On Brother's laser printers, most jams happen inside the same cavity that holds the drum and toner unit — which means clearing one usually starts by removing that assembly first, not by reaching in around it.
Power off before opening anything — this stops the rollers mid-motion and gives you a stable printer to work with.
On Brother laser models, open the front cover and pull out the drum-and-toner assembly by its handle, setting it on a flat surface (a sheet of paper underneath helps catch any loose toner). This exposes the internal paper path directly, which is where most jams occur on these models. Avoid touching the green or teal drum surface itself — fingerprints here can cause lasting print-quality streaks.
With the drum unit out, the jammed sheet is usually clearly visible. Grip it with both hands and pull slowly and evenly in the direction of normal paper travel, never at an angle or with a sharp yank — that's what tears paper and leaves fragments behind.
If nothing is visible from the drum cavity, check the paper tray feed area at the bottom (paper can jam right as it's being pulled in) and the output tray at the top (a sheet can jam right before fully exiting). Brother's paper path runs vertically through the machine on most models, so a jam can genuinely be at either end.
Look carefully around the rollers for any small torn pieces — a flashlight helps. Left-behind fragments are the most common reason a jam seems to immediately recur after you thought it was cleared.
Slide the drum-and-toner assembly back in along its guide rails until it clicks into place, then close the front cover firmly. The printer will typically run a brief internal check before returning to ready status.
Recurring jams on the same Brother model usually point to one of: paper loaded above the tray's fill line, paper that's picked up humidity (laser printers are actually more sensitive to this than some inkjets, since damp paper can also affect toner fusing), or on older heavily-used units, feed rollers that have worn smooth and need replacing — a service part, not something you swap yourself on most models.
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