Duplex unit doesn't work anymore, paper jams on the second side
Duplex jam is usually a roller or sensor in the duplex unit. Sometimes you replace a 30 EUR part yourself, sometimes it's a 200 EUR service call. Depends on the model line and recurrence.
Try this first
- 1Open the duplex door, check for paper bits or dust in the path. Often a scrap is left from the previous jam.
- 2Clean the transport rollers with a damp cloth (water, not alcohol). Dusty rollers slip, paper enters skewed.
- 3Test with thinner paper (80 gsm). Some duplex units struggle with heavy paper (>100 gsm) or recycled. Not a fault, just the device limit.
- 4Persistent duplex sensor error: usually a loose cable or a replaceable module. Brother and HP make many modules user-replaceable (5-10 minutes).
- 5On older MFPs (4+ years): calculate whether duplex repair pays off. Sometimes a new machine with better TCO is more realistic than 300 EUR into a written-off device.
When to bring us in
When in doubt between repair and replace, a short TCO calculation helps. We have a standard repair-yes/no template for printers 4+ years old.
See also
- Printer suddenly not foundFor everyone at once: print server or network. For one person: local Windows driver or expired authorisation.
- Print job stuck in queue, nothing happensA stuck queue blocks all subsequent prints. Cleaning takes two minutes.
- Scanner no longer sends emails (scan-to-email)Almost always: the account the scanner uses had its password expire, or the mail provider blocks old protocols.
None of the above fits?
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