Preventing Paper Jams

Firstly, and I know this is pre-purchase advice but important. If you want a multi-feed document scanner on your device, lift up the feeder cover and check the size of the rollers. There should be a rubber pad and at least one roller to feed. Sometimes there are 2, 3 or 4 rollers (the best system but hard to find on home products). If there is just a pad and roller and the roller is less than about half an inch, it will be more likely to malfunction. Particularly with multiple documents which is why you bought it.

PREVENTING DOCUMENT AND PAPER JAMS
If you have a document feeder then periodically clean the pad and rollers either with WD40, soap and water or a standard rubber cleaner. Soap and water is safe and will not harm the rubber but do not make the cloth soaked. Just a damp cloth will do as you don’t want to damage the electrics. To be safe unplug the device from the mains. But always use the on/off switch before unplugging it.

Similarly, make sure the printer switch is switched to “off” before switching it on from the mains. A voltage surge on power up could damage the power supply unit, or more. This procedure can only be done if you have a machine with feeder access. So try to buy a machine that has or you will need to pay £60 - £80 for someone to come and clean your rollers.

Similarly, the paper used for printing has rollers that pick it up. Try to find a printer where these paper pick-up rollers are accessible to the user and perform the same cleaning on them too. Generally, the rollers will become dirty before wearing out so try cleaning them before replacement. Many printers have user serviceable parts where you can change the rollers yourself. They would normally have a blue or green handle or markings to indicate this.

Also, damp paper can cause paper jams. If your printer or photocopier is frequently jamming, try removing the paper stack and flipping it over so it prints on the opposite side. This tends to affect the higher speed machines where timing is crucial. I’ve solved many jams just by doing this – that will be a hundred bucks please! In the document feeder previously stapled documents can be a nightmare to many feeders, try feeding the paper from the opposite end to where the staples were and please, make sure the staple have actually being removed!! They can seriously damage your machine in so many ways.

Make sure you fan out fresh paper before loading as well because it helps remove any static causing the paper to stick together and resist separation in the machine causing jams. If you’ve just printed some documents out try to let it cool down (if they came from a laser machine) before fanning if you want to scan them using a document feeder.