Clearing a Paper Jam on an Canon Printer Without Damage

A paper jam on a Canon printer is almost always a five-minute fix at your desk, and you rarely need any tools. The trick is knowing where the sheet is actually stuck and pulling it the right way so no scraps stay behind to trigger the error again.

This guide covers every jam location on Canon inkjet and PIXMA printers, what to do when the screen reports a jam but you can't find any paper, what the support codes mean, and how to stop jams from coming back.

Why Canon Printers Jam

Most jams come down to one of these:

• Paper loaded unevenly or past the fill line. An overfilled tray or a skewed stack feeds crooked and catches.
• Damp, curled, wrinkled, or previously printed paper. Sheets that aren't flat and dry don't feed cleanly.
• Dust or dried ink on the feed rollers. Dirty rollers grip unevenly and pull one edge of the sheet faster than the other.
• A foreign object in the paper path. A paper clip, staple, coin, or a torn scrap from an earlier jam is a common hidden cause.
• The wrong paper size or type in the print settings, so the printer expects a different sheet than the one loaded.
• A worn roller or transport part on an older printer, which usually needs service.

Before You Pull Anything Out

1. If the printer is mid-print, press Stop first, then turn the printer off and unplug it. Powering down releases the rollers so they don't grip the sheet while you pull.
2. Work slowly and use both hands. Pull the sheet straight out or at a slight downward angle. Never pull straight up, and never yank.
3. Do not touch the clear film strip, the white belt, or the ink tubes inside the printer. Contact with these parts can cause lasting damage.
4. After the sheet is out, check the same area again with a flashlight for small torn pieces. One scrap left behind will bring the jam error right back.

Clear a Jam in the Paper Output Slot (front of the printer)

1. With the printer off and unplugged, open the scanning unit or front cover until it locks in place.
2. Look under the print head or FINE cartridge holder. If the sheet is trapped there, slide the holder gently to the left or right to expose it.
3. Grip the paper with both hands and draw it out at roughly a 45-degree angle, slowly, so it doesn't tear.
4. If you can only see part of the sheet, pull from the rear or output side rather than forcing it forward.
5. Confirm nothing is left, close the unit, plug in, and power on.

Clear a Jam at the Rear Tray or Transport Unit (back of the printer)

1. With the printer off and unplugged, turn it around so the back faces you.
2. Open the rear cover or rear tray cover. On models with a transport unit, press the tabs and open its cover too.
3. Remove any paper you find, pulling it slowly and straight back.
4. Close the transport unit cover until it clicks, then reattach the rear cover so both projections seat fully.
5. This is the area to check for support code 1303. Power on and test with a single sheet.

Clear a Jam in the Cassette or Paper Drawer

1. Pull the cassette or paper drawer out until it stops. Lift the front slightly and remove it fully.
2. Take out the jammed sheet, plus any sheet that's been partly pulled into the slot above the cassette.
3. Check that the remaining stack sits below the fill limit mark and that the paper guides touch the edges without pressing hard.
4. Slide the cassette back in level and straight.
5. Open and close the front cover once to clear the error.

Clear a Jam in the Duplex Unit

1. With the printer off, pull the duplex unit out from the back until it stops, then lift your side to release it.
2. Remove any paper caught inside the unit, and check the opening it came from.
3. Slide the unit back in until it is fully seated.
4. Open and close the front cover to confirm the error clears. Jams here often show as support code 1304 or 1313.

"Paper Jam" Error When There's No Paper Stuck

When the panel reports a jam and you've checked every location:

• Look again with a flashlight. Small triangles of torn paper hide along the roller edges and near the output slot. Use tweezers, not force.
• Feed a cleaning pass. Turn the printer on, then slide a single sheet of stiff paper or a thin index card slowly through the feed path to push out debris you can't see.
• Do a full power reset. Unplug the printer for at least five minutes, then plug it back in. This clears a stuck sensor reading.
• Reseat the cartridges. Open the cover, remove each cartridge, wipe the gold contacts with a dry lint-free cloth, and click each one back in.
• Remove the disc or CD tray if one is inserted. Some PIXMA models read this as a jam.
• Clean the feed rollers (see the next section). Dust on the rollers is the single most common reason a printer reports a jam that isn't there.

What Canon Paper Jam Support Codes Mean

Canon shows a support code with most jam messages. Exact wording varies by model, so check your printer's online manual for the code on your screen. In general:

• 1300: Paper jammed in the paper output slot or front feed path. Clear it from the front or rear.
• 1303: Paper jammed inside the printer, often where it feeds from the rear tray or cassette. Check the transport unit at the back.
• 1304: Paper jammed during automatic two-sided printing. Check the duplex area.
• 1313: Paper jammed as the printer pulled the printed sheet back in. Check the rear and the duplex unit.
• 6000: The printer can't feed paper, or it senses an obstruction in the paper path. Clear any jam and debris, reload the tray correctly, then power cycle. If 6000 stays after that, the printer likely needs service.

Keep Canon Paper Jams From Coming Back

• Fan the stack before loading, then tap the edges level on a flat surface so sheets don't stick together.
• Keep the stack below the fill limit line. Overloading is one of the top causes of repeat jams.
• Set the paper guides so they just touch the edges of the stack. Too loose lets paper skew; too tight bends it.
• Store paper flat in a closed drawer or its original wrapper, away from humidity and direct sun. Damp or curled sheets jam far more often.
• Don't reuse paper that's torn, stapled, folded, or printed on one side unless your model supports it and you've flattened the edges first.
• Match the paper size and type in your print dialog to what's actually loaded.
• Clean the feed rollers when jams start happening more often. On PIXMA models with a screen, go to Maintenance, then Roller Cleaning, and follow the prompts: the rollers spin empty once, then you feed three sheets of plain Letter or A4 paper. On printers without a screen, run the same routine from the Canon IJ Printer Assistant Tool or the maintenance tab of the printer driver on your computer. Clean the rollers only when needed, since the process wears them slightly, and don't touch the roller surface with your fingers.
• Keep the printer on a level, stable surface so the transport path stays aligned.