When a laser printer intermittently fails to feed paper, the most common hardware cause is worn or dirty pickup rollers. These rollers grab the paper from the tray and move it into the printer. Over time, dust, paper debris, or worn rubber reduces their effectiveness, causing feeding issues.
From the CompTIA A+ 220-1101 Official Study Guide, Objective 4.3 – Troubleshoot printing problems:
“If the printer is not picking up paper correctly or is experiencing paper jams, check and clean or replace the pickup rollers and separation pads as these are responsible for feeding paper into the print path.”
Other options like updating drivers, selecting paper size, or replacing toner will not resolve a mechanical paper feed problem.
Verified Source:
CompTIA A+ Core 1 (220-1101) Official Study Guide, Chapter 4: Troubleshooting Printing Problems
CompTIA Exam Objectives 220-1101, Domain 4.3
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