The humble copy machine. The cornerstone of your office’s productivity. You simply cannot do without it!

When issues occur with your copy machine, this can absolutely destroy your productivity. Here you will learn what the most common issues are, and how to both solve, and prevent them from ever happening.

PAPER JAMS:

The most common, and extremely annoying issue that every office faces: The dreaded paper jam. You’re just making copies, or printing out a large document. You get maybe halfway through the document, when all of a sudden…….WHAM! Paper JAAAAAAAAAAMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!!

You throw your hands up, you start offering sacrifices to the office Gods, in hopes that the copy machine will print your documents again after that terrible event. BUT FEAR NOT! You can not only resolve this annoying issue, but you can also prevent it!

Start by reading the message displayed to you on your copier’s screen. It’ll tell you where the jam is at. Remove the paper from all areas indicated by the on-screen message. Once you clear all the jammed paper, the machine should resume from the page that it jammed on. If it jams again, you’ll want to check a few things.

WATCH OUT: Be careful when clearing jammed paper from the fuser area on your copier. The fuser gets extremely hot when in operation, and can cause burns.

What?! The copier Jammed AGAIN?!

You’ll need to dig deeper and check the following:

Paper Trays: This is where the paper is fed from on your machine. Be sure that the paper is stacked evenly in the trays, and that the guides are tight against the paper stack.

Paper: The paper itself could be causing the issue. Be sure that the paper you have loaded into your machine is free of rips, tears or folds. Be sure that the paper has not been moist or wet (This is evident by the paper curling up).

Environment: Humidity in an environment can cause a cacophony of issues with paper jams. Ensure that your copier is in a well ventilated, well air-conditioned location of your office. Ensure that your copy paper is also stored in a proper environment.

Paper Tray Settings: Having the incorrect paper type and/or size set on your machine can also cause jams as the machine will try to feed what it thinks is a size larger (or even smaller) than what the tray actually has. Most copiers use the paper guides to automatically set the loaded paper size.

Print Drivers: Using the wrong print drivers will also cause jams, as well as print quality issues. Be sure you’re using the manufacturer provided drivers for your copier. Your print provider’s techs will always install these when you first have a machine delivered.

Excessive Paper Dust: Excessive dust in the trays and feed paths can also cause problems. You can use a can of air to blow out this dust.

WATCH OUT: Always hold the can upright when using. Spraying it upside down will cause a very cold stream of liquid to eject from the can, which can cause damage.

SCANNER JAMS: You’re in a crunch, and you need to scan over a stack of documents before your deadline. You put everything into the feeder on top, pick where you’re scanning things, It gets through the first few pages of your scan, then……………CRUNCH! CLUNK! BEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

“Seriously?! I don’t have time for this! This thing ate my document! HEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLPPPPPPPP!!!!!!!!!!”

Again, FEAR NOT! These are also easily corrected! There’s stuff to watch for here too:

Foreign Objects: It is possible that a foreign object (Paper clip, staple, etc) got stuck in the processor. In most cases, you can push it out using a standard file folder. When scanning your originals, be sure to remove all staples and paper clips.

Paper Stuck in Feeder: A small piece of paper, even a shred, can cause the feeder to jam up. You can easily push this out by using a file folder. Be sure to retrieve it once you dislodge it.

Excessive Paper Dust: Excessive dust in the feed path can also cause problems. You can use a can of air to blow out this dust.

WATCH OUT: Always hold the can upright when using. Spraying it upside down will cause a very cold stream of liquid to eject from the can, which can cause damage.

Guides not set: Just like in the paper trays, the DP has guides that also need to be set when scanning or copying. Not setting these properly can cause your copier to misread the size of your document, or even pull the document in on an angle. This can cause issues ranging from crooked scans, to sections of your document getting cut off, or even a feeder jam.

QUALITY ISSUES:

“Hey what is this ugly streak in my copy??”

Another thing you’re going to deal with is output quality issues. Streaks, splotches, and other defects in your prints and copies. Many of these you will want to call your print provider for, as chances are it’s a machine issue that will need to be serviced by a professional. There are some issues, however that you can resolve.

