You hit print, the rollers grind for a second, and your HP DeskJet 4255e flashes an E4 error instead of giving you the page you needed. A jam on this little all-in-one is usually a single sheet caught somewhere you cannot see.
The good news is that almost every one clears with a few minutes of hands-on work and no tools. The fixes below move from the quickest button press to the deeper cleanout area, then to software and a full reset, so start at the top and stop the moment your printer comes back to life.
One thing worth knowing before you dig in is that the DeskJet 4255e is a buttons-only inkjet all-in-one with a paper input tray and a 35-page automatic document feeder, so paper genuinely travels through several spots where it can snag. It uses HP 67 and 67XL cartridges.
It is a cartridge printer, not an ink-tank model, which matters because one of the clearing steps takes you right past the cartridge carriage.
Press Cancel before you open anything
The fastest move is also the one most people skip. The printer can often shake a light jam loose on its own if you let it try.
On the printer control panel, press the Cancel button to attempt to automatically clear the paper jam (the E4 error).
If the jam clears, press the Resume button on the printer control panel to continue the print job.
If the E4 error disappears and your page prints, you are done, and there is no reason to open the printer. If it does not clear after one or two tries, leave the buttons alone and move on to physically checking the paper paths.
Pull the input tray and clear the obvious paper
Most jams on this model start at the front, where sheets enter from the input tray. This is the safest area to clear because everything is within easy reach.
Pull out the input tray and remove any paper sitting in it.
Next, look inside the input tray area and use both hands to gently remove any jammed paper or debris.
Pull whole sheets out slowly to avoid tearing, then remove any remaining torn pieces you can see.
Small scraps left behind are a common reason a jam comes right back, so confirm the area is genuinely clear before you reload paper.
Open the cartridge access door and free the carriage area
If paper has traveled past the tray, the next likely spot is around the moving cartridge carriage. You need to wait for the carriage to settle before reaching in.
Lift the ink cartridge access door until the lid locks into place.
Then wait until the carriage stops moving before you continue.
Remove any jammed paper or torn pieces from the ink cartridge access area.
Close the door once the area is clear.
Reaching in while the carriage is still moving can damage the mechanism, so patience here protects the printer. Even a small piece near the carriage path can trigger the error again.
Check the paper pick rollers
The pick rollers are what grab each sheet and pull it into the printer, and a stubborn scrap wrapped around them will block feeding entirely. While you have the printer open, check for and remove any paper caught in the paper pick rollers.
Look closely for small torn pieces and any foreign objects, such as a staple or a bit of label backing, that can sit between the rollers. Clearing this area often fixes a jam that keeps returning even after the tray and carriage look spotless.
Open the cleanout door underneath and remove deeper jams
This DeskJet has a cleanout door on the bottom of the printer, and that is where deeper jams end up. Power off first so nothing moves while your hands are inside.
- 1.Turn the printer off, then unplug the power cord and any other cables.
- 2.Carefully turn the printer over so you can reach its underside, holding the scanner lid and input tray as you do.
- 3.Pull the tabs on either side of the cleanout door to open it.
- 4.Gently remove any jammed paper, torn pieces, and foreign objects from inside, using a flashlight to spot small scraps.
- 5.Close the cleanout door by pushing it toward the printer until both latches snap into place, then turn the printer upright and reconnect power.
Go slowly and confirm both latches click shut before you stand the printer back up.
Check the document feeder if you were scanning or copying
If the jam happened while you were copying or scanning rather than printing, the paper is probably stuck in the 35-page automatic document feeder, not the main paper path. The feeder has its own access point.
Lift the document feeder cover.
Pull the jammed paper out of the rollers.
Close the cover.
Because the feeder pulls originals through a separate set of rollers, a jam here will not show up by opening the cartridge door, which is why it is worth checking specifically when the error appears during a copy or scan job.
Power-cycle the printer to reset the carriage
If the E4 error stays on after you have cleared every paper path, the printer may simply be stuck in an error state and needs a hard reset of its mechanism.
Turn the printer off and unplug the power cord. Disconnecting power before reaching inside for any stubborn debris is also safer when you are removing torn pieces.
