HP Multifunction Printers - How to Scan: Windows 7

Introduction

This document explains how to scan in Windows 7. There are multiple ways to scan a photo or document, using either the HP software that comes with your printer, or functionality built into the Windows operating system. This document provides instructions to scan with either option.

Should I scan with or without HP software?

The scan options available with each method vary and the one you choose can depend on the type of scan job you need.

What are the differences?

There are a few differences between the two options to keep in mind.

Scanning with HP software: For enhanced scan functionality, the Full Feature HP software includes valuable software to help you complete scan jobs. It offers a friendly user interface with available Scanning Shortcuts. The HP software offers a number of output options not available with the drivers built-in to the Windows operating system. This is the recommended scanning option, when Full Feature HP software is available.
Scanning without HP software: Scanning without HP software relies on drivers built into the Windows operating system. The scan options available are limited when compared to options available with the Full Feature HP software. However, the scan drivers in Windows provide a quick path to scan photos or simple files. The scan drivers in Windows also provide a smaller driver installation, using less system resources, and can provide a method to scan if you do not have permissions to install the Full Feature HP software on a computer.

Do I have HP software on my computer?

You can check to see if HP software is on your computer in the following ways:

The icon for your HP product and the HP scan icon ( ) displays on the Windows desktop.
Click the Windows icon ( ), click All Programs , and then click the HP folder.

If the name of your HP product (For example, HP Deskjet..., HP Officejet..., or HP Photosmart...) is in the list of HP programs, you are ready to begin.

How do I get the HP software?

If you have not already installed the full feature HP software and would like to, follow these steps.

Disconnect the USB cable from both the product and the computer (if you already connected it).
Turn the product on.
Browse to the Get Software and Drivers page: Get Software and Drivers
Check the instructions on the page, and then click the Plus sign (+) next to the correct heading for additional instructions:
- If prompted to enter your product in the window .
  1. Type your product number in the window.
  2. Click Next . If necessary click your model in a list of similar products.
  3. Click Software and Driver Downloads .
  4. Click the drop-down arrow ( ), and then click your operating system.
  5. Continue to the next step.
- If prompted to select your operating system .
  1. Click the drop-down arrow ( ), and then click your operating system.
  2. Click Next . If necessary click your model in a list of similar products.
  3. Continue to the next step.
Click the Plus sign ( ) next to Driver , and then click the driver that you want to download.
Click More Info , and then read through the minimum system requirements and additional instructions. You can also click View directions ( ) for complete download instructions.
Click Download . This option allows you to install the software at any time after the download completes.
Click Save , and then browse to the location on your computer where you want to save the file.
Click Save . The software downloads to your computer.

Hint: Make a note of the place that you saved the file, in case you want to install it at a later time.
Browse to where you saved the file, and then double-click the file to start the installation.
Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation.

Click the plus sign (

) for more information.

How to scan with HP software

The instructions provided in this section require that you have the Full Feature HP software installed.

How to scan a general photo or document

Follow these steps to scan a general photo or document.

Step one: Load the photo or document

You can scan from the scanner glass or from the Automatic Document Feeder (ADF) tray, if your printer has one.

Make sure that the printer is turned on and that it is connected to the computer.
Load the document or photo.
- Document
  - Scanner glass
    
    Place the document print side down on the scanner glass, and then position it according to the guides around the glass (usually on the right-front corner or the left-front corner). Close the scanner lid.
  - ADF
    
    Place a single-page or multi-page document into the ADF tray. The printed side faces up and the top edge goes into the tray first. Adjust the width guides to fit the document.
  NOTE: If your printer does not have an ADF and you are scanning a multi-page document, you will need to load each page on the scanner glass one at a time to scan the document.
- Photo
  
  Place the photo image side down on the scanner glass, and then position it according to the guides around the glass (usually on the right-front corner or the left-front corner). Close the scanner lid.
  
  CAUTION: Do not load photos in the ADF. Use the scanner glass instead to prevent damage to photos and the printer.

Step two: Scan the item

Open the HP Scan window with one of the following methods:
- Double-click the HP Scan icon ( ) for your printer on the Windows desktop.
- Click the Windows icon ( ), click All Programs , click the HP folder, click the name of your printer, and then click HP Scan .

Select a scan option for the item you are scanning, such as PDF for a document or JPEG for a photo.

What scan options are available?

NOTE:

Depending on your printer, not all of the following scan options will be available.

