Won't recognize paper is loaded

check whether the cartage is fix well or the paper is far from the area from where the printer starts printing.

does that message appears in the printer on the PC?
if its in the pc, try reinstalling the printer...
firts uninstall it from control panel>printer and faxes, and delete it by clicking it and pressing delete.. after you see the icon does not appear anymore, reboot..
then reinstall everything back again, and when you reinstall everything, make sure everything is well connected, and the printer on....

Dell 3000cn Color Laser has a duplex. If you face the printer on the top right of the duplex there is a button to release the duplex and it folds back. The reg cover is a door on the back of the printer that is covered by the duplex, try opening again, I know you have done this, maybe even wiggle it a little see if it registers as closed.

Also check to see if any dust or paper pieces maybe be jammed in there.

Check to make sure the door if fully closed and that your photoconductor unit is installed correctly.
When you close doors on your printer there are tabs that push a switch to tell the printer the door is closed.
locate the switches and play around with it, push the switch in and out with a flat screwdriver.
Worst case scenario is you will need to replace the switch.

It probably wants you to load paper in the multi-purpose tray or pull-down bypass tray

Don't take risk about your equipments. consult a enjineer.

it needs glasses

Using the printer panel; you need to change tray paper size from a4 to letter or the size you are using to print on.

1. Press the MENU button.
   
   
2. Press the down arrow until Tray Settings appears and press the button.
   
   
3. Press the down arrow until Paper Size appears and press the button.
   
   
4. Press the down arrow until the specific paper tray (Tray 1, Tray 2, or Multipurpose Feeder) appears and press the button.
   
   
5. Press the down arrow to select the specific paper size, and press the button.
   
   
6. Press the MENU button.

An astrick will appear to the right of the size paper that the printer currently has selected.

Cycle Power on the Printer

1. Turn the printer off.
   
2. Wait 10 seconds.
   
3. Turn the printer on.
   
4. Determine if the issue still occurs.

Verify There is Paper in the Tray

Verify the Paper Size
Look at the chart below to verify that the paper size meets the 3000cn / 3010cn / 3100cn-series specifications.


Verify the paper size in the tray matches the size set in the 3000cn / 3010cn / 3100cn-series printer´s operator panel.

To verify the paper size in the tray matches the size set in the printer's operator panel, perform the following steps:

1. Press the MENU button.
2. Press the down arrow until Tray Settings appears and press the button.
3. Press the down arrow until Paper Size appears and press the button.
4. Press the down arrow until the specific paper tray (Tray 1, Tray 2, or MPF) appears and press the button.
5. Press the down arrow to select the specific paper size, as shown in Figure 1, and press the button.
6. Press the MENU button.

*1 Denotes country-specific factory default values.
*2 Available for the optional 250-sheet cassette only.

Figure 1 - Paper Size Chart




Verify the Paper Type Matches the Type Set in the Printer´s Operator Panel

To verify the paper type matches the type set in the printer's operator panel, perform the following steps:

1. Press the MENU button.
   
   
2. Press the down arrow until Tray Settings appears and press the button.
   
   
3. Press the down arrow until Paper Type appears and press the button.
   
   
4. Press the down arrow until the specific paper tray (Tray 1, Tray 2, or Multipurpose Feeder) appears and press the button.
   
   
5. Press the down arrow to select the specific paper type, as shown in Table 1, and press the button.
   
   
6. Press the MENU button.

Table 1: Paper Type Chart

All media types that are not Plain 1 should be printed from the MPF only.


Verify the printing preferences on the Dell™ 3000cn / 3010cn / 3100cn / 5100cn-series printer.
To verify the printing preferences is set to print from the correct tray with the correct paper size, perform the following steps:

1. Click the Start button, go to Settings, and click Printers and Faxes.
   The Printers and Faxes window appears.
2. Right-click Dell Laser Printer 3000cn / 3010cn / 3100cn / 5100cn-series and click Printing Preferences.
   The Printing Preferences window appears.
3. Verify the Paper Size drop-down is set to the correct paper size loaded in the specific tray to be printed from..
4. Click the Paper Tray tab.
5. Click the Paper Source drop-down menu and select the specific tray to be printed from.
   This sets the size and tray defaults.

Verify the Paper Size From the Printing Application Matches the Designated Printer Tray
To verify the paper size from the printing application matches the designated printer tray, perform the following steps:

1. Open the application being used to print the document. (Example: Microsoft Word)
   
2. Click File and click Print.
   
3. Verify the paper size.

Verify the Paper Source From the Printing Application Matches the Designated Printer Tray

1. Open the application being used to print the document.
   
2. Click File and click Print.
   
3. Verify the paper source.
   

Do not replace any printer hardware as this is not a printer hardware issue.

if the printer is setup for A4 paper , it maybe that your p/c prog is trying to print using letter size.
microsoft tends to default to US sizes wjich are letter.
if using word check page setup for paper size