How To Get Jammed Paper Out Of Printer – Pro Tips For Printer Safety

We can testify no matter how expensive a printer is, it’s bound to get jammed due to paper. The first thing is don’t get frustrated and just know that this problem can be solved. Try the thumb rule which is restarting the printer and resetting the printer. In most cases, this works but if it doesn’t we have given different ways to get the jammed paper out of the printer. 

Fret not as all the methods are simple and you can use them whether you have a laser or inkjet printer. You need to have your respective printer model’s manual guide for all the steps to work correctly. 

How To Get Jammed Paper Out Of Printer (Solution + Guide)

Before trying any of these methods inspect the roller feeds; try sliding them and if they look broken or damaged then none of these methods will work. If it’s totally normal then we can solve it without buying any new parts! Let’s begin: 

Inkjet Printer:

Turn off the printer and follow these steps to get the jammed paper out of your inkjet printer:

1. Open the input paper tray’s lid and get tweezers. 
2. Gently remove the paper without tearing or putting too much force. If it tears then make sure you take out all leftover parts of the paper. 
3. Tug the right and left parts of the paper to get it out safely. 
4. Once the paper is out, remove the printhead and ink cartridges. You should know that by following the respective guide of your printer. For example, Canon and HP have manual guides given with the printer for that.
5. Remove all the paper if you see it after taking out the print head. Also, check the output tray and get paper out of it too. 
6. Assemble the trays, print head, and ink cartridges. Turn the printer on.
7. Run a print head cleaning test and your printer will start printing again.

Laser printer:

Just like inkjet printers, the first step is to turn off the printer so you don’t get hurt. Follow the under-given steps:

1. Take off the printer’s lid through which you put toner cartridges. Now, wait for thirty minutes to cool down. This is necessary if you have a laser printer. 
2. We saw the jammed paper right after taking off the lid, so we took it out using tweezers. Don’t use force to take the printer out and try the next step. 
3. If you don’t see the jammed paper in the printer then take out the toner cartridge. 
4. Check the rollers that the paper passes through and click on the pin of the rollers to get the paper out.
5. This way the roller will be detached from the printer and you can take out all the jammed paper without causing any damage to the mechanics of the printer
6. See the manual guide of your respective model to reassemble all the parts of your laser printer.
7. Turn the printer and load the paper to print smoothly. 

All-in-one Printer:

Many multifunctional printers have a paper release button, so press it. This works almost always but if it doesn’t then we still have the solution:

1. Take out all the paper from the input and output tray. 
2. Turn the printer off and wait for thirty minutes then start it again.
3. The printer will solve the problem of jammed paper during the startup process.
4. We had a printer with a display that gave instructions to solve the paper jam. If you have the same model then follow the instructions to detect and remove the paper jam. 

People who still can’t get the jammed paper out should turn off the printer. Remove the input and output tray and check for jammed paper. Take the paper out as you see it but do this slowly so you don’t damage the printer’s parts. Also, we recommend cleaning the printer’s parts by following the respective manual guide. Try printing again and the problem will be solved.  

Check the Feed Roller:

We saw the “Paper jam error” even when there was no paper loaded into the paper. Do you have the same problem? Then try this method: 

1. Unplug the printer and take off the lid. Wait for it to cool down, then proceed to the next step.
2. See near the input tray and detect feed rollers. If the feed rollers look damaged or broken then it can’t be solved unless you buy new feed rollers. However, if they are intact then remove them by following your printer’s manual guide. 
3. You will see some debris stuck in the paper feed rollers so clean that gently.
4. There may be dust and dirt, so get a clean cloth and 99% isopropyl alcohol. 
5. This works for both inkjet and laser printers. Reload the roller feeds and wait for a few minutes.
6. Turn the printer and the error will not show anymore. Print as you like! 

See the Rear Tray:

As we said, it’s best not to put force when taking the jammed paper out from roller feeds. In that case, you can take the paper out from the rear tray:

1. Find the knob to unlock the rear tray and press it. You can do that by seeing the manual guide of your printer’s model online. 
2. The paper tray will swiftly come out so you can have access to jammed paper. 
3. Put the tray back and try printing to see if the problem is solved!

Furthermore, you can take out the duplexer as well for taking out the debris of jammed paper. 

Things to avoid! 

Never put force on the paper or printer’s parts when taking out the paper. Try taking the paper out from the output tray if you can. Also, turn the printer off and be careful. Inspect the printer in a wide-spaced area instead of a closely packed area. 

Final Words

That was the guide to help you out with how to get a jammed paper out of the printer. 

Even though the majority of printers have similar construction, it may differ depending on the printer’s brand and model. This will work for most but for detaching printer parts like cartridges, input and output tray, and feed roller check the respective model instructions.

For most people, these methods will be successful. But even after this the printer doesn’t work then contact the manufacturers’ to solve this problem.

Frequently Asked Questions