Paper keeps getting stuck

Most of the Lexmark printers (including the Z- and X- series) 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.
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. Make sure the printer is off.
2. Press and hold the "Color Copy" button.
3. While holding the "Color Copy" button, press and release the "Power" button to turn the power on.
4. Wait for the "Power" light to flash off and on.
5. Release "Color Copy" button.

The self-test should at least print out a set of either black or color bars, if not both (if you have a printer with both color and black installed simultaneously). Should this test fail, 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 the 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 us know.

If the self-test prints, but has lines or smudges or other print quality issues, let us know. This includes any print quality issues, we need to know if the problems you have with your black or color are based in the printer, or communications with your computer, or the computer's software.

If the self-test prints your test bar(s) clearly, the printer hardware is not at fault.