PAPER FEED This just started- I'm trying to type & the paper feed keeps moving, preventing me from typing in a straight line. I find nothing in the operater's manual pertaining to this problem. Please help-I'm desparate!

I have had this problem several times. The culprit is the feed wheel which can get covered with paper dust and it loses it "bite". Epson sells cleaning sheets that are tacky and when run through the printer remove this "dust". I have also resorted to taking a piece of scotch tape and carefully sticking it to the rubber take-up wheel and then gently removing it to pull the paper dust off with the sticky tape. Another problem can be because of not setting the paper type correctly. Check to make sure that the paper type set for the printer is the same as the paper you are feeding.

Hi, at the following link you will find some easy to follow steps on how to prevent this type of problems. Also make sure there is nothing blocking the path of the paper when the printer is trying to feed it. Sometimes objects will fell inside the printer and block the paper path thus causing the paper to be pulled from one side and the other jamming.
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First thing to check is that the paper guide at the back is set. I've seen so many printers (of all makes) where the guide is not set at all.
Put a stack 20 to 30 sheets in the rear paper tray. Make sure that the stack is snug up against the right hand side of the feed tray (as you look at it from the front).
Then, make sure that paper guide - the little light grey plastic sticky-up bit at the left hand side of the feed tray - is moved up snug to the stack of paper. It should touch the paper but not squeeze it. Now try printing.
That guide is what makes the paper stay straight. If it does not touch the paper then the paper will go out of line.
This applies to all makes of printer and all types of printer.

Check to see if the printer is actively trying to feed the paper. If you hear it trying to feed and see the wheels turning, but the paper won't feed, check to see if a screw securing the feed wheel has come loose. If you hear the sound, but nothing moves to pull the paper in, then you probably have a bad printer. They're too cheap to replace to bother fixing - so get a new one.

Most of our printers pull the paper down on one side slightly faster than the other. The printer hardware should even this out when printing. You should also ensure the paper meets the automatic feeder requirements of the printer.
If printing is skewed, feeding multiple pages or jamming, please follow these instructions (use a regular letter size paper to test after doing the steps given below):
Please check to ensure there is nothing obstructing the paper feed mechanism down inside the printer where it is not easily seen. If there is nothing obvious, unplug the printer and remove the paper. Open the front cover and look above the steel rod. You should see a conveyor belt with rubber teeth on it, like a fan belt. Take the bottom part of that belt and move it gently to the left. The cartridges should come out with it. Make sure the cartridges can move fully from one side of the printer to the other. Check also the output rollers on the bottom of the printer for any blockage. If it is jamming under the carrier assembly, you may be able to fix it using the manual feed slot. Turn the printer off. Next take a #10 envelope and feed it through the left side of the paper feed slot (The manual paper feed slot is preferred, but the automatic feed will do if there is no manual paper feed for this printer) until it comes completely through the printer to the back of the exit rollers. Move it up and down and slowly move it over to the right side. If something is stuck under the black guide plate this may work it loose or you may have to feed the envelope through the front rollers and push your way backward (please be careful here).
Next, take a damp warm cloth and clean the rubber rollers in the automatic sheet feeder. Dust may be coating the rollers there and as they become less tacky, they cannot feed paper correctly.
Finally, turn the printer upside down and carefully shake it for 10 to 20 seconds to see if something falls out of the paper feed path. Then plug the printer back up, take your paper out and replace it with a fresh, small stack (about 5 pages) of paper. Quickly bend the stack in an 'S' shape a few times to separate pages. Make sure it is lined up on the right side of the paper feed and the paper guide on the left is snug on the left side of the paper. Then try to form feed again. If that works, then try to print again.
If it still fails to feed the paper correctly, please reply with the following information:
What type and brand of paper were you using? Have you ever used this type or brand of paper before and if so what were the results?

Most of our printers pull the paper down on one side slightly faster than the other. The printer hardware should even this out when printing. You should also ensure the paper meets the automatic feeder requirements of the printer.
If printing is skewed, feeding multiple pages or jamming, please follow these instructions (use a regular letter size paper to test after doing the steps given below):
Please check to ensure there is nothing obstructing the paper feed mechanism down inside the printer where it is not easily seen. If there is nothing obvious, unplug the printer and remove the paper. Open the front cover and look above the steel rod. You should see a conveyor belt with rubber teeth on it, like a fan belt. Take the bottom part of that belt and move it gently to the left. The cartridges should come out with it. Make sure the cartridges can move fully from one side of the printer to the other. Check also the output rollers on the bottom of the printer for any blockage. If it is jamming under the carrier assembly, you may be able to fix it using the manual feed slot. Turn the printer off. Next take a #10 envelope and feed it through the left side of the paper feed slot (The manual paper feed slot is preferred, but the automatic feed will do if there is no manual paper feed for this printer) until it comes completely through the printer to the back of the exit rollers. Move it up and down and slowly move it over to the right side. If something is stuck under the black guide plate this may work it loose or you may have to feed the envelope through the front rollers and push your way backward (please be careful here).
Next, take a damp warm cloth and clean the rubber rollers in the automatic sheet feeder. Dust may be coating the rollers there and as they become less tacky, they cannot feed paper correctly.
Finally, turn the printer upside down and carefully shake it for 10 to 20 seconds to see if something falls out of the paper feed path. Then plug the printer back up, take your paper out and replace it with a fresh, small stack (about 5 pages) of paper. Quickly bend the stack in an 'S' shape a few times to separate pages. Make sure it is lined up on the right side of the paper feed and the paper guide on the left is snug on the left side of the paper. Then try to form feed again. If that works, then try to print again.
If it still fails to feed the paper correctly, please reply with the following information:
What type and brand of paper were you using? Have you ever used this type or brand of paper before and if so what were the results? Once we have this information we will try to fix the unit through email support.