Scan option	Description
Image: Save to PDF	Use this option to scan text documents that will not be editable. Use the Save as Editable Text (OCR) to scan text that you can edit.
Image: Save to JPEG	Use this option to scan photos and images.
Image: Email as PDF	Use this option to automatically attach a non-editable scanned text document to an email message using a local email client such as Microsoft Outlook or Mozilla Thunderbird.
Image: Email as JPEG	Use this option to automatically attach a scanned photo or image to an email message using a local email client such as Microsoft Outlook or Mozilla Thunderbird.
Image: Save as Editable Text (OCR)	Use this option to scan text documents that you can then edit. You must have Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software from HP or a third-party vendor (OmniPage, FineReader, TextBridge, SimpleOCR) installed on your computer to save the text as editable.
Image: Everyday Scan	Use this option to create customized scan settings that you will use regularly.

In the HP Scan window, to the right of each scan option there are default recommended settings for scan size, output type, resolution, and file type (for text scans only). Use these default settings unless you need to customize the settings for your scan.

To change the basic scan settings

Click the drop-down arrow ( ) for the setting that you want to change, and then select the setting you need.
To change the advanced scan settings

Click Advanced Settings to change the following settings (depending on your printer):
- Specify the location to send saved scans on the computer
- Edit the file name of the saved scan
- Specify to create a new file for each scan or to combine multiple scans into one file
- Specify how the HP software completes the scan action:
  - Opens the scan file
  - Launches Windows Explorer
  - Emails the scan
  - Does nothing (saves scan to specified location)

Resolution and color settings information

Resolution and color settings can impact overall quality of your scan. The following information can help you decide when you need to set custom resolution and color settings for your scan.

Resolution : This setting is measured in dots per inch (dpi). Higher resolution produces higher quality images because the software uses more pixels per inch in the image. The pixels are smaller and capture greater color detail. However, higher resolution settings increase the output file size of the scan. You might want to use a higher resolution setting if you are scanning photos or documents with graphics that require detail. If you are scanning black and white text, higher resolution is not necessary.

NOTE:

Higher resolution file settings require more system resources and increase the time required to complete a scan job. If you have an older computer with limited resources, higher resolution files might cause computer issues. If the scan fails at high resolution, try decreasing the resolution setting.

Color : Use this setting for scanning high quality color photos or documents that have multiple colors.
Black and white : Use this setting to scan text-only documents and for the best OCR results with black text. It provides the fastest scan speed and the smallest scan file sizes.
Grayscale : Use this setting for scans that contain continuous-tone or shading, and black and white images. This setting can produce more accurate scans than the Black and white option, but the file size will be larger. Grayscale is the best setting for heavily shaded images.

Click Scan . A preview of the scan displays (by default).

NOTE:

If you unchecked Scan Preview , scans are automatically saved to the specified location on the computer. You cannot place a multi-page original into a single file if Scan Preview is disabled.

When the scan completes, perform one of the following actions:
- Click Save to capture the scanned file but leave the HP Scan open.
- Click Done to capture the scanned file and close HP Scan.
- Click the Plus sign ( ) on the left side of the window to scan additional pages.
  
  NOTE: Scanning additional pages is supported at 300 dpi or lower.
- If you are not satisfied with the scan, click the X icon ( ) to delete the scanned file, and then click Back to scan a new file.

How to scan as editable text (OCR)

Follow these steps to scan a text document that you can edit.

NOTE:

You must have Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software from HP or a third-party vendor installed on your computer to save a scanned text document as editable.

Step one: Load the document

You can scan from the scanner glass or from the Automatic Document Feeder (ADF) tray, if your printer has one.

NOTE:

If your printer does not have an ADF and you are scanning a multi-page document, you will need to load each page on the scanner glass one at a time to scan the document.

Make sure that the printer is turned on and that it is connected to the computer.
Load the document.
- Scanner glass
  
  Place the document print side down on the scanner glass, and then position it according to the guides around the glass (usually on the right-front corner or the left-front corner). Close the scanner lid.
- ADF
  
  Place a single-page or multi-page document into the ADF tray. The printed side faces up and the top edge goes into the tray first. Adjust the width guides to fit the document.

Step two: Scan the document

Open the HP Scan window with one of the following methods:
- Double-click the HP Scan icon ( ) on the Windows desktop.
- Click the Windows icon ( ), click All Programs , click the HP folder, click the name of your printer, and then click HP Scan .

Click Save as Editable Text (OCR) .

