Your office copier will experience a hiccup or malfunction from time to time. Don't panic, it's likely not a big deal. You can probably fix many of these issues yourself.

Note: Before attempting any fix, consult the owner's manual or manufacturer's website. You will find solutions for many common problems. All copiers are different. Even copiers from the same manufacturer or line can have some differences. However, many of these tips will work on most copiers.

1. Paper jams – Paper jams are the most common of copier issues. A paper jam might occur for several reasons:

• Incorrect paper size
• Incorrect paper loading
• Paper dust and debris buildup
• Too much paper in the paper tray

Usually, all you need to do is find the location of the jam, and remove the jammed paper. Your copier has a series of doors and compartments you can open to check for the jam.

Many modern copiers will even give you an indication of precisely where the jam occurred. Once cleared, check for any of the previously mentioned jam causes, and fix any mistakes found.

If the jam occurs because of paper dust and debris, you will have to clean the detritus out. You can do that with a damp, clean cloth. You can vacuum the paper trays as well.  

2. Skewed copies – If your copies come out unaligned or skewed, you have a possible misfeed. Remove paper from the paper tray, look for bent or folded pages at the top or bottom. Put the paper back in the tray and try again. Also, make sure the paper guides sit snugly against the stack of paper.

3. Networking issues – If the printer isn't receiving print commands from your computing device, a networking issue is typically the issue. Make sure there's an actual connection. Check the Ethernet or other networking cable. Make sure the printer shows up as a network printer.

You can even try the age-old solution of turning the printer off then back on. Give it some time to boot up, and see if you can print. Rebooting the copier can also solve issues involving stubborn error codes that won't disappear.

Keeping Your Copier from Having Further Issues

You can and should fix copier issues yourself whenever possible. If the issue is beyond you, then contact a copier repair service. When in doubt, consult the manufacturer's instructions or website.

Learning more about your copier and how it works will help you keep problems at bay. In addition, make sure you use quality copier supplies. Sometimes issues with a copier occur because of cheap or low quality supplies. For more information, contact a business like High Sierra Business Systems.