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

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

Issue

A 'Carriage Jam ' error message displays on the product control panel. The carriage, which holds the cartridges, stalls in the product. A paper jam might have occurred previously.

You might also experience the following symptoms:

The product won't print.
The print job stops unexpectedly.

Fixing a carriage jam

You can watch a video or follow the steps to clear a carriage jam.

The following video demonstrates the steps for clearing a carriage jam on the HP Photosmart C4795 All-in-One printer. The product in the video might not look exactly like your product, but the steps are the same.

If you have trouble viewing the video, or to the view the video in a different size, click here to play the video (in English) on YouTube.

How to use the solutions in this document

To resolve the issue, try each solution in this document in the order presented.

IMPORTANT : Each time you try a solution, try to print a self-test report to determine if the hardware is functioning correctly. To print a self-test report, use the steps in the following table.

How to print a self-test report

Load plain white paper in the input tray. Touch the lower-left corner of the control panel 4 times until Support Menu displays on the control panel, and then touch OK . NOTE:The OK button becomes visible when you access the Support Menu Figure 1: Touch the lower left of the control panel 1 - Lower-left corner of the control panel Touch the Menu button next to Support in the upper-right corner of the control panel ( ) until Reports Menu displays, and then touch OK . Touch the button in the upper-right corner of the control panel ( ) until Printer Status Report displays, and then touch OK . The product prints the self-test report.

IMPORTANT : Try to print a self-test report after every solution even if the solution resolves the issue.

NOTE:Refer back to the steps in this table after attempting each solution.

Solution one: Turn the product off and on again

Follow these steps to turn the product on, and then off again, to reset the print mechanism.

1. Press the Power button ( ) to turn off the product. If the product does not turn off, proceed to Step two: Clear any paper jam .
2. Wait 60 seconds.
3. Press the Power button ( ) to turn the product back on.
   

   NOTE:The product might go through a warm-up period. The product lights might flash and the carriage might move. Wait until the warm-up period finishes before proceeding.
4. Try to print a self-test report. Refer to the steps on how to print a self-test report at the beginning of this document.

If these steps resolved the issue , and the test page prints , there is no need to continue troubleshooting.
If the issue persists , continue with the next solution.
If the test page does not print , continue with the next solution.

Solution two: Clear any jammed paper

Jammed paper can cause the carriage to stall. Follow these steps to clear any jammed paper.

Step one: Remove any loose paper

Remove any loose sheets of paper from the input tray and the output tray.

CAUTION:Do not remove jammed paper at this stage. Trying to clear jammed paper from the front of the product can damage the print mechanism.

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

Use the following steps to check for and remove jammed paper from the rear of the HP product.

1. Press the Power button ( ) to turn off the product.
2. Disconnect the USB cable from the rear of the product.
3. Disconnect the power cord from the rear of the product.
4. Press in the tab on the left side of the rear access door to release the door. Remove the door by pulling it away from the product.
   Figure 2: Remove the rear access door

   
5. Gently remove any jammed paper from the rollers inside the product.
   

   CAUTION:If the paper tears while removing it from the rollers, check the rollers and wheels for torn pieces of paper that might remain inside the product. If any torn pieces of paper remain inside the product, more paper jams are likely to occur.

   Figure 3: Check the product for bits of torn paper

   
6. Reattach the rear access door. Gently push the door forward until it snaps into place.
   Figure 4: Reattach the rear access door

   
7. Reconnect the power cord to the rear of the product.
8. Press the Power button ( ) to turn on the product.

Step three: Clear the jam from the front of the All-in-One

If you cannot remove the paper jam from the rear of the product, follow these steps to remove the paper jam from the front.

1. Open the cartridge door.
   Figure 5: Open the cartridge door

   
2. Gently pull the paper out from under the front cover.
   Figure 6: Pull the paper from under the front cover

   
   

   CAUTION:Remove paper from the front of the product as carefully as possible. If any torn pieces of paper remain inside the product, more paper jams are likely to occur, and this could damage the printer mechanism.
3. Close the cartridge door.
   Figure 7: Close the cartridge door

   
4. Reconnect the power cord to the rear of the product.
5. Press the Power button ( ) to turn on the product.
6. Try to print a self-test report. Refer to the steps on how to print a self-test report at the beginning of this document.

If these steps resolved the issue , and the test page prints , there is no need to continue troubleshooting.
If the issue persists , continue with the next solution.
If the test page does not print , continue with the next solution.

Solution three: Make sure that the carriage moves freely

Follow these steps to make sure that the carriage can move freely.

1. Press the Power button ( ) to turn on the product.
2. Open the cartridge door.
   Figure 8: Open the cartridge door

   
3. Without turning off the product, disconnect the power cord from the rear of the product.
   

   CAUTION:You must disconnect the power cord to move the carriage by hand without the risk of an electrical shock.
4. Disconnect the power cord from the wall outlet.
5. Look inside the product to see where the carriage is stuck, and then check for any torn paper or other objects that might be stopping the carriage.
   

