Printer Paper Jam? How to Clear It Safely on HP, Canon, Epson and Brother

Go slowly. Every maker here warns against forcing the paper. Printer not jammed, just showing as offline? Try our printer offline fixes. Pages come out, but blank or with streaks? See our blank or streaky pages guide.

1. Stop the job, then power down the way your maker says

• Canon (TS3500 series): if paper jams while it's printing and you need to turn the printer off to get it out, Canon says to press the printer's Stop button first. For paper stuck inside, Canon's steps begin: turn the printer off and unplug it.
• Brother (MFC-J1205W and MFC-J1215W): step 1 of Brother's inside-jam steps is to unplug the machine from the outlet.
• HP (ENVY 6100, 6100e and 6100r, and DeskJet Plus Ink Advantage 6100): HP says to unplug the power cord before you move the carriage (the part that holds the cartridges) by hand, to avoid the risk of electrical shock. Open the cartridge access door and let the carriage stop moving first.
• Epson (ET-2800): Epson's steps begin with canceling the print job, if necessary, and end with following the prompts on the printer's screen; they don't say to turn it off. Epson's warning: keep your hands off the control panel buttons whenever a hand is inside the printer, because it could start up and injure you.

Our read: whichever of these inkjets you have, wait until nothing inside is moving before your hands go in.

2. Pull the paper out slowly, along your maker's path

• HP (ENVY 6100, 6100e and 6100r, and DeskJet Plus Ink Advantage 6100): HP says to check every area where paper can jam. Use both hands and pull the paper straight out; don't reach for tweezers, needle-nose pliers or other sharp tools. The areas are the carriage and cleanout area (open the cartridge access door and wait until the carriage stops moving; if the carriage is in the center, unplug the power cord, as HP's caution says to before you move the carriage by hand, then slide it to the right and remove any paper or objects in its path; take off the paper path cover, clear the paper path, snap the cover back in and close the door), the input tray, the output tray and the bottom of the printer. HP advises against pulling jammed paper out from the front, because it can tear and leave pieces inside. A flashlight helps. On the ENVY Inspire 7200e and 7900e, HP's page also has you gently tilt the printer from the front, about 60°, to reach the base, and warns not to move the print carriage too far to the left or right. Once the paper is out, HP's general "Cannot print" page says to "close all the doors, and restart the printer to clear the message."
• Canon (TS3500 series): if you can see the paper at the paper output slot or the rear tray, pull it out from whichever is easier, holding it with both hands, slowly enough that it doesn't tear. Then reload the paper and press the printer's OK button; Canon says printing resumes, and to reprint any page that didn't print. Can't get it out? Canon says not to pull hard: turn the printer back on, and it may push the paper out by itself. If the paper tears or stays inside, follow Canon's inside steps: turn it off and unplug it, retract the paper output tray and open the cover. Don't touch the clear film inside. If the paper is under the FINE cartridge holder, slide the holder slowly to the far right or left. Pull the paper out slowly with both hands, then check under the holder, for small bits, and in the empty spaces on the left and right. Close the cover, plug it in and turn it on. Canon says this cancels every job waiting to print, so send yours again.
• Epson (ET-2800): take out any jammed paper from the rear paper feeder. Then raise the control panel, open the inner cover and lift the scanner unit until it clicks into place. Epson also warns not to touch any parts that stick out inside the printer, and to be careful not to trap your hands or fingers when you open or close the scanner unit. Remove the paper inside without touching the parts Epson's page marks. To close, lift the scanner slightly and lower it; when it catches, lift it again and lower it all the way. Close the inner cover, lower the control panel and follow the screen prompts. Epson says forcing the paper out may damage the printer, and not to tilt it, stand it on its side or turn it upside down while you work, or ink may leak.
• Brother (MFC-J1205W and MFC-J1215W): with the machine unplugged, pull the paper tray completely out, slowly pull out the jammed paper, and look carefully inside for scraps. Then push down on the Jam Clear Cover on the back, open it, and slowly pull out any paper there. Close the cover completely, push the tray firmly back in and, while holding it there, pull out the paper support until it locks and unfold its flap, then plug the power cord back in. Brother warns that ink can easily get on your hands; wash it off right away with soap or detergent.

