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HP Photosmart C7280 All-in-One Printer Troubleshooting

'Paper Jam' Message Displays on the All-in-One

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Issue

While printing, the product stops feeding pages, and a 'Paper Jam ' message displays on the product control panel.
NOTE:Paper jams can be real or false. The product might report a paper jam even when there is no jammed paper. The following solutions apply to both real and false paper jams.

Video of fixing a paper jam

The following video demonstrates the steps for fixing a carriage or paper jam. The product shown in the video is the HP Photosmart C7280. The outside of the product might look different, but the steps are similar for your product.
If you have trouble viewing the video or to view the video in a different size, click here to play the video (in English) on YouTube.

Solution

Follow these steps to resolve the issue.

Step one: Remove any loose paper

Remove any loose paper from the input tray.
CAUTION:Do not remove jammed paper at this stage.

Step two: Clear the jam from the back of the All-in-One

Follow these steps to clear a paper jam from inside the back of the product and from the two-sided printing accessory (duplexer).
CAUTION:Always remove jammed paper from the back of the product to avoid mechanical damage. Trying to clear a paper jam from the front of the product can damage the print mechanism.
  1. Press the Power button ( ) to turn off the product.
  2. Disconnect the power cord from the back of the product.
  3. Remove the two-sided printing accessory (duplexer) from the back of the product.
    Press in the buttons on each side of the duplexer, and then pull the duplexer away from the product.
    Figure 1: Remove the duplexer
  4. Gently pull any jammed paper out of the rollers in the back of the product.
    CAUTION:If the paper tears, check the rollers and wheels for torn pieces of paper that might remain inside the product. Remove all the pieces of paper from the product to prevent more paper jams.
  5. Rotate the rollers upward to make sure that they move.
  6. Clear any paper jammed paper from inside the duplexer.
    1. With the wheels facing toward you, unlock the duplexer by pulling back the gray levers on each end of the duplexer.
    2. Open the duplexer lid.
    3. Remove any paper from inside the duplexer.
    4. Close the duplexer lid.
    5. Lock the duplexer by pushing the gray levers up and forward until they snap into place.

Step three: Clean the rollers

Before reattaching the duplexer to the back of the product, follow these steps to clean the paper rollers to remove any debris, dirt, or paper scraps.
  1. Wipe the paper rollers with a lint-free cloth lightly moistened with distilled or bottled water.
    Rotate the rollers upward with your fingers to clean all the way around.
    Figure 2: Clean the paper rollers
  2. Allow the rollers to dry completely.
  3. Reattach the duplexer to the back of the product. Gently push the duplexer forward until it snaps into place.
  4. Reconnect the power cord to the back of the product.
  5. Press the Power button ( ) to turn on the product.
  6. Load paper in the paper tray.
  7. Try the print job again.
    • If the error message displays again, proceed to the next step.
    • If the pages print successfully, you do not need to continue troubleshooting.

Step four: Clear the jam from the automatic document feeder (ADF)

Follow these steps to clear the jam from the automatic document feeder (ADF).
CAUTION:Do not lift the product lid, and then try to remove the jammed document from the glass. You might damage the original document.
  1. Remove all originals from the document feeder tray.
  2. Lift the cover of the ADF.
    Figure 3: Lift the ADF cover
  3. Lift the ADF mechanism.
    Figure 4: Lift the ADF mechanism
  4. Gently pull the paper out of the ADF mechanism.
    CAUTION:If the paper tears, check the rollers and wheels for torn pieces of paper that might remain inside the product. Remove all the pieces of paper from the product to prevent more paper jams.
  5. Lower the ADF mechanism.
  6. Close the ADF cover. Press down until the cover snaps into place.

Step five: Reload paper and try printing again

Loading paper incorrectly can cause paper jams. Follow these steps to reload paper into the product, and then try printing again.
  1. Pull out the main input tray.
  2. Slide the paper-width and paper-length guides to their outermost positions.
    Figure 5: Adjust the paper guides
  3. Insert a stack of paper into the main input tray with the short edge forward and the print side down. Slide the stack forward until it stops.
    Figure 6: Slide the stack forward
  4. Slide the paper-width and paper-length guides inward until they stop at the edges of the paper.
    NOTE:Do not overload the input tray. Make sure that the stack of paper fits within the input tray and is no higher than the top of the paper-width guide.
    Figure 7: Adjust the paper guides
  5. Push the main input tray back into the product.
  6. Pull the output tray extender towards you, as far as it will go.
    Figure 8: Pull out the output tray extender
  7. Try the print job again.
    • If the error message displays again, proceed to the next step.
    • If the pages print successfully, you do not need to continue troubleshooting.

Reset the All-in-One

  1. Press the Power button ( ) to turn the product off.
  2. Disconnect the power cord and the USB cable from the product.
  3. Unplug the power cord from the wall outlet.
  4. Reconnect the power cord and the USB cable to the product.
  5. Plug the power cord back into the wall outlet.
  6. Press the Power button ( ) to turn the product on.
  • If the error message displays again, proceed to the next step.
  • If the pages print successfully, you do not need to continue troubleshooting.

Step six: Service the product

If you have completed all the preceding steps and are still experiencing a problem, service the product.
Determine if your product is in warranty or out of warranty. If you need help determining your product’s warranty status, go to HP’s Warranty Check Tool .
  • If your product is in warranty , contact HP.
  • If your product is out of warranty , click here to view additional printer support options starting as low as $20.

Preventing paper jams

Use the following suggestions to prevent paper jams.
  • Load no more than 100 sheets of 75 g/m2 paper (or a 0.5 inch stack) in the input tray.
  • Load paper in the input tray so that it lies flat.
  • Do not force paper too far forward in the input tray.
  • Do not keep more than 50 sheets of paper in the output tray.
  • Remove printed paper from the output tray frequently.
  • Do not add paper while the product is printing.
  • Make sure that the output tray is correctly installed.
  • Make sure that the two-sided printing accessory (duplexer) is securely fastened in the back of the product.
  • Make sure that the paper guides are not pushed up so tightly against the paper that the paper bends in the tray.
  • Slide the paper-width guide against the left side of the paper. Slide the paper-length guide against the end of the paper.
  • Prevent curled or wrinkled paper by storing all unused paper flat in a resealable bag.
  • Do not combine different paper types and paper sizes in the input tray.
  • Use only the paper types recommended for your product.
  • Do not use paper that is too thin or too thick for the product.
  • Do not use extremely smooth, shiny, or coated papers unless they are specifically designed for your product.
  • Do not use multi-part forms (such as duplicate or triplicate forms).
  • Do not use curled, bent, wrinkled, torn, or creased paper, or any paper that will not lie flat.
  • Do not use paper that has been printed on before.