The main one we’ll deal with here is getting a line when you make copies. This is usually caused by toner or other debris being stuck on the scanner glass. You can resolve this by using glass cleaner and a cloth to clean the scanner glass. In this case, you’ll be focusing on the small slit, or strip glass next to the main scanner glass. Give this a good scrub, then try your scan or copy again.

Of course, your copy can only be as good as the original you put into it. If the original is crooked, faded and streaky, you’re going to get a crooked, faded, streaky copy.

If you have to call in a quality issue, ALWAYS have an example ready to submit to the person you’re speaking to. These examples are used to determine what is causing the defect. This allows the technician who will be handling your call to bring the proper components needed to resolve the issue.

Paper can also play a major role in print quality. If the paper is damaged or moist from humidity, it will not only result in quality issues, but also frequent jams.

The paper settings on your machine can also be an issue if not properly set. Running regular paper through as thick or cardstock can cause the toner not to adhere properly, which results in your prints coming out smeared and gritty feeling. Running thick or cardstock through as regular can cause paper jams. Be sure your print driver and machine are both set up for the paper size and type you intend to use.

Another thing to note: Be sure the paper you’re using is meant for use in the printer you’re using it in. Running special paper for an inkjet printer through a laser printer can not only result in poor quality output, but can also damage the machine, necessitating a service call. Always read the labeling on the ream packaging and/or box.

Did you know that the toners and inks you use can also affect quality? It is important that you always use the manufacturer’s supplies with your machine. Using third party “Generic” supplies can cause quality issues, and in some cases, even machine issues. Don’t sacrifice quality for cheap. When you get a service agreement from CopyLady, we provide the supplies your machine needs, and we ONLY use OEM supplies.

WRONG WAY/BUTCHERED OUTPUT:

“Why is this sideways, tiny and cut off??”

Ah yes. You walk up to your machine, place your beloved document in the feeder, with the intention of making a few copies of this document. You reach down, press that big green START button, and………..

“HOLY COW BATMAN! This looks nothing like what I put in there! It’s all tiny and sideways and cut off and………”

Not a problem! There’s things to check here as well!

Check the guides: Your Document Processor (DP) has two guides, much like the ones in the paper trays, that should be up against your document. This tells the machine what size document is loaded, and in what orientation. You want to make sure that these guides are set right. On a CopyLady machine, you can look at the copy/scan screen, and it will tell you what it is seeing loaded. If you’re copying a letter-sized document, and you see something other than Letter show up, check your guides.

Stack them elsewhere:

“Why did my copy come out on ledger paper?!”

The back of the loading ramp on your DP may look like a good place to temporarily stage your extra docs, but is it really? You’ll be surprised by this answer:

NO!

Your DP will have a sensor back here as well that lets it detect the presence of larger sheets (Such as Legal and Ledger). If you put something here and load a document, your machine will think a larger one has been inserted, and will either copy it as that larger size, resulting in your letter-sized document getting printed out on Ledger paper, or worse, cause a horrible jam in the DP that you’ll inevitably have to clear out.

In short: Stack your extras on TOP of the DP cover. This is perfectly fine as long as you don’t weigh it down. It also helps to clean the dust out of this sensor once in awhile.

SPOTTED/SPECKLED OUTPUT:

“Why does my copy have all these weird random specks?”

Of course, this can happen if you use the flatbed glass to make your copy. The solution to this issue is extremely simple: Clean the glass. Just like the slit glass, the flatbed glass also needs to be wiped down. Clean this in the same way you would clean the slit glass. While you’re in there, clean the white upper platen sheet as well. Not only can dirty glass cause quality issues, but, in the case of the flat glass, it can also cause your copy to come out on the wrong size paper, or demand that you add paper to the multipurpose tray.

If this is happening when you are printing, then call us, and we’ll have one of our trained technicians come and fix it for you!

If you are sure you have done everything right, and are still experiencing machine issues, Pick up the phone and call us at 239-939-5383, and we will have one of our trained technicians come and get your machine running right again! We’ll even give it a good clean and shine while we’re there!