My HP LaserJet printer has recently shown a bizarre nuisance behavior in one circumstance.

Has this been seen by anyone in the greater HP community?

Only *once* in a day, *only* on the first duplex/two-sided print, and *only* of the first sheet of paper, there is a failure.

The first sheet of paper is printing the backside.

As it exits the fuser and travels up the printer back interior, the leading edge of the paper finds its path blocked at the very top of the box where the duplex flapper meets the output roller.

Movement continues until a sensor detects the obstruction to stop the motor.

Opening the rear door shows a perfectly wrinkled pattern (washboard) paper sheet which can be gently pulled from some rollers associated with the fuser area.

Power off, then on, restart the duplex job.

Everything functions as expected! And there are never any printing problems during that day even when the machine may be off for hours at a time.

The Service Page Event Log subsection printed from the machine menu shows many entries of Code 13.0916 (Paper jam).

With one-sided printing there has *never* been a jam.

In virtually all other modes and possible configurations, it is, and always has been, free of any flaws.

Model: HP LaserJet 402dn
Installed: February 2016
Total impressions: ~2000

Define "day"?

Put another way: if you print first thing in the morning, clear the jam, then leave it until a few minutes before midnight, it will not jam? Yet if you first print an hour later, clear the jam, and then wait until just after midnight, will it jam again?

If so, that suggests something reading a date/time value, which could be tested by changing the printers date/time.


You've not mentioned what firmware the printer is running, what drivers the OS is using, or even what OS is involved.

Another diagnostic would be to try a different OS with different drivers (e.g. via a Live USB) to see if that changes anything.

I've not encountered this and I've used HP printers (Office Jets, not Laser Jets) for the past decade. It sounds to me like a printer issue, not an OS issue. The test boughtonp suggested above could help clarify this.

A few questions come to mind:

Has the printer been updated to the current firmware?

What weight paper are you using?

How old is the printer?

How likely is it that a firmware (or other software) issue would result in crinkling of the paper? If the printer detects a false jam (because of some software or sensor issue) and stops the rollers, that doesn't seem likely to crinkle the paper. It seems more likely that there is an issue with the hardware itself.

Although it seems like a weak suggestion, I wonder if the printer internals need a clean?

That seems to me to be the exact solution. I am guessing that the printer setting unused for overnight is allowing the diverter that manages the duplex printing to hang and does not permit the paper to follow the normal path for printing the second side of the first sheet. Once the diverter has moved and the printer is warmed up for normal use it is freed and seems to function normally.

Probably cleaning and proper lubrication will solve the issue. It could also be due to wear at that location with a similar symptom.

The issue does not seem in any way to be software or firmware related since the OP said it is only with the 'first' duplex printed sheet for that day and that things work properly after that first paper jam has been cleared.

My laserjet printer also prints the back side of the first page first, then passes the paper back thru after flipping it to print the front side.

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Open rear door. There is at the top a gate which pivots horizontally a few degrees. It directs a sheet of paper either into the output bin or back thru the main cartridge to print a second side. It appears to stick ever so slightly against a rubber bumper on the left side when pulled out. Before a print job, I move the gate so that it hangs vertically away from any travel limits. I have only tried this about a dozen times, but, thus far, no jams.

Is your "diverter" what I call a "gate"?

On my HPLJ M402dn, when standing at the unit rear on upper left, I see a small plastic connected box. Is that the solenoid that operates the "gate"? If not, where is it? I have the official HP repair & troubleshooting manuals; exceedingly difficult to locate anything.

This printer sees light service: In 6.5 years, it's made ~2000 prints. When used, max job < 25 sheets. It's been cleaned a few times. Except for these initial duplex snafus of lately, it's never had a jam on any type of paper type or size since I bought it new!

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I reckon you've found the problem.
Leaving the printer overnight is enough to allow this "gate" to stick on the first use of the duplex. Make sure the gate pivots correctly and the pins it pivots on are free of any oil/grease, etc. (I'm assuming there are plastic pins or studs or similar) I had fun diagnosing a dot matrix printer with a hammer bank once which missed a single dot in a cheque print run, changing the value of the first cheque. It was caused by one of the single pin hammer blades being stuck due to being smeared with oil, once it had fired once it was fine. Cleaning it fixed it. The point being in your case... Make sure the points the gate pivots on are clean.

My

Play Bonny!

I've been doing just that. And, yes, no jams since I posted the original tentative solution. I cannot see any grease or oil that might be responsible. On the left, viewed from the rear, appears to be a box or two tied to the gate (flap/comb/diverter/door?) that likely have actuator(s). In there may be the clue. Perhaps a piece of metal magnetized that should not be so?

Looking thru the enormous amount of repair & troubleshooting info provided by HP, it seems the only way to cure such problems is to buy an entire duplex assembly. That simply makes no fiscal sense.

Yes. It redirects the paper to the path for printing the other side (duplex printing).

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