Printer problem

I have a Canon BJC-6000 and for every print job the paper is taken in about 3 inches and then the print job starts but the paper does not go into the printer. I have taken it apart looking for a paper jam and cannot find any. I have changed the paper several times. I have checked the thickness lever and that is OK. Can anyone help me figure out why the paper does not want to go into the printer? The problem began several days ago but before that it was working fine. Something is keeping the paper from being advanced into the printer but I can’t figure out what that could be. Any help is greatly appreciated. I have checked the Canon website and have tried everything that they recommend. I don’t want to get it repaired because a new printer would be cheaper.

I’m sure you’ve tried this, but have you tried putting only a small amount of paper in the tray? My BJC was quirky; if I put in too few, it would act as if no paper was available. If I put in too much, it would grab too much and get jammed.

Trying different amounts of paper would be my first thought as well. The working amount varies for different grades of paper, either thicker or thinner, or with more or less glossy finish.

If neither amount or type of paper is the problem, you could try cleaning the feed rollers with alcohol wipes or a cloth with denatured alcohol. (Just dampen the cloth! Don’t drip!)

Anything else might be more expensive to fix than buying a new printer.

I hate printers!

Thanks for the tip but I have tried that too. I have even reinstalled the drivers just in case that has anything to do with the problem and still no help. It would not be so bad if the paper was not advanced at all but at the start of the print job it goes in about three inches and than stops. The print job begins and ends and than the printer beeps three times indicating a paper jam. I remove the paper and hit the resume button and try again and again the same thing happens. This is really annoying when it was working OK about three or four days ago. For the past several weeks though it did beep with a paper jam message but I just hit resume and the job was completed without a problem. Thanks for the help. It looks like I will be shopping for a new printer. I am glad that the prices have come down since I bought the BJC-6000.

Yeah, I had problems like that with mine, too. I fiddled with it a bit, but I eventually just bought a Lexmark off ebay. They’re so extremely cheap it’s just not worth the hassle.

Yep, its easier to get another printer as they cost about what the ink carts cost these days.

I would unplug it from wall for a full minute. Plug back in. Run the printer self test on the printer itself before you connect it to the computer. If it feeds then you probably need a new cable. I have to put in new printer cables about every 2 years.

I`ve noticed that you have recommended printer cables in numerous threads/posts. What the heck can go wrong with a printer cable that it would need to be replaced every two years?
What are you doing in your begroom with your printers handy?

OP - I had a paper loading problem with my BJC 5100. I had to keep reinserting the paper until it finally caught. Make sure the stack is feathered.
I think what finally worked was to take about 20 sheets, even up their edges, and sort of drop them into the tray from about 2 inches up.

Sounds like one or more worn-out pickup rollers. If you can get your hands on a few sheets of thicker paper (such as 24-pound “premium” vs 20-pound “regular”) see if it feeds any better.

I don’t know if ink printers are worth fixing, but if the thicker stuff gets in farther, you at least have a better idea of the problem and can then call Canon and see what the cost would be. Scratch that, I see you don’t want to mess with that.

And, I understand the frustration of “it was working just a couple days ago.” One of our LaserJets cashed in its chips right in the middle of a ten-page job. The paper got about two inches out of the tray and stopped on page four. No amount of cajoling, fidgeting, cursing or threatening would get it to print again. Literally a case of “It was just fine ten seconds ago!”

Happily, the LJ was easy and cheap to fix - $100 for a box of replacement rollers and other rubber thingies, and about 30 minutes to swap them all out.

Thanks for the suggestion. I will try new printer cables to see if that is the answer. I have the printer daisy chained through the Zip drive and scanner making the last stop at the printer. I don’t know if it would have any effect if I tried to run it straight through from the computer with no stops in between. I am not going to play around with it too long but when I see a challange like this it brings out my stubborness. Maybe it has something to do with my being a Capricorn and not wanting to give up. If you have any more suggestions just fire them out.

" What the heck can go wrong with a printer cable that it would need to be replaced every two years?"

I don’t know but let me tell you that it sucks to have to figure out that’s what it is. There have been other posts about other peoples printers & it was the cable. Probably cheap cables. I do use better ones now. So far they are working.