Printer Paper Jams, How to Prevent it

Paper jamming problems are very typical. Most paper jams are caused by one or more paper characteristics. 
When you have paper jamming problems, first of all check the paper feed tray from which the paper was fed. The following jams, organized by area of the machine, may be related to paper. Some common reasons of jamming caused by paper are following:
Paper Curl:
The paper’s moisture content is controlled during the manufacturing process. If the paper moisture changes between shipping points and points of consumption, due to poor storage of paper such as by open windows in low temperatures or in non-humidity controlled storerooms, the condition of paper fiber is changed. A curl will result due to this imbalance of humidity moisture between the front and backsides of the paper. Heavier paper, and one side coated papers are particularly susceptible to curling. Proper paper storage is very important in preventing curling problems. Even when sheet of paper is flat, if it contains high amounts of moisture, it may cause a curl problem after passing through the fuser section of printer or photocopier.
The grain of the paper:
The grain of the paper refers to the direction of the fibers in a sheet of paper. The grain direction results from how the paper fibers lie parallel with one another during the paper manufacturing process in the direction they ran in respect to the wire belt. This grain direction effects how the paper will curl. For best copier/printer performance, the grain direction should be parallel to the long side of the sheet. Long-grain papers are about twice as stiff in the long direction. Short-grain papers are about twice as stiff in the short direction.
Paper Moisture:
The paper's moisture content is tied directly to its dimensional stability and strength. Too much moisture causes excessive curl, jams, and print quality problems. If the paper’s moisture content is too low static problems may result, which can also create to jams and misfeeds as well as cause image quality problems. The best performance in Electrographic printing systems comes with papers that have nominal moisture content of 4.5 ± 0.5 %. Usually, the paper for copiers/printers is manufactured to have the aforementioned moisture content. Moisture content can be affected by the environmental conditions of packaging and storage. The paper ream should be packaged to ensure moisture integrity. Moisture-proof ream wrappers are essential to maintaining the correct moisture level. If the paper is moved from a storage area to a location with a different temperature and humidity, the paper should be conditioned to the new location before it is used.
Fanning:
Fanning a new opened ream of paper is extremely important and should be performed each time paper is loaded. Fanning the paper allows the paper to feed better due to less surface friction between the sheets and it helps remove any paper lint before being placed in the machine.
Fanning is especially important when using paper that has been pre-drilled. Fanning the paper is a little step that, when done properly, can reduce or eliminate paper misfeeds and help to keep the machine free of dust and other paper debris.

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