No Power

• Don't overlook checking the copier's power cord. The "no power" condition could be caused from the machine being unplugged even though your understanding may be that the machine is never unplugged. It is not unusual to find that the night cleaning staff unplug office equipment to plug in their vacuum cleaners. If the cleaning staff forgot to plug the copier back in before they left, a "no power" condition will exist in the morning.
  
  Also check the copier's front and side covers. If one of the main covers on the machine is left ajar, safety switches inside the machine will cut power to the key components resulting in what looks like a "no power" condition.
  
  

Paper Jams

• When a paper misfeed occurs, jam indicator lights are displayed on the operator control panel to indicate where the machine thinks the paper may be in the paper path. Follow the directions on the operator control panel for opening access covers to clear the path of paper. Be mindful not to rip the paper from the paper path. Scraps of paper left behind will continue to create paper jams even if the original problem is resolved.
  
  Common causes of paper jams are misloaded paper, inappropriate paper stock and dirty feed rollers. If feed rollers are visible, clean them with a soft, lint-free cloth dampened with water. Clean what you can see. Do not disassemble any parts of the machine to access the rollers.
  
  Open the paper tray and remove the stack of paper. Inspect the paper for damage and to be certain the paper is appropriate for that machine. It is a common occurrence when adding paper to the copier that a few sheets on the bottom of the stack get folded over when the stack is laid into the tray. Remove the entire stack and inspect it for folded corners. Also inspect the paper guides that position the paper in the tray. If the guides are too tight, the paper will be trapped in the tray and won't exit smoothly. If the guides are too loose, the paper stack will shift position when the tray is closed and the paper won't be in the correct feed alignment. Both of these paper guide-related problems will cause paper jams in the copier.
  
  In some copier models, the paper guides have sensors which tell the machine what size paper is in the tray. In this case, if the guides are not set properly, the machine will think a different size paper is in the tray and it will think there is a paper feed problem when a different size paper feeds out of the drawer. In copier models that don't automatically detect paper size in the tray, there is a setting in the operator control panel in which you have to tell the machine what size paper is in use. If you change the paper in the tray to a different size or change its orientation without changing the paper size setting on the control panel, the machine will exhibit a paper jam.
  
  

Copy Quality

• Spots and lines are common copy quality problems. Inspect the original document to be certain the copy quality condition is not present on the original. What looks like a copy quality issue to you may be the copier simply copying what it sees in the original document.
  
  Spots are commonly caused by artifacts on the platen glass. Use a soft, lint-free cloth dampened with water to wipe all glass surfaces on the top of the copier. If your copier has a document feeder, there may be two glass surfaces---one large platen glass and then a narrow strip of glass positioned right next to it. Clean both of these glass surfaces. Cleaning the strip of glass adjacent to the platen glass may get rid of lines. If the lines only appear when an original is run through the document handler but don't appear when the same original is placed on the platen glass, that is an indication that there may be specks of dirt on the narrow strip of glass.
  
  

Error Codes

• If an error code appears on the control panel, note it and then follow the instructions on the control panel to clear it and any paper jam that results from the code. Once the paper is cleared and the code resolution steps have been followed, close the copy covers and try the copy job again. If the code reappears, there may be a trouble condition in the copier that cannot be resolved by the end user.
  
  

Call for Help

• Many larger businesses will have a person or persons whose job it is to monitor and maintain the copiers in the office. This person may be referred to as a key operator. If the normal troubleshooting does not resolve the problem, call the key operator or place a call for service.