Posted on: June 2, 2009

Unfortunately, paper is not a perfect medium, and paper jams are a common hassle for many people. So how can you reduce these troublesome time-wasters? Here are six tips to get you going…. 

Store paper flat and in a cool, dry place. Excess moisture and heat can cause paper to curl at the edges and/or jam in office equipment. Keep the paper up, off the ground and away from heating or plumbing pipes, too. And keep it packaged up in reams, rather than open on the shelf. 

Let paper acclimate before adding it to the paper tray. If you store your paper in a different room than your copying or printing equipment, keep one or two reams near the copier/printer, so the paper has a chance to acclimate to the air conditions before being added to the copier/printer tray. 

Fan it out. Before adding paper to your copier or printer, flex the paper back and forth in your hands, then fan out the edges. This will help to keep the paper from sticking together and jamming the equipment. 

Let the paper run out on its own, before adding more. Mixing fresh paper with paper that has been sitting in the paper tray already can lead to unwanted paper jams and hassles. 

Fill the tray below capacity. It’s tempting, when filling the paper tray, to go as close to capacity as possible. But just as with heavy paper stock, having too much paper in the paper tray can cause extra strain on the rubber intake wheels, causing premature aging and leading to paper jams. To avoid this problem, fill the tray below the capacity mark, instead of right up to the line. 

Follow the manufacturer’s guidelines. Most office copiers, fax machines, and printers come with guidelines from the manufacturer on minimum and maximum paper weight (thickness) and on handling special situations, such as printing on labels, envelopes, transparencies, and coated (shiny) papers. Ignoring these recommendations can lead to paper jams, gummed up parts, and premature wear and tear. 

Source: Printer@Work

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