A paper jam means a sheet has stopped somewhere on the path between the input tray and the output tray, and the printer will not move on until that sheet is gone. On most HP inkjet and LaserJet models the control panel or the HP Smart app shows a "paper jam" or "jam" message and holds every print job.
Sometimes the paper is easy to spot. Other times it is a piece the size of a stamp wedged against a sensor, or there is no paper left inside at all and the message still will not clear. The steps below handle both.
Before You Start
Turn the printer off and unplug the power cord. That stops the rollers, protects the motor, and on a LaserJet it lets the fuser cool down, which matters because that part gets hot enough to burn.
Grab a flashlight and clear enough space to turn the printer around and open the back. Keep one sheet of scrap paper nearby to test with when you are done.
Why HP Printers Jam
Most jams trace back to one of these:
- An overfilled or nearly empty tray. A stack above the fill line feeds two sheets at once. A near-empty tray lets the last few sheets slip and skew.
- The wrong paper. Damp, curled, wrinkled, or already-printed sheets feed unevenly, and so does paper that is too light or too heavy for the printer.
- Mixed paper. Different sizes or weights loaded together confuse the pickup rollers.
- Guides set too loose or too tight. If the side and rear guides do not rest lightly against the stack, sheets go in crooked.
- Dust and worn rollers. Paper dust coats the rubber pickup rollers and they lose grip. After enough pages the rollers wear smooth on their own.
- Something left behind. A torn corner from an earlier jam, a staple, a paper clip, or a label sheet stuck in the path.
How to Fix an HP Printer Paper Jam
1. Clear the input tray
Pull the tray out, or lift the lid on a small DeskJet or ENVY. Take out the whole stack. Remove any sheet that is halfway fed by pulling it straight in the direction it was already traveling so it does not tear. Check the empty tray and the slot behind it for loose scraps. Fan the stack, square it off, reload it below the fill line, and slide the guides in until they just touch the paper without bending it.
2. Check the output tray and the front
Look at the slot where finished pages come out. If a sheet is partway through, pull it forward with both hands, evenly, so it comes out in one piece. Do not pull it backward into the printer.
3. Open the cartridge or carriage access area
On an inkjet, open the front door or lift the top cover so you can see the print carriage. With the printer unplugged, slide the carriage gently to one side and look under and behind it for paper. On a LaserJet, open the front door, lift out the toner cartridge, raise the jam-access cover, and pull out any paper. Put the cartridge back before you close it up.
4. Open the rear door or duplexer
Turn the printer around. Press the tabs on the rear access door or the two-sided printing unit and pull it straight out. If it feels stuck, wiggle it side to side and up and down while you pull. Remove any paper, then shine the flashlight inside and check the rollers and corners for torn pieces. Snap the door or duplexer firmly back into place. A rear door that is not fully seated is one of the most common reasons a jam message keeps returning.
5. Power reset the printer
With the printer still unplugged, wait a full 60 seconds. Plug it straight into a wall outlet, not a power strip, and turn it on. This resets the jam sensor and lets the printer recount what is actually in the path.
6. Clean the feed rollers
If the printer keeps grabbing two sheets or none, wipe the rollers. Dampen a lint-free cloth with water, reach the rollers through the rear opening or the tray, and wipe each one while you turn it with a finger so the whole surface gets cleaned. Let them dry for a few minutes before you load paper.
7. Still says paper jam with no paper inside
This is a false jam. It usually means a scrap is hiding on a sensor, a roller slipped, or the paper-size setting does not match what is loaded. Work through steps 1 to 6 again slowly with the flashlight, then:
- Match the paper size in your print settings and on the printer panel to the paper that is really in the tray.
- Check for a firmware update in the HP Smart app under your printer's advanced settings. HP has fixed false jam reports through firmware on some models.
- On Windows, run HP Print and Scan Doctor. It can find and reset jam faults on its own.
LaserJet jam codes
Some LaserJet models show a numbered code such as 13.08 or 13.09 next to the jam message. That points to the toner cartridge or fuser area. Let the printer cool, open the front and rear doors, take out the toner cartridge, clear the path, and reinstall the cartridge. Check that the rear paper guide clicks into the setting for your paper size.
How to Prevent the Next Jam
- Fan a new ream before you load it and keep the stack below the fill line.
- Store paper flat, in its wrapper, somewhere cool and dry. Damp paper is the quietest cause of repeat jams.
- Set the side and rear guides against the stack every time you reload.
- Do not mix sizes or weights in one tray.
- Print a page now and then if the printer sits unused for weeks, so the rollers stay clean.
- Wipe the pickup rollers every few reams, sooner if the room is dusty.
