Dell all in one 942 ink jet printer reads "clear paper jam" there is no paper stuck. How do I fix?

Carriage jam errors usually mean something is blocking the carriage from moving. It's usually a crumpled piece of paper left over from clearing a jam, or a faulty purge unit/capping assembly.

You should check to see if the printhead is locked or movable when you power off the unit. If it will move freely when it should be locked then something is blocking it from moving into the "home" position. If there is no foreign object inside then the capping mechanism in the wiper or purge unit may be broken or jammed. Oft times a good disassembly and bath for the purge unit will get it working again. However, this depends on how technically skilled you are and how much the machine is worth. It would take at least an hour in a shop. If you don't do it yourself and the machine is worth less than $100, it may be time to replace the machine.

Why are you taking out the ink cartridges??
The message says to open the carriage access door and clear the jam. The printer thinks that paper is stuck in the paper path, see if you can find it. I believe that there is also a rear door on that printer, remove it and look inside.

1. I TRIED HOLDING THE INK JET OVER A POT OF BOILING WATER AND THEN BLOTTED IT WITH A PAPER TOWEL AND PUT IT IN THE PRINTER..CICK ALIGINMENT AND IT WORKED!!!

may be problem with the paper roller or the paper sensor check it

This morning I replaced the cartridges in the Dell 942 printer, they jammed to the left which made a loud grinding noise and the cartridge jam error came on.

I solved the problem by turning the printer on with the top up which moved the cartridges to the right a little so I could reach back, push one down a little manually which freed them to move over to the middle.

Hi,

Paper jams can be real or false. The all-in-one may report a paper jam when there is not any jammed paper, however, the solution to a real paper jam or a false paper jam is the same. Up-grading the printer firmware could also fix this kind of issue, however I would appreciate if you try the steps below before you up-grade the printer firmware.
To fix the paper Jam errors please try the following steps:
1. Confirm that no foreign materials are inside the machine.
2. Confirm that usable paper is set.
3. Confirm that the paper is set properly.
4. Confirm that recommended paper is used, and the number of sheets set does not exceed the required limit.
5. Disconnect the printer power cord as well as the printer cable form the printer.
6. Turn the printer upside down and shake the printer in order to remove any obstacle which is stuck inside the printer causing the paper jam error.
Open the printer cover and remove the cartridges and check carefully if there is any small piece of paper which is stuck inside, if so carefully remove it.
7. Disconnect the printer power cord and press and hold the power button on the printer for about 15 to 20 seconds( this will release the flee power) and reconnect the printer and check.

If the above mentioned steps do not fix the issue please up-grade the printer firmware form the Support.dell.com web site. However make sure that you do not turn off either your printer or computer when you are downloading and installing the printer firmware.
Alternately you can also try to download the and install the printer drives form the support site if the paper jam message is being displayed on the computer’s screen but not on the printer’s LCD screen.

Should you require any further assistance regarding the printer or even any other computer related issue please feel free to contact me I will be more than glad to assist you.

Regards

Malik Khan

Hi,

Paper jams can be real or false. The all-in-one may report a paper jam when there is not any jammed paper, however, the solution to a real paper jam or a false paper jam is the same. Up-grading the printer firmware could also fix this kind of issue, however I would appreciate if you try the steps below before you up-grade the printer firmware.
To fix the paper Jam errors please try the following steps:
1. Confirm that no foreign materials are inside the machine.
2. Confirm that usable paper is set.
3. Confirm that the paper is set properly.
4. Confirm that recommended paper is used, and the number of sheets set does not exceed the required limit.
5. Disconnect the printer power cord as well as the printer cable form the printer.
6. Turn the printer upside down and shake the printer in order to remove any obstacle which is stuck inside the printer causing the paper jam error.
Open the printer cover and remove the cartridges and check carefully if there is any small piece of paper which is stuck inside, if so carefully remove it.
7. Disconnect the printer power cord and press and hold the power button on the printer for about 15 to 20 seconds( this will release the flee power) and reconnect the printer and check.

If the above mentioned steps do not fix the issue please up-grade the printer firmware form the Support.dell.com web site. However make sure that you do not turn off either your printer or computer when you are downloading and installing the printer firmware.
Alternately you can also try to download the and install the printer drives form the support site if the paper jam message is being displayed on the computer’s screen but not on the printer’s LCD screen.

Should you require any further assistance regarding the printer or even any other computer related issue please feel free to contact me I will be more than glad to assist you.

Regards

Malik Khan

I had the same problem and it was really getting annoying. I opened it up and took out the ink cartridges and put them back in then I turned the thing off for about 10 minutes. Mainly so I wouldn't smash it out of anger. When I turned it back on I printed a test page and all was well. I don't know if this will work for you, it seems pretty random but you just never know. Good luck!

Hi,

Paper jams can be real or false. The all-in-one may report a paper jam when there is not any jammed paper, however, the solution to a real paper jam or a false paper jam is the same. Up-grading the printer firmware could also fix this kind of issue, however I would appreciate if you try the steps below before you up-grade the printer firmware.
To fix the paper Jam errors please try the following steps:
1. Confirm that no foreign materials are inside the machine.
2. Confirm that usable paper is set.
3. Confirm that the paper is set properly.
4. Confirm that recommended paper is used, and the number of sheets set does not exceed the required limit.
5. Disconnect the printer power cord as well as the printer cable form the printer.
6. Turn the printer upside down and shake the printer in order to remove any obstacle which is stuck inside the printer causing the paper jam error.
Open the printer cover and remove the cartridges and check carefully if there is any small piece of paper which is stuck inside, if so remove it carefully.
7. Disconnect the printer power cord and press and hold the power button on the printer for about 15 to 20 seconds( this will release the flee power) and reconnect the printer and check.

If the above mentioned steps do not fix the issue please up-grade the printer firmware form the Support.dell.com web site. However make sure that you do not turn off either your printer or computer when you are downloading and installing the printer firmware.

Should you require any further assistance regarding the printer or even for any other computer related issue please feel free to contact me I will be more than glad to assist you.

Regards

Malik Khan

I have had the clear carrier jam problem the past 3months, spoke to over ten technicians but no one seems to have been able to resolve it, let alone clearly explain the cause. But just to say buy another printer.

How many Dell 942 printer am I going to buy!!!!!?????