Hi everyone! Looking for a little help with my printer. It is driving me nuts!!
It is a hp deskjet 3820 & it won't print. It keeps saying there is a paper jam when there is not one. Any tricks or advice on getting it going again would be most appreciated. I really don't want to buy a new one or spend lots of $$$ getting this one fixed (unless I really have to) since I don't use it too often. Thanks in advance for your help!

Have you tried (edit to add) turn off the power (/eta), unplugging the power cord, let it sit for a few minutes, then plug it back in and turn it on? That will reset the printer and sometimes fix some problems.

Thanks Bill! Tried it but no such luck. I did a google search and this seems to be a common problem with this printer. Bottom line is it's a piece of you-know-what and I need a new printer. Thanks anyway!

there are two ways a printer detects a paper jam.

first is by flag/sensor. as paper travels through the printer, it either pushes a flag or passes over a sensor. this is so the printer knows the paper is traveling through the printer properly. if one of those flags is stuck in the triggered position (or broken) or a sensor is being covered up by something, no matter how small, it will trigger a paper jam. this type of jam should usually show up right away.

the other method is when the paper doesn't reach along certain points in the path in its expected time. this is probably less likely in this case, but it means that there either is a jam somewhere or there's a mechanical problem with the feeding process.

i would check as much as possible to make sure there's absolutely nothing in the printer. if there isn't, it'll need repair (it might even need a whole new motherboard). bottom line is warranties are meant to last as long as the equipment is expected to last. so if the warranty is a year, the manufacturer doesn't expect the equipment to last much longer than that.

It keeps saying there is a paper jam when there is not one. It must be because you forgot to print a cover sheet for your TPS report.

:D

It must be because you forgot to print a cover sheet for your TPS report.
http://www.idiotwork.com/pages/tps.html

(9MB QuickTime, language [from the movie])

Hi everyone! Looking for a little help with my printer. It is driving me nuts!!
It is a hp deskjet 3820 & it won't print. It keeps saying there is a paper jam when there is not one. Any tricks or advice on getting it going again would be most appreciated. I really don't want to buy a new one or spend lots of $$$ getting this one fixed (unless I really have to) since I don't use it too often. Thanks in advance for your help!

well you will not believe this but mine did this to and I tried everything! It now just sits there and I am mad about it! I finally hooked up the old reliable lexmark as I just got tired of my HP messing up and saying there is a papper janm etc.

http://www.idiotwork.com/pages/tps.html
Haaaaaaaaaa!!! FUNNY!!!

So I never realized that's what "TPS" could stand for! Thanks for the link, Andrew.

[Oh wait, I bet they mention it in the audio commentary or something.]

You know you work with an enlightened group when the DVD rip of "Office Space" is permanently available on a semi-hidden share.

As for the printer problem: My guess is that a scrap of paper or perhaps even just a piece of dust is blocking the paper sensor. You could try disassembling the paper path, or you could just take it to Best Buy and they'll take a look for you. They should be able to tell you if it's major or minor without actually charging you more than a nominal fee for the estimate (or the estimate may be free).