HP Smart Tank 7301 Paper release Issue

[cbedwell86]

My Smart Tank 7301 printer will print the page normally, and then, at the last inch or two, the paper cocks to the side, and anything printed on that last part is double-printed or squiggly. That last crooked bit is then stuck in the rollers. If a second page is printed, the top left corner prints on the bottom of the first page. It can't print front-to-back because it gets jammed because the paper is crooked. We've tried cleaning the rollers, but that has not fixed the problem.

[VikramTheGreat]

Hi @cbedwell86,

Welcome to the HP Support Community.
 

Thank you for explaining the issue. Since the HP Smart Tank 7301 prints correctly until the last 1–2 inches and then the paper moves sideways and gets caught, let's work through the HP paper-feed procedure.

1. Remove the paper and check the paper path

• Turn the printer off and unplug it. 
• Remove all paper from the input tray. 
• Check the input tray, inside the printer, and the rear paper path for small pieces of paper or other obstructions. 
• Make sure no paper remains trapped in the rollers. 

2. Reload a fresh stack of paper
Use clean, flat, good-quality paper.

• Remove any curled, bent, wrinkled, or damaged sheets. 
• Align the stack evenly. 
• Do not overload the tray. 
• Adjust the paper-width guides so they touch the edges of the paper without pressing tightly against it. 
• Confirm that the paper size/type matches the settings in the printer software. 

3. Run the HP automatic paper-path roller cleaning
For the Smart Tank 7300 series:

1. Turn the printer off. 
2. Remove the paper from the input tray. 
3. Press and hold the Power button. 
4. While holding Power, press Color Copy 3 times and Black Copy 7 times. 
5. Release the Power button. 
6. The printer will turn on and clean the paper-path rollers. 
7. Wait until the printer becomes idle and quiet.
    

4. Test the printer
Load a small stack of fresh paper and print again.

If the paper still consistently skews at the same point near the end of the page, especially after the rollers have been cleaned, this is no longer something I would recommend trying to correct through Windows or the HP App. HP's documented procedure advises service if the paper-feed problem continues after the troubleshooting steps. 

Because you have already cleaned the rollers manually, I would not keep repeatedly cleaning them or force the paper out of the mechanism.

If the problem remains, please let us know whether the paper skews in exactly the same direction and at approximately the same location on every page. That information will help determine whether the printer requires further service.

HP Source Guide: HP Smart Tank Printers - 'E4' error (Paper Jam) | HP® Support

Take care and have an amazing day!