Maintenance procedure · Written to ASD-STE100 Issue 9 · Formatted to ANSI Z535

Clear a Paper Jam — HP DeskJet 2700 All-in-One Series

Find and remove jammed paper in an HP DeskJet 2700 series inkjet, in the order HP gives
ApplicabilityHP DeskJet 2700 All-in-One series inkjet printers, as covered by the HP DeskJet 2700 series user guide and the HP DeskJet 2700 All-in-One series reference guide. The cover page of the user guide is an image and could not be read by our extractor, so the model coverage here is taken from the printed reference guide and from the body text of the user guide, both of which name the HP DeskJet 2700 series. Check the model name on the front of your printer before you start.
Task time18 min to 26 min editorial estimate, not a measurement
PersonnelOne
Revisionv1 · 2026-07-29
BEFORE YOU BEGIN

Before you begin. This procedure is general reference information, not professional advice. Equipment varies by manufacturer, model, and year. Always follow the documentation supplied with your equipment — where it differs from this page, follow the manufacturer. Verify that you have the tools, the working conditions, and the ability to do this task safely. If anything is unclear, if the equipment is damaged, or if the task exceeds your experience, stop and use a qualified professional. You are responsible for your own safety and for the outcome. This site accepts no liability for any loss, damage, or injury arising from the use of this information.

Specifications marked unverified could not be traced to a manufacturer source. Do not rely on them — obtain the value from your equipment documentation.

Summary

Paper jams on a DeskJet 2700 happen in four different places, and HP is specific about the order you should search them in: the input tray first, because clearing that one makes everything behind it easier to reach. Most people go straight for the bit they can see and pull, which is how a whole sheet turns into six torn pieces you then have to fish out from underneath the printer. This page is HP's order, as a checklist, with the two things that actually matter called out where you need them: pull with both hands, and unplug the printer before you move the print carriage.

Every step links to the page of HP's own documentation it came from, so you can check any instruction against the manufacturer's document in one click. Nothing here is copied from those documents. Two HP documents back this page — the 126-page user guide and the short printed reference guide that came in the box — and the step tells you which one it is quoting from.

Necessary equipment

ItemNote
FlashlightHP gives this instruction for each area. A phone light is satisfactory.
Clear work surfaceKeep a clear space near the printer for the removed paper.

Examine the printer first

Estimated under a minute

NOTEThe printer can remove some jammed paper without help. Give it this chance before you open a door.
  1. Examine the control panel of the printer.
    • A paper symbol shows a paper problem.
    • An error code starts with the letter E.
    <1m
  2. Push the Cancel button.
    • The printer tries to remove the paper without help.
    <1m
  3. If the paper stays in the printer, do the next sections in sequence.
    • Start with the input tray. HP gives this sequence.
    • Continue until you find all the jammed paper.
    <1m

Clear the input tray

Estimated 3 min to 6 min

NOTEDo this section first. Clear paper in the input tray blocks the other areas.
  1. Empty the input tray of all paper.
    • Remove the loose sheets.
    • Remove the jammed sheets.
    <1m
NOTICE

DO NOT REMOVE THE INPUT TRAY SHIELD.
The shield is part of the paper path. Loose material can fall into the printer without it.

  1. Lift the input tray shield with one hand.
    • Hold the shield in this position.
    <1m
  2. Use a flashlight to examine the paper path.
    • Look for paper.
    • Look for other objects that fell into the printer.
    <1m
NOTICE

PULL JAMMED PAPER SLOWLY WITH TWO HANDS.
A torn sheet leaves pieces in the printer that are more difficult to find.

  1. Remove the paper and the other objects from the paper path.
    • Use two hands.
    • Pull slowly to keep the sheet complete.
    2m
  2. Release the input tray shield.
    <1m

Clear the output tray

Estimated 2 min to 3 min

  1. Empty the output tray of all paper.
    • Remove the loose sheets.
    • Remove the jammed sheets.
    <1m
  2. Use a flashlight to examine the output tray area.
    <1m
  3. Remove the paper and the other objects from the output tray area.
    • Use two hands.
    1m

Clear the cartridge access area

Estimated 4 min to 7 min

CAUTION

DO NOT PUT YOUR HAND IN THE PRINTER UNTIL THE PRINT CARRIAGE IS QUIET.
The carriage can move when you open the cartridge access door.