Wait a short time, then reconnect the power cord and turn the printer back on so it resets the carriage and clears the error state.
It also helps to restart the device you print from and your router, since a frozen job on the computer side can make a cleared printer look like it is still failing.
Clear stuck print jobs and take the printer off offline
A jam frequently leaves jobs frozen in the queue and sets the printer to offline, so even a perfectly cleared printer will sit silent until you fix the software side. On a Windows PC, start by opening the print queue and confirming the printer is set to print.
Open the print queue and make sure Pause Printing and Use Printer Offline are not selected. If a checkmark displays next to either item, select the item to clear the checkmark.
If jobs are still stuck, clear the queue manually.
Turn off the printer.
In Windows, search for and open Services, then right-click Print Spooler and choose Stop.
Open File Explorer and go to C: then Windows then System32 then spool then PRINTERS, and delete all files in the PRINTERS folder.
Restart your computer and the printer.
The fastest automatic option, on both Windows and Mac, is the built-in Diagnose and Fix feature in the HP app, which can detect and clear queue and connection problems for you.
Update the driver and run Diagnose and Fix
Out-of-date printing software can keep an E4 error or an offline state lingering even after the hardware is fine. Get the latest driver and software for the DeskJet 4255e from HP, then use the HP app's built-in Diagnose and Fix to detect and fix printing problems automatically.
The HP app (formerly HP Smart) is HP's unified app for setup, printing, scanning, and troubleshooting, and you can install it on a PC, Mac, iPhone, iPad, or Android device. One important note is that HP Print and Scan Doctor for Windows was retired on May 27, 2025, and HP recommends removing it and using the HP app's Diagnose and Fix instead, so do not rely on the older standalone tool.
Reset the network, then restore factory defaults, then contact support
If wireless trouble is showing up alongside the jam error (the 4255e connects over 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi only), a network reset can clear a confused connection without wiping all your settings. This restores Wi-Fi setup mode and affects network settings only, not a full factory reset.
Press and hold the Wireless and Cancel buttons for five seconds, or until the Wireless light or icon blinks.
Within two hours, return to the HP app to re-add the printer.
If you need a deeper reset, restore the factory defaults. Be aware that this erases the printer's configured settings, including its Wi-Fi network connection, so you will have to set the printer up again afterward.
Use it only after the steps above have failed.
Open the cartridge access door.
Press and hold the Power and Wireless buttons for at least 3 seconds.
After about 20 seconds, close the cartridge access door.
If the E4 error still will not clear after all of this, the issue may need hands-on help, and you should contact HP Support through the DeskJet 4255e support page.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the E4 error mean on my HP DeskJet 4255e?
E4 is the paper-jam error HP documents for this DeskJet line. It means the printer detects paper stuck somewhere along its path, which can be the input tray, the cartridge carriage area, the pick rollers, the cleanout area underneath, or the document feeder.
I cleared the paper but the jam error stays on, so what now?
A printer can hold onto the error state even after the paper is gone. Turn it off, unplug the power cord, wait, then plug it back in and power it on so it resets the carriage and clears the error. Restarting the device you print from and your router can also help if a frozen job is the culprit.
Is the Wireless and Cancel button combo a factory reset?
No. Holding the Wireless and Cancel buttons for five seconds restores Wi-Fi setup mode, which resets network settings only. A true factory reset is a separate sequence that also erases your configured settings, so you have to set the printer up again. To do it, open the cartridge access door, press and hold the Power and Wireless buttons for at least 3 seconds, and after about 20 seconds close the cartridge door.
Should I use HP Print and Scan Doctor to fix the jam?
HP Print and Scan Doctor for Windows was retired on May 27, 2025. HP now recommends removing it and using the Diagnose and Fix feature built into the HP app, which automatically detects and resolves printing problems including stuck queues and offline states.
My printer prints fine but copies and scans keep jamming, so why is that?
Copy and scan jobs pull your original through the 35-page automatic document feeder, which has its own rollers separate from the main paper path. Lift the document feeder cover, pull the jammed paper out of the rollers, and close the cover, and remember this jam will not appear when you open the cartridge access door.