How to Fix the Carriage Return on a Deskjet Printer
All deskjet printers have carriages, which are the components of the printers that hold the ink cartridges and slide back and forth to print the ink onto paper. Most every printer will at one point or another encounter a paper jam. However, sometimes those paper jams can lead to carriage jams, which are much more serious than simple paper jams. If your printer emits a grinding noise as it attempts to move the cartridge, then the carriage is jammed, which means that the actuator arm is stuck, preventing the carriage from moving.
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Instructions
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1
Ensure that the printer is unplugged and open the cover of the printer to reveal the carriage assembly.
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2
Remove the paper tray by squeezing the two levers beneath it together and pulling outwards on the tray.
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3
Slide the carriage assembly to the middle of the printer so that you can easily access the components inside the printer. However, if the carriage will not slide to the center, complete steps 4 through 6.
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4
Press the large black bar located directly above the rollers down before releasing it, causing it spring back up. Attempt to slide the carriage to the middle of the printer again. If the carriage still will not budge, complete Step 5.
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5
Find the black bar located directly below the rollers and inside the tray compartment. This bar should be lying flat, parallel with the printer; if it is not, but rather point upward, gently push it down.
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6
Slide the carriage assembly to the middle of the printer once all parts are in their correct positions, for it should slide smoothly and easily now.
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7
Lift and release the actuator arm, which is a thin strip of black plastic approximately 1 ¾ inches long and 1/3 inch wide and is found directly above the gear assembly on the left side of the inside of the printer. The actuator arm should snap back into its proper position upon lifting and releasing it.
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Place the paper tray back inside the printer, plug the printer up again and turn on the printer before pressing and holding the "Resume" button and then closing the printer cover.
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Tips & Warnings
If the actuator does not release easily, lift it up and slightly to the right to encourage it to snap back into position.
Take your printer to a service repair shop if the problem is not fixed after completing the above process.