  1. Open the cartridge access door.
    • Push the Cancel button first. The printer can clear this area without help.
    <1m
  2. Wait until the print carriage stops.
    • The printer is quiet when the carriage stops.
    <1m
WARNING

DISCONNECT THE POWER CORD BEFORE YOU MOVE THE PRINT CARRIAGE WITH YOUR HAND.
Electric shock can occur if the printer stays connected to the power supply.

  1. Push the Power button to set the printer to off.
    <1m
  2. Disconnect the power cord from the rear of the printer.
    • Disconnect the other cables also.
    <1m
  3. Use a flashlight to examine the cartridge access area.
    <1m
  4. Remove the paper and the other objects from the cartridge access area.
    • Use two hands.
    • Pull slowly to keep the sheet complete.
    2m
  5. If the print carriage is in the center of the printer, move it to the right.
    • Remove the paper and the objects in the path of the carriage.
    <1m
  6. Close the cartridge access door.
    <1m
  7. Connect the power cord to the rear of the printer.
    • Connect the other cables also.
    <1m
  8. Push the Power button to set the printer to on.
    <1m

Clear the cleanout door

Estimated 5 min to 7 min

NOTEThe cleanout door is on the bottom of the printer. Do this section only if paper stays in the printer after the other sections.
  1. Push the Power button to set the printer to off.
    • Push the Cancel button first. The printer can clear this area without help.
    <1m
  2. Disconnect the power cord from the rear of the printer.
    • Disconnect the other cables also.
    <1m
  3. Lower the input tray into the printer.
    • Close the output tray extender.
    • Push the output tray into the printer.
    <1m
  4. Turn the printer.
    • The bottom of the printer must be up.
    • Put the printer on a flat surface.
    <1m
  5. Pull the two tabs on the cleanout door to open the door.
    • The cleanout door is on the bottom of the printer.
    <1m
  6. Remove the jammed paper.
    • Use two hands.
    • Pull slowly to keep the sheet complete.
    1m
  7. Use a flashlight to examine the cleanout area for torn pieces of paper.
    • Remove each piece that you find.
    <1m
  8. Close the cleanout door.
    • Push the door to the printer until the two latches engage.
    <1m
  9. Turn the printer to its usual position.
    <1m
  10. Connect the power cord to the rear of the printer.
    • Connect the other cables also.
    <1m
  11. Push the Power button to set the printer to on.
    <1m

Prevent the next jam

Estimated 2 min

Paper sizes your printer accepts
Unverified — do not rely on this value
READ THE SUPPORTED SIZES FROM THE HP PRINTER SOFTWARE

No tier-1 source was found for this value. Take it from the documentation supplied with your equipment.

  1. Keep all the paper in the input tray at the same size and the same type.
    • Make sure that the paper is flat.
    • Do not use paper with a bent edge or a torn edge.
    <1m
  2. Move the paper-width guide against the paper.
    • The guide must touch all the paper.
    • The guide must not bend the paper.
    <1m
  3. Do not fill the input tray to more than its limit.
    • Do not push the paper down into the tray.
    <1m
  4. Remove the printed paper from the output tray frequently.
    <1m
  5. Do not put paper in the input tray while the printer prints.
    • Wait for the message about an empty tray.
    <1m

Terminology

This page uses one term for each item and holds it throughout, as ASD-STE100 requires. Equipment sellers and other guides use the names below for the same parts.

paper jam
Also called: jammed paper, printer jam, paper stuck in printer, paper jam error, printer says paper jam but there is no paper
input tray
Also called: paper tray, feed tray, the tray at the back, where the paper goes in
cleanout door
Also called: bottom door, rear access door, the hatch underneath, cleanout hatch
print carriage
Also called: carriage, cartridge holder, the bit that slides, print head holder
cartridge access door
Also called: ink door, front door, cartridge door, the flap at the front
input tray shield
Also called: tray cover, paper guard, the plastic flap over the tray

When to use a professional

Stop if you cannot find the paper after all the sections. Speak to HP support.

