241 or 241.xx paper jam

Issue description

When the printer jams, the applicable jam message displays on the printer control panel. If you select Show areas on the control panel, you can view one or more images to help you locate and clear the jam.

Solution

A 241 or 241.xx Paper Jam message indicates a problem with paper jammed at the front of the printer, where tray 1 is located. To resolve the paper jam message, you must first clear the entire paper path. You can then press the Select (check mark) button to clear the paper jam message and resume printing. To access the jam area, you must open one or more of the front trays. Paper jams in these areas can occur on the incline surface of a tray or across more than one tray. To clear these areas:

1. Open the printer tray (tray 1), and remove any jammed media.



2. If you have a duplex option installed, also remove the duplex access tray and remove any jammed media.



3. If you are printing from an optional tray, such as tray 2 or tray 3, open any optional trays, starting at the top, and remove any jammed media. Pull the print media either up or down. If it does not pull easily one way, try the other way.



4. If you are printing from an optional 2000-sheet feeder, open the front door of the feeder, press the elevator button (A) to lower the tray, remove any jammed paper, and make sure that the paper inside is neatly stacked and aligned.



5. Once you have done this, install the tray and press the Select (check mark) button to try printing again.

   Note:  You can receive a message informing you that another sheet of paper is jammed elsewhere in the printer. If so, please open the front door and remove the toner cartridge. Also open the rear door of the printer (and the rear door of the duplex option if a duplex unit is installed). Remove any jammed sheets of paper you find. Then try printing again.



6. If the printer jams again with a 241 Paper Jam error message, see if it has tried to feed a sheet of paper out of the tray.

   • If paper is not leaving the tray and no paper appears to be jammed anywhere in the printer, remove tray 1 once again. Make sure that the paper is loaded correctly in the tray. With the tray removed, you can also check the feed/pick rollers. Do the following:
   

   1. Look into the printer where the tray goes.

   

   2. Look for two tan-colored rubber rollers. These are the rollers that grab and feed the paper up into the printer.

   

   3. Clean off the rollers with a dry cloth and try printing again.

   

   4. If the printer still does not pull any paper, your feed rollers are worn. As a test and a temporary fix, you can try flipping the rubber feed rollers inside out.

      Note:  Be very careful not to damage the rubber tires when doing this. If you are uncomfortable performing this step, skip ahead to step 5.

      

      1. Remove tray 1 again and carefully remove one of the rubber tires off one of the roller wheels.

      

      2. Flip the rubber tire inside out and carefully place it back onto the wheel.

      

      3. Repeat these steps with the other tire.

      

      4. Try printing again. If this does not correct the paper feed issue, remove the tray and flip each of the feed rollers again to return the tires to their original positions.

         Note:  If cleaning the feed rollers or flipping them inside out fixes the problem, your feed rollers are worn and must be replaced soon. For information on how to order a set of these pick rollers, please contact Lexmark Technical Support or a local authorized service center in your area. The part number for a set of pick rollers is 40X0070. A set also comes with the maintenance kit.

   

   5. If the paper still does not feed at all, the feed motor to tray 1 is not feeding the paper. If so, the printer requires service.

   • If paper is feeding out of the tray but getting jammed, you can pinpoint the source of the problem by taking a close look at where the leading edge of the paper is stopped.
   • If the paper is getting jammed at front of tray 1, a small piece of paper is stuck in one of the rollers at the front of the printer. Do the following:
   

   1. Remove tray 1.

   

   2. Look into the printer where the tray goes. Look upwards into the very front of that area. You see a slot or guide where the paper goes once it is fed out of the tray. Towards the left-hand side, there is a set of feed rollers. A small piece of paper can get wrapped around one of the rollers here. (Refer to the photos below for guidance on where to look into the printer for the feed rollers. The rollers are located in the area of the printer highlighted by the yellow circles.)

   

   3. If you see a small piece of paper stuck in one of these rollers, try to remove it.

   

   4. If you cannot reach it or it cannot be removed, the assistance of a service technician is needed.

      Note:  To complete the steps above, lay the printer on its side. This is an advanced procedure. Make sure that the printer is powered off and unplug all cables and cords going into the printer, especially the power cord, before lifting the printer. Also remove the toner cartridge and the paper tray before setting the printer on its side. Please use caution when lifting the printer.

   • If the paper is getting past the front of the printer and jamming elsewhere with a 241 Paper Jam error, do the following:
   

   1. Look for any obstructions at the leading edge of where the paper is jamming.

   

   2. If you cannot find (and remove) any obstruction, the printer needs service to isolate the problem and replace the failing component.

   • Check the type of media you are using. Are you printing on regular plain bond copy paper?
   • If not, try printing again with plain copy paper. Certain specialty papers - letterhead stock, label stock, and card stock - can promote jamming. Testing the printer with plain paper eliminates specialty media as part of the cause of the jamming. Even if this special paper has worked fine in the past, please test the printer with plain copy paper before arranging to have the printer serviced. For more information on the media specifications for this printer, refer to the User's Guide or to the Card Stock and Label Guide.
   • You can also receive this error when printing from tray 2 or tray 3.
   

   1. If you have additional trays installed and the jamming occurs in one of them, one of the optional trays is not seated properly. Power off the printer and reseat all tray options on top of each other. (For information on how to do this, click here.)

   

   2. If the error continues to occur, you can follow the same checks as listed above for tray 1, but apply these steps to the tray that is jamming. For instance, if you are printing from tray 2 when the error occurs, check the tray and feed rollers for tray 2.



7. If you go through all the checks and the printer continues to jam or if you cannot find any paper jammed in the printer, service is needed to isolate the problem and replace the failing component. Please contact Lexmark Technical Support or a local service provider.