Laser printers — First diagnostic step for paper jams When troubleshooting which component is causing a paper jam in a laser printer, what is the most informative first action a technician should take?

Introduction / Context:
Paper jams are among the most common laser printer faults. Effective troubleshooting begins with observations that narrow the fault to a specific subsystem such as feed, registration, transfer, fuser, or exit delivery.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• A standard office laser printer using the electrophotographic process.
• Paper has jammed somewhere along the feed path.
• No prior disassembly has been performed.

Concept / Approach:

The location where paper stops reveals which mechanism last touched it. This immediately focuses inspection on rollers, clutches, sensors, the registration assembly, the transfer step, or the fuser/exit section, saving time and preventing unnecessary part swaps.

Step-by-Step Solution:

Verification / Alternative check:

Run a half-test (stop the printer mid-print by opening a door) to freeze the sheet and confirm the failing stage. Service manuals also provide jam code tables that map to sections, but those are most useful after you know where the sheet stopped.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

Checking all voltages first is time-consuming and rarely necessary for simple jams. Looking up generic codes without inspection can mislead. Power cycling may clear a transient, but it does not identify the root cause. Pulling paper first erases critical evidence (leading edge damage, skew, sensor blockage).

Common Pitfalls:

Yanking paper backward through the path (can damage fuser sleeves and sensors), ignoring worn pickup rollers, and overlooking toner debris on paper-present sensors.

Final Answer:

Note where in the paper path the paper stops.