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HP C7180 Paper Jam won't clear

This printer is the worst I've ever experienced when it comes to clearing paper jams!! Two thumbs down!
Ok, I had a jam. I cleared out every piece of paper I could find (the printer really tore it up before I could get to it). Now when I press the OK button, the printer head (or whatever it is that travels across the paper) goes all the way left, then all the way right and then there is a terrible grinding noise and everything stops and I again get the message to clear the paper jam.

If there is any paper left in there, it's where I can't get to it without taking the whole thing apart. I am thinking it is more likely that something got slightly out of alignment when the paper got all scrunched up before I could get to it.

Any suggestions, or am I just going to have to bite the bullet and send the thing back to HP (and wouldn't you know it, I just got rid of the carton that I had put away in my storage room!!)?

Thanks!
Lucy in St. Thomas

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David-Howard

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globalvagabond

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Thanks David. Since it's out of warranty and I had nothing to lose, I went and bought a set of screwdrivers with the special head used on the HP, and took it apart. Didn't find any more paper jams, but I did somehow eliminate whatever was causing the carriage not to return all the way to the right-hand docking station. Unfortunately, in the process something else must have gotten slightly askew, because once I had it all reassembeled, it made a new "rachetting" noise on the left. Worse, the paper jams more than ever. That is due partly to the excess humidity here in the Caribbean, but I also fault the printer's design.

So... guess I'll have to fork over the moolah for a new printer. Unfortunately, the cheaper models don't fit my needs, although might get one just as a temporary solution. But I'll revisit newegg and check them out. I hadn't heard of newegg before -- good resource. I checked Consumer Reports' review and was surprised that they recommended HP most highly - even tho' I see negative customer reviews on the web. And CU doesn't address the paper path of any of the printers, which is a mistake in my mind.

Thanks for your help. You get the 500 points, since you were the only response!