove all the paper from the printer tray. Add more paper to the existing stack, and tap it against a desk or other surface so that all the edges line up. Then load the entire stack in the printer tray. (This may seem obsessive, but it will prevent any odd edges or corners from sticking out, and help keep the printer from jamming.)

Keep the Printer Clean

Paper dust and ink or toner buildup inside the printer can lead to jams, and lessen the print quality. Most printers have a built-in cleaning system. This usually involves selecting a cleaning setting in the printer software. The printer may run several pages through the printer during the cleaning process. Your printer’s user guide may also advise you to dust the outer parts of the printer, including the paper trays. (Warning: Don’t use alcohol or other cleaners on the printer unless the documentation specifically says to do so.)

Learn Your Printer’s Quirks

As you use your printer, you may notice that it often jams when printing on certain types of media. For example, some printers will jam if you put a stack of cardstock in the tray, but will do fine when fed one sheet at a time — even if the manual says it’s okay to use a stack. These quirks can be annoying, but you can often save time and effort by preventing a paper jam.