   NOTE:You might need a flashlight to illuminate areas for proper viewing.

   Figure 9: Example of obstruction

   
6. Remove any loose paper or obstructions found.
7. Reach inside the product through the cartridge door, and then manually move the carriage.
   If the carriage is stuck on the right side of the product , move the carriage to the left side of the product.
   If the carriage is stuck on the left side of the product , move the carriage to the right side of the product.
   If the carriage is stuck in the middle of the product , move the carriage to the right side of the product.
8. Make sure that the carriage can move freely across the width of the product. Firmly push the carriage to the left side of the product, and then to the right side.
9. Close the cartridge door.
   Figure 10: Close the cartridge door

   
10. Reconnect the power cord to the rear of the product.
11. Plug the power cord into the wall outlet or power strip.
12. Press the Power button ( ) to turn on the product.
13. Try to print a self-test report. Refer to the steps on how to print a self-test report at the beginning of this document.

If these steps resolved the issue , and the test page prints , there is no need to continue troubleshooting.
If the issue persists , continue with the next solution.
If the test page does not print , continue with the next solution.

Solution four: Remove and reinstall the cartridges

Improper placement or installation of the cartridges can cause the product to indicate a carriage jam error. Follow these steps to remove and then reinstall the cartridges.

Step one: Remove the cartridges

1. Press the Power button ( ) to turn on the product.
2. Open the cartridge door. The carriage moves to the center of the product.
   Figure 11: Open the cartridge door

   
   

   CAUTION:Wait until the carriage is idle and silent before proceeding.
3. Press down on the top of each cartridge to release it, and then pull the cartridge toward you to remove it from its slot.
   Figure 12: Remove the cartridge

   

   1 - The tri-color cartridge is on the left side of the carriage

   2 - The black cartridge is on the right side of the carriage
   

   CAUTION:Do not touch the copper-colored contacts or ink nozzles. Touching these parts can result in clogs, ink failure, and bad electrical connections.
   Figure 13: Do not touch the contacts or ink nozzles

   
4. Check for obstructions under and around the carriage. Remove any obstructions you find.

Step two: Reinstall the cartridges

Follow these steps to reinstall the cartridges. Repeat the steps for each cartridge.

1. Hold the cartridge with the HP logo on top, and then insert the cartridge back into the carriage slot. Push the cartridge firmly into the slot until it snaps into place.
   

   NOTE:

   The tri-color cartridge installs in the left carriage slot.
   The black cartridge installs in the right carriage slot.
   Figure 14: Insert the cartridges into the carriage

   
2. Close the cartridge door.
   Figure 15: Close the cartridge door

   
3. Press the Power button ( ) to turn on the product.
4. Try to print a self-test report. Refer to the steps on how to print a self-test report at the beginning of this document.

If these steps resolved the issue , and the test page prints , there is no need to continue troubleshooting.
If the issue persists , continue with the next solution.
If the test page does not print , continue with the next solution.

Solution five: Plug the product directly into a wall outlet

Plug the product directly into a wall outlet to make sure that the power source functions correctly.

1. Disconnect the power cord from the rear of the product.
2. Disconnect the power cord from any power strip or surge suppressor, and then plug it directly into the wall outlet.
3. Reconnect the power cord to the rear of the product.
4. Try to print a self-test report. Refer to the steps on how to print a self-test report at the beginning of this document.
   

   NOTE:If the product prints when plugged directly into a wall outlet, the power strip or surge suppressor might not be allowing enough voltage to reach the product.

If these steps resolved the issue , and the test page prints , there is no need to continue troubleshooting.
If the issue persists , continue with the next solution.
If the test page does not print , continue with the next solution.

Solution six: Perform a power reset

Use the following steps to reset the product.

1. Press the Power button ( ) to turn on the product.
2. With the product turned on, disconnect the power cord from the rear of the product.
3. Unplug the power cord from the wall outlet.
4. Wait at least 15 seconds.
5. Plug the power cord into wall outlet.
6. Reconnect the power cord to the rear of the product.
7. If the product does not turn on by itself, press the Power button ( ) to turn it on.
8. Try to print a self-test report. Refer to the steps on how to print a self-test report at the beginning of this document.

If these steps resolved the issue , and the test page prints , there is no need to continue troubleshooting. Reconnect the USB cable, and then try to print again.
If the issue persists , continue with the next solution.
If the test page does not print , continue with the next solution.

Solution seven: Service the product

There might be a problem with the product hardware or a component may not be functioning correctly. The next step is to service the product.

The product needs service

If you have completed all of the steps above and the issue is not resolved, the product requires service. Click continue to view the support solutions HP has to offer.