Paper jams can be quite frustrating and will make for quite the stressful experience when printing your documents. These paper jams may happen for many different reasons — reasons which, quite fortunately, you can control.

Here is a look at a few of some of these reasons and, even more importantly, some simple ways that you can avoid paper jams when using your printers.

1.      Get Your Paper Type Right

Ensure that you only use the type of paper specified for your printer. Your printer's user manual should have a comprehensive breakdown of what you should use. That said, the one type of paper that you cannot go wrong with is standard office paper. Other paper types such as folded papers are a common culprit for paper jams in printers.

2.      Know When To Use The Manual Feed Tray

As previously mentioned, the type of paper you use matters. When you are using the heavier or thicker kind of paper, then you should consider using the manual feed tray. This provides a straight path that avoids paper jamming.

3.      Don't Mix Your Papers

Mixing the type of paper you load into your printer's paper tray will cause paper jams. Stick to one type of paper at a time. If and when you need to change the size and style of the print paper, then ensure that you unload the whole tray first.

4.      Do Not Overload

It is not easy to miss the capacity mark on the paper tray in printers. Should you overfill the tray, then you may end up having to wrestle out a few sheets of paper because they will just keep jamming.

Similarly, avoid adding paper onto an existing load of paper in the tray. It's always better to wait until the tray is empty. However, if you must add new paper to the load, ensuring that you put the new paper at the bottom of the tray.

5.      Keep The Printer Clean

Paper dust will collect in your printers over time if you do not regularly clean them. Pay particular attention to the rollers that hold the paper tray. You should ensure that the ink and toner cartridges are dust-free. Keeping your printers clean prevents the paper from slipping away in addition to avoiding paper jams.

As highlighted, it is quite easy to avoid the inconvenience and frustrations of paper jams. While there are differences across printers, the outlined tips will work just fine on any type of printer.