Why is my error code not in this table?

Because this table only lists codes whose meaning is consistent enough to state accurately. HP has used numeric codes across many generations, and the same number can mean different things on different model families — a confidently wrong table would be worse than a short one. Check your model's service documentation, or send us the model and the code.

Does turning the printer off and on actually help?

For transient errors, often yes, and it is worth one attempt. A power cycle clears temporary states and lets the machine re-run its startup checks. What it does not do is fix a worn part — if the same code returns within a few pages, the fault is real and repeating the power cycle just delays the diagnosis.

What is the difference between an error and a maintenance message?

An error stops the machine because it cannot continue. A maintenance message is a page counter reaching a threshold, telling you a scheduled replacement is due. The second is a planning prompt rather than a fault, and printing usually continues normally.

Should I write down the sub-code?

Yes, always. Many HP codes have a decimal portion, and that portion is often the useful half — it narrows a general category to a specific sensor, tray or assembly. "49.4C02" and "49" are very different amounts of information.

HP LaserJet Error Codes: A Practical Reference

An HP printer error code is more useful than it looks. The number is not a generic complaint — it points at a subsystem, and often at a specific sensor or assembly. Knowing how to read it tells you whether you are looking at a two-minute fix or a part that has reached the end of its life.

A word on what follows. HP has used numeric codes across many machine generations, and the same number does not always mean the same thing on different model families. This table covers the codes whose meaning is consistent enough to state accurately. A short accurate reference is more useful than a long one that is wrong, so where a code varies significantly by model, it is not listed here.

Before opening the machine: power it down and let it cool. The fuser reaches burn temperatures and stays hot after the printer stops. If clearing a fault needs force or reaching past a moving part, stop and call someone.

First, record the whole code

Many HP codes have a decimal portion, and that portion is frequently the informative half. 49.4C02 and 49 are not the same amount of information — one identifies a specific condition, the other identifies a category.

Write it down exactly as displayed, including any sub-code, before clearing it. It is routinely the difference between one visit and two.

The common HP printer error codes

Code	What it means	What to do
13.xx	Paper jam. The sub-code indicates where in the path.	Clear it following the machine's own guidance. Repeat jams in the same place mean a worn roller, not bad luck.
10.xx	Supply memory / cartridge chip error. The printer cannot read the cartridge.	Reseat the cartridge, clean the contacts with a dry cloth. Common after a refill where the chip was not addressed.
41.x	A general print-engine error, often a misprint or timing fault.	Power cycle once. If it repeats regularly, it needs diagnosis.
49.xxxx	Firmware error. The machine's software has hit a state it cannot handle.	Power off, wait a minute, power on. If it recurs, it is often triggered by a specific job or driver — and a firmware update is the usual fix.
50.x	Fuser error. The sub-code distinguishes conditions such as under-temperature and over-temperature.	Power off and let it cool fully before restarting. A returning 50.x almost always means the fuser needs replacing.
51.x / 52.x	Laser scanner errors — beam detection or scanner motor.	Not a user-serviceable area. The optical assembly needs a technician.
55.x	Communication failure between the engine and the formatter.	Power cycle. Persistent 55.x is a board-level fault.
57.x	Fan failure.	Power off. Running a machine with a failed fan risks heat damage — do not keep printing.
59.x	Motor error.	Diagnosis needed; do not keep retrying.
79.xxxx	Firmware or formatter error, frequently triggered by a specific print job.	Cancel all jobs and clear the queue. If it recurs on one document, that job is the trigger. Firmware updates commonly resolve it.

Messages that are not errors

Two categories of message get treated as faults when they are not.

Maintenance kit due. A page counter reaching the threshold at which HP recommends replacing wear parts — usually the fuser and rollers together. The machine is not broken and will keep printing. It is a planning prompt: on a high-volume machine, treat it as scheduled work rather than waiting for the failure it is predicting.

Supply low. A page count, not a measurement. There is usually meaningful printing left, and the right response is to order a cartridge rather than change one — covered in more detail in what "toner low" actually means.

Codes you can usually clear yourself

13.xx jams — clear the path, but notice the pattern. Jams that cluster in one place are telling you which roller has worn.

10.xx supply errors — reseat the cartridge and clean the contacts on both the cartridge and the printer with a dry lint-free cloth. Toner dust on those contacts is a frequent cause and takes seconds to rule out.

49 and 79 firmware errors — power cycle first. If it returns, look for a pattern: one document, one user, one application. A driver or a firmware update is usually the answer, and the printer itself is fine.

Codes that mean stop

57.x fan failure. Do not continue printing. The fan is managing heat from the fuser, and running without it risks damage well beyond the fan.

50.x fuser errors that return after cooling. A one-off after a paper jam is plausible. A repeating one means the fuser is at the end of its life.

51.x, 52.x, 59.x. Laser and motor faults are diagnosis, not trial and error. Swapping parts to see what helps is expensive on these.

Maintenance kits, and what is in one

The "maintenance kit due" message deserves more than a line, because on a high-volume LaserJet it is the single most predictable expense you have and the most commonly ignored.

A maintenance kit bundles the parts that wear on a known schedule — typically the fuser, the transfer roller, and the pickup and feed rollers. HP sets an interval in pages for each machine, and the counter triggers the message.

Two things follow. First, it is not a fault: the machine keeps printing, and output is usually still fine. Second, it is genuinely predictive — the parts in that kit are the ones about to start causing jams and fusing problems, and replacing them together during a quiet hour costs far less disruption than replacing them one at a time as each fails mid-deadline.

On a machine printing serious volume, treat it as scheduled work with a date, not as a warning to dismiss. On a lightly used machine that has taken years to reach the threshold, there is less urgency — the counter measures pages, not the actual condition of the parts.

The event log

Most LaserJets keep an internal event log listing recent errors with the page count at which each occurred, reachable from the machine's own menus or its web interface.

It is the most under-used diagnostic on the machine. An intermittent fault that nobody can reproduce is often obvious in the log — the same code appearing every few hundred pages, or a cluster of jams that all started on the same day.

If you are reporting a recurring problem, printing the event log and sending it is worth more than any description of the symptom. It converts "it jams sometimes" into a pattern with page counts attached.

What to have ready when you call

Three things turn a diagnostic visit into a repair visit:

The full model designation. LaserJet numbering runs close together across machines with entirely different parts.
The complete error code, sub-code included, exactly as shown.
What was happening when it appeared — a specific document, after a jam, from cold, only from one computer. That context frequently identifies the cause before anyone travels.

Send those three and we can usually tell you what the fault is, and whether it is worth fixing, before anyone gets in a van. That applies to HP repair specifically and to printer repair generally — the code is doing most of the diagnostic work, provided it is recorded properly.