Brother Printer Paper Jam: How to Easily Clear It

Switch out your printing paper and check if the error persists

by Claire Moraa
Claire Moraa
Claire Moraa
Author
Claire likes to think she's got a knack for solving problems and improving the quality of life for those around her. Driven by the forces of rationality, curiosity,... read more
Reviewed by Alex Serban
Alex Serban
Alex Serban
Windows Server & Networking Expert
After moving away from the corporate work-style, Alex has found rewards in a lifestyle of constant analysis, team coordination and pestering his colleagues. Holding an MCSA Windows Server... read more
Affiliate Disclosure
  • Brother printers are known for their reliability; however, the most common issue that causes them to fail is a paper jam. 
  • This can happen if you do not clean out your printer often enough and lose the ability to print.
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You may have experienced a problem with paper jams if you have a Brother printer. This is when the printer stops printing and says it has a paper jam. The problem can be caused by many things, such as jammed paper or a dirty or clogged cartridge. 

Knowing how to fix this issue is important so you don’t get frustrated and unnecessarily spend money on new cartridges. In this article, we show you various ways to get rid of paper jams and get to printing again.

Why does my Brother printer keep saying paper jam?

The following are the most common causes of Brother printer paper jam problems:

  • Faulty paper – The most common cause of a paper jam is faulty paper. This can occur if the paper is too thick or thin and has been torn or stretched. The printer cannot feed properly if it’s not the right type of paper.
  • Too many pages in one tray – If you have too many pages, they may overlap and cause the printer to stop functioning properly. 
  • Low ink levels – If your Brother printer keeps saying paper jam even though there are no other signs of trouble with it, such as lights flashing on or off or error messages appearing on screen, you may have an empty cartridge.
  • Incorrect paper alignment – This can cause a paper jam to not feed the paper properly.
  • Missing component – You need to ensure that there is no missing component that might be the cause. The missing component may be a ribbon cable, tray, or toner cartridge.
  • Dirty rollers – If you’ve been printing for a while without cleaning your printer, the printer may have accumulated too much dust, and the rollers are having trouble running efficiently.
  • Too many printing jobs – If you have sent multiple printing jobs simultaneously, the printer may have trouble executing the commands simultaneously.
  • Fauly/missing cable – The cable transfers the data from the computer to your printer, so if your Brother printer won’t connect via USB, you will have trouble printing.
  • The Brother Printer could be damaged – If you notice that your printer is making weird noises, it may have malfunctioned.

How do you clear a paper jam on a Brother printer?

Before you start unscrewing the printer, first check that the following are in order:

  • Ensure that the paper is loaded correctly. You’ll want to make sure that the paper is in the center of the paper tray and that other pieces of paper are not holding it up.
  • Install a new roll of paper into both guides by aligning it with its guide roller and pushing it down until it clicks into place at all four corners of your machine’s paper tray.
  • Check your cartridge and ensure you have enough ink to print.
  • Read the indicator lights to check whether a component is having issues.
  • Unplug your Brother printer and allow it to cool down for at least 15 minutes before trying again to print something out again without any items inserted into the printer at all.

1. Remove the jammed paper

  1. Disconnect the power cord from the outlet.
  2. Open the front cover of your Brother printer and allow it to cool down for up to 10 minutes.
  3. Take out the cartridge assembly slowly and remove any paper that has been stuck inside the printer. Avoid touching any electrodes.
  4. If there are any remaining pieces of paper, gently pull them out through one side of the machine, so they don’t get caught in any moving parts inside the machine.
  5. Restore the cartridge and wait for the LED light to turn to Ready, then attempt printing again.

2. Open the back cover

  1. Place the Brother printer face up.
  2. Open the fuser cover by pulling down the left and right tabs.
  3. Gently pull the jammed paper to avoid tearing it and leaving pieces inside.
  4. Replace the fuser cover and wait for the LED light to signal ready, then try printing again.

What do I do when my printer says paper jam, but there is none?

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If your printer says it has a paper jam, but there is none, you should try turning it off, unplugging it from the power source, and then trying again. If this still does not work, you must check for other errors.

Look for any damage to your Brother printer’s PE actuator, which should be located beneath a small metal plate on top of your Brother printer. If you see any damage to this plate, it will need to be replaced before you can continue with this process.

You can also contact Brother support and describe the issue in detail. They may be able to help with this problem.

That’s all we had for this article, but keep the conversation going in the comment section. Share any tips you may have to keep your printer paper jam-free.

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