Printer thinks there's no paper...but there is!

Not sure if this has anything to do with my problem, but recently I got a new ink cartridge - not a refill, but the kind recommended. I've had the printer for years with no problems, but shortly after replacing the cartridge I started getting an error message to add paper and press Select (this didn't happen until I'd used the new cartridge a couple times). I have to push the paper down in the tray to get the printer to take it, but the printer grabs all the paper at once when I do that unless I feed in one sheet at a time. Sometimes when I push Select, nothing happens at all and the display on the printer goes blank. Now today when I pushed the paper in, I got a message to clear the paper jam and hit the Power button - when I did that, it cancelled what I was trying to print. Help!

1 Answer

Anand Kumar

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2,035 Answers

Turn the printer off and open the access cover.
Look for any obstructions in the paper path and remove them if necessary. (It is possible to move the carrier assembly with the power off.)
Turn the printer on, load some paper, and press the Form Feed button. (On the X83, press the Select button.)
Watch the paper as it feeds through and try to determine where the jam is occurring.
Check to see if all the rollers are turning.

If all the rollers are turning, there may be something in the feed path that you can't see. Go to step 6.
If not, there is probably a feed motor or a gear problem and the printer may require service.

If the paper is jamming under the carrier assembly, you may be able to fix it using the manual feed slot.
Turn the printer off.
Take a #10 envelope and feed it through the left side of the manual feed slot until it comes right through the printer to the back of the exit rollers.
Move it up and down first, and then slowly move it over to the right side. If something is stuck under the black guide plate, this may work it loose.

Posted on Mar 27, 2008

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