HP Color Laser 178, 179 Printers - Paper Jam Error

This document is for HP Color Laser MFP 178nw, 178nwg, 179fnw, and 179fwg printers.

During printing, the printer stops feeding pages, the Status/Attention light

blinks and one of the following messages might display on the printer control panel or computer screen:

Paper Jam in exit area.
Paper Jam in tray.
Paper Jam inside machine.
Document jam. Remove jam.

Clear the printer of any jammed paper or reset the printer if the printer has no jammed paper.

note:
Paper jams can be real or false. The printer might report a paper jam even when there is no jammed paper. The following steps apply to both real and false paper jams.

Step 1: Look for jammed paper

Paper jams can occur in multiple areas of the printer. If you cannot find the paper jam in one area, continue to the instructions for the next area until you locate the jam.

Clear jammed paper from the exit area

Remove any loose or jammed paper that is accessible from the exit area.

Lift the scan unit.
Open the rear door.
Pinch the latch to release the transfer roller, and then lower the roller to access the inside of the printer.
Use both hands to remove any jammed paper or objects from the exit area.
Close the scan unit.
Raise the transfer roller until it snaps into its original position, and then close the rear door.
Reconnect the power cord to the wall outlet or power strip, and then turn on the printer.

If the error persists, check for jammed paper in another area of the printer.

Clear jammed paper from the input tray

Remove any loose or jammed paper that is accessible from the input tray.

Pull out the input tray.
Use both hands to remove any jammed paper from the input tray.
Push in the input tray.
Open the toner cartridge access door, and then close it to clear the error message.

If the error persists, check for jammed paper in another area of the printer.

Clear jammed paper from inside the printer

Remove any loose or jammed paper that is accessible from inside the printer.

Turn off the printer, and then disconnect the power cord from the wall socket or power strip.

warning:
You must disconnect the power cord before reaching inside the printer to avoid risk of injuries or electric shock.
Lift the scan unit.
Open the rear door.
Pinch the latch to release the transfer roller, and then lower the roller to access the inside of the printer.
Use both hands to remove any jammed paper or objects from inside the printer.

warning:
The fuser is located above the rear door, and it is hot. Do not attempt to reach into the area above the rear door until the fuser is cool.
Raise the transfer roller until it snaps into its original position, and then close the rear door.
Close the scan unit.
Reconnect the power cord to the wall outlet or power strip, and then turn on the printer.

If the error persists, check for jammed paper in another area of the printer.

Clear jammed paper from the ADF (HP Color Laser MFP 179fnw, 179fwg printers)

Remove any loose or jammed paper that is accessible from the automatic document feeder (ADF).

Open the document feeder cover.
Use both hands to remove any jammed paper from the ADF input tray area.
Close the document feeder cover.
Raise the ADF input tray to access to the document feeder output tray, and then use both hands to remove any jammed paper from the ADF output tray area.
Lower the document feeder input tray, and then open the scanner lid.
Use both hands to gently pull out any jammed paper behind the white plastic backing.
Close the scanner lid.
Reconnect the power cord to the wall outlet or power strip, and then turn on the printer.

If the error persists, check for jammed paper in another area of the printer.

If you have checked all areas of the printer, and the error persists, continue to the next step to reset the printer.

Step 2: Reset the printer

Sometimes a paper jam error persists even though there is no jammed paper (false paper jam).

With the printer turned on, disconnect the power cord from the printer.
Unplug the power cord from the power source.
Wait 60 seconds.
Reconnect the power cord to a wall outlet and to the printer.

note:
HP recommends plugging the printer directly into a wall outlet.

Step 3: Try to print, scan, or copy again

Send the print, scan, or copy job again to make sure the hardware functions correctly. If the problem persists, continue to the next step.

Step 4: Service the printer

Service or replace your HP product if the issue persists after completing all the preceding steps.

Go to Contact HP Customer Support to schedule a product repair or replacement. If you are in Asia Pacific, you will be directed to a local service center in your area.

To confirm your warranty status, go to HP Product Warranty Check. Repair fees might apply for out-of-warranty products.

HP Color Laser 178, 179 Printers - Paper Jam Error

Step 1: Look for jammed paper

Clear jammed paper from the exit area

Clear jammed paper from the input tray

Clear jammed paper from inside the printer

Clear jammed paper from the ADF (HP Color Laser MFP 179fnw, 179fwg printers)

Step 2: Reset the printer

Step 3: Try to print, scan, or copy again

Step 4: Service the printer

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