3. Jam message, but no paper? Clear a "phantom jam"

• HP: HP notes that not every jam is real: a printer can show a jam message with no paper stuck anywhere. If you don't find any, restart: turn the printer off, wait for it to shut down fully, then turn it back on. HP's "Cannot print" page says it might take two or three power cycles to clear the error. HP's reset on the ENVY Inspire and 6100 pages: turn it off with the power button (or disconnect the cord if it won't turn off), unplug it, wait 60 seconds, then plug it straight into a wall outlet and turn it on.
• Canon (TS3500 series): if a jam message shows up on your computer when you print again after clearing it, Canon says some paper may still be inside, so check again for bits. Canon's other checks: is anything blocking the paper output slot? Is anything stuck in the rear tray? (Turn the printer off and unplug it before you take it out.) Is the paper curled? Flatten it before you load it.
• Epson (ET-2800): Epson's message list says W-01 means paper is jammed: take it out, then press the button shown on the screen; if the error stays, turn the printer off and on. For E-01, a printer error, turn it off and on; if that doesn't fix it, Epson says to check for a jam, and to contact Epson if there isn't one.
• Brother (MFC-J1205W and MFC-J1215W): Brother's jam page names 2 causes. Either paper is jammed (gently remove it, press Stop, and make sure the paper guides are set to your paper size; Brother adds not to extend the tray when you load A5 or smaller paper), or paper dust has built up on the pick-up rollers (clean them; see Pro Mode). If paper won't feed at all, Brother's light-signal page lists a Jam Clear Cover that isn't closed correctly as one cause: close it evenly at both ends.

4. Load paper the way your maker says

HP's jam page lists some common causes: too much paper in the tray, different thicknesses loaded together, or paper that isn't right for your printer.

• HP (ENVY 6100, 6100e and 6100r, and DeskJet Plus Ink Advantage 6100): keep the printer on a flat surface and take printed pages out of the output tray often. Use paper that isn't wrinkled, folded or damaged, and store unused paper flat in a resealable bag. Don't use paper that's too thick or too thin, and don't overfill the tray. Load one paper size and type at a time, set the width guides snug against the stack without bending it, and don't push paper too far in. Don't add paper while it's printing.
• Canon (TS3500 series): use suitable paper and load it correctly. For documents with photos or graphics, Canon recommends a size other than A5, because A5 paper may curl and jam on its way out.
• Epson (ET-2800): place the printer on a flat surface. Load paper in the middle of the rear paper feed, printable side up, with the edge guides against the paper and the stack no higher than the arrow mark on the guides. If several sheets feed at once, fan the edges. If it jams when printing on both sides, load fewer sheets. Use new, smooth paper that isn't curled, creased, old, too thin or too thick, and check that the paper size and type set on the control panel match.
• Brother (MFC-J1205W and MFC-J1215W): load one size and type at a time, and change the paper size setting when you switch. Fan the stack well, and make sure it isn't curled or wrinkled. Load it printing side down and don't push it in too far, or it may lift at the back of the tray. Brother says more than 20 sheets of 5" x 7" photo paper may cause jams. To top up, take out the paper that's left and add it to the new stack.

5. Still jamming? Get official service

• HP: if it's still jamming after every step, HP's next step is to have the printer serviced or replaced through HP Customer Support, at support.hp.com. HP says repair fees might apply for out-of-warranty products.
• Canon: if the steps don't solve it, Canon says to contact your nearest Canon service center to request a repair. Canon's U.S. support site is usa.canon.com/support.
• Epson: for an E-01 error with no jam, Epson says to contact Epson for support, at epson.com/support.
• Brother: for more tips, Brother's LED page points you to your model's FAQs & Troubleshooting page at support.brother.com.
• Work, school or leased printer: the IT team.

Our read: if a cover won't close, a part looks broken or you hear grinding, stop and use the maker's service instead of taking the printer apart.