Do not put a tool into the printer. Do not remove the printhead. The printer has no parts that a user can repair. Qualified service personnel must do all other work.

Do not remove the input tray shield. It is part of the paper path.

Stop if the printer shows the same error after you clear all four areas. A jam message with no paper in the printer is a fault. Speak to HP support. Do not use more force.

Common questions

My HP printer says paper jam but I can't see any paper. What now?

That message usually means paper is sitting somewhere you can't see from the front, or a small torn piece is still in the path. HP describes four separate areas — the input tray, the output tray, the cartridge access area and the cleanout door underneath the printer — and asks you to work through them in that order rather than guessing. A scrap the size of a stamp is enough to keep the sensor reporting a jam, which is why the checklist asks you to use a light in every area instead of feeling around.

Why does HP want me to start at the input tray?

Because clearing it first clears the path, which makes the other areas easier to get at. HP states this as the order to follow. It is one of those instructions that sounds like a formality and is not: reaching into the cartridge area while a jammed sheet is still anchored in the input tray is how a whole sheet gets torn in half.

Is it safe to pull the paper out hard?

No, and not because you'll hurt yourself — because of what a torn sheet costs you. HP's instruction is to pull with both hands, gently, to avoid tearing whole sheets. Every piece that tears off has to be found separately, and the ones that end up under the carriage or behind the cleanout door are the ones that turn a five-minute job into a half-hour one.

Do I really have to unplug the printer?

For the cartridge access area, yes. HP is explicit: you must unplug the power cord before you move the carriage by hand or reset the paper feed mechanism, to avoid the risk of electrical shock. Pressing the power button is not the same thing as unplugging it. For the input tray and the output tray, HP does not ask you to unplug.

How much paper can I put in the tray?

HP's specification for the DeskJet 2700 series is up to 60 sheets of 75 g/m² plain paper in the input tray, and the output tray holds up to 25 sheets of 80 g/m². Envelopes and index cards are much lower — 5 and 20 respectively. Overfilling is on HP's own list of things that cause jams, along with mixing sizes and types in one stack and pushing the paper too far down.

The printer keeps jamming after I clear it. Is it broken?

Maybe, but check the boring things first. HP lists curled paper, a paper-width guide that is either loose or bent against the stack, mixed paper sizes in one tray, and adding paper mid-print as causes of repeat jams and misfeeds. If none of those apply and the printer jams again on fresh flat paper with the guide set correctly, that is the point to contact HP support rather than to keep opening doors.

Sources

Every specification on this page is traced to one of these sources. Tier 1 is a manufacturer document, a published standard, or a government safety authority. See Standards for the full tiering rule.

  1. Tier 1HP DeskJet 2700 All-in-One series — user guideHP · accessed 2026-07-29 · re-verification due 2027-01-25
  2. Tier 1HP DeskJet 2700 All-in-One series — reference guideHP · accessed 2026-07-29 · re-verification due 2027-01-25

Revision history

Current version 1 · updated 2026-07-29 · next review due 2027-07-29

  1. v1 · 2026-07-29First draft. Built from two HP DeskJet 2700 documents fetched by scripts/manuals.py, with per-step deep links into HP's own PDFs.

Corrections to this page are listed in the public corrections log. Reports that are credible and not yet verified are listed in the public errata register, and an open one renders above the step it concerns.

Comments and corrections

Found an error? A correction with a manufacturer source is applied and logged publicly. You can also write to corrections@fixchecklist.com.

Every step above carries its own report control, which tags the report with that step so a correction reaches the right place. For anything about the procedure as a whole — the order of the sections, a step that is missing, something that did not match your equipment — use this: report something about this whole procedure.

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