Hi,


If printing is skewed, feeding multiple pages or jamming, please follow these instructions (use a regular letter size paper to test after doing the steps given below):
Please check to ensure there is nothing obstructing the paper feed mechanism down inside the printer where it is not easily seen. If there is nothing obvious, unplug the printer and remove the paper. Open the front cover and look above the steel rod. You should see a conveyor belt with rubber teeth on it, like a fan belt. Take the bottom part of that belt and move it gently to the left. The cartridges should come out with it. Make sure the cartridges can move fully from one side of the printer to the other. Check also the output rollers on the bottom of the printer for any blockage. If it is jamming under the carrier assembly, you may be able to fix it using the manual feed slot. Turn the printer off. Next take a #10 envelope and feed it through the left side of the paper feed slot (The manual paper feed slot is preferred, but the automatic feed will do if there is no manual paper feed for this printer) until it comes completely through the printer to the back of the exit rollers. Move it up and down and slowly move it over to the right side. If something is stuck under the black guide plate this may work it loose or you may have to feed the envelope through the front rollers and push your way backward (please be careful here).
Next, take a damp warm cloth and clean the rubber rollers in the automatic sheet feeder. Dust may be coating the rollers there and as they become less tacky, they cannot feed paper correctly.
Then plug the printer back up, take your paper out and replace it with a fresh, small stack (about 5 pages) of paper. Quickly bend the stack in an 'S' shape a few times to separate pages. Make sure it is lined up on the right side of the paper feed and the paper guide on the left is snug on the left side of the paper. Then try to form feed again. If that works, then try to print the self test page.
Please follow the steps given below to perform the self-test:

1. Power the printer off.
2. Press and hold the "Paper Feed" button.
3. While still holding the "Paper Feed" button, press and release the "Power" button. Continue holding the "Paper Feed" button.
4. When the printer starts pulling paper, release the "Paper Feed" button. It should print a test page at this point.
5. Power the printer off, as this test is continuous.
The self-test should at least print out a set of either a solid black or solid color bars, if not both (if you have a printer with both color and black installed simultaneously). Should this test fail, please try it again without cartridges installed. If the self-test still fails to take paper in and make sounds like the carrier is moving across the paper, this is a hardware issue, and the printer will require service. If the self-test completes without any cartridges installed, run the self-test again with only a color cartridge installed (If you have both black and color cartridges, after this test, run the test again with just the black cartridge installed). If you find that either cartridge causes the self-test to fail, please let me know.

If it still fails to feed the paper correctly, please reply with the following information:
What type and brand of paper were you using?
Have you ever used this type or brand of paper before and if so what were the results?
Once we have this information we will try to fix the unit through email support.

and i sense that you're familiar with the product too.
not feeding the paper right at random, tried a couple or more paper, diff types of paper, made sure paper is not crumpled.
worth trying, clean the visible part of the paper grabbing mech - look straight down at the paper loading area.
check warranty and go for it else - staight answer get a new one - internal paper feed mechanizm aint working as how it is designed.

Check the humidity of your paper, type and weight. Nothing more than 32# will run through the tray, any heavier should go through the bypass to prevent jamming. Margin follow the internal tutorial for moving your margins. Xerox machines do skew 3 degrees left for some reason or the rollars that feed from tray 2 need to be changed.
Peter

Assuming that you know where the paper gets feed in, I usually use this trick to start a new roll of paper.
First, tear off the end of the new roll so that there isn't any glue stuck on the paper.
Then, fold the tip of the paper like an arrow. (Fold one side to the middle and the other side to the middle so both sides meet in the middle.
Then, place the paper into the slot where the paper feeds in.. (Usually goes under the printer assembly) and then hit the PAPER FEED button at the same time. If the paper is in the correct slot, the paper should start feeding the paper all the way through.
Hope this helps.
Have a good day.
M =)