Save as Editable Text (OCR) icon

If Save as Editable Text (OCR) does not display in the options, your printer did not ship with HP OCR software. To scan as editable text, you can install software from a third-party vendor such as OmniPage, FineReader, TextBridge, or SimpleOCR. HP recommends that you contact the vendor to see if your printer is compatible, and for steps to use the software.

To change the basic scan settings

Click the drop-down arrow ( ) for the setting that you want to change, and then select the setting you need.
To change the advanced scan settings

Click Advanced Settings to change the following settings (depending on your printer):
- Specify the location to send saved scans on the computer
- Edit the file name of the saved scan
- Specify to create a new file for each scan or to combine multiple scans into one file
- Specify how the HP software completes the scan action:
  - Opens the scan file
  - Launches Windows Explorer
  - Emails the scan
  - Does nothing (saves scan to specified location)

Resolution and color settings information

Resolution and color settings can impact overall quality of your scan. The following information can help you decide when you need to set custom resolution and color settings for your scan.

NOTE:

Higher resolution settings require more system resources and increase the time required to complete a scan job. If you have an older computer with limited resources, higher resolution files might cause computer issues. If the scan fails at high resolution, try decreasing the resolution setting.

Color : Use this setting for scanning high quality color photos or documents that have multiple colors.
Black and white : Use this setting to scan text-only documents and for the best OCR results with black text. It provides the fastest scan speed and the smallest scan file sizes.
Grayscale : Use this setting for scans that contain continuous-tone or shading, and black and white images. This setting can produce more accurate scans than the Black and white option, but the file size will be larger. Grayscale is the best setting for heavily shaded images.

Click Scan . A preview of the scan displays (by default).

NOTE:

If you unchecked Scan Preview , scans are automatically saved to the specified location on the computer. You cannot place a multi-page original into a single file if Scan Preview is disabled.

When the scan completes, perform one of the following actions:
- Click Save to capture the scanned file but leave the HP Scan open.
- Click Done to capture the scanned file and close HP Scan.
- Click the Plus sign ( ) on the left side of the window to scan additional pages.
  
  NOTE: Scanning additional pages is supported at 300 dpi or lower.
- If you are not satisfied with the scan, click the X icon ( ) to delete the scanned file, and then click Back to scan a new file.

How to scan to email

Follow these steps to attach a scanned item to an email message.

Step one: Load the photo or document

You can scan from the scanner glass or from the Automatic Document Feeder (ADF) tray, if your printer has one.

Make sure that the printer is turned on and that it is connected to the computer.
Load the document or photo.
- Document
  - Scanner glass
    
    Place the document print side down on the scanner glass, and then position it according to the guides around the glass (usually on the right-front corner or the left-front corner). Close the scanner lid.
  - ADF
    
    Place a single-page or multi-page document into the ADF tray. The printed side faces up and the top edge goes into the tray first. Adjust the width guides to fit the document.
  NOTE: If your printer does not have an ADF and you are scanning a multi-page document, you will need to load each page on the scanner glass one at a time to scan the document.
- Photo
  
  Place the photo image side down on the scanner glass, and then position it according to the guides around the glass (usually on the right-front corner or the left-front corner). Close the scanner lid.
  
  CAUTION: Do not load photos in the ADF. Use the scanner glass instead to prevent damage to photos and the printer.

Step two: Scan the item

Open the HP Scan window with one of the following methods:
- Double-click the HP Scan icon ( ) on the Windows desktop.
- Click the Windows icon ( ), click All Programs , click the HP folder, click the name of your printer, and then click HP Scan .

Select the type of email program you are using for information on how to choose a scan option.

NOTE:

Unless your printer supports editing the email server or scanning to different email profiles (see product specifications), sending a scan directly to an email message requires that a local email client is installed and configured on your computer. Additionally, Web-based email services (Gmail, Yahoo Mail, Hotmail) must be configured through your local email client to scan directly to email.

Local email client (Microsoft Outlook, Mozilla Thunderbird)

If you use a local email client, you can automatically attach a scan to an email message. Choose one of the following scan options:

Scan option	Description
Image: Email as PDF	Use this option to automatically attach a non-editable scanned text document to an email message.
Image: Email as JPEG	Use this option to automatically attach a scanned photo or image to an email message.

Web-based email client (Gmail, Yahoo Mail, Hotmail)

If you did not configure your Web-based email through a local email client such as Microsoft Outlook or Mozilla Thunderbird, you cannot send a scan directly to email. You must first save your scan to a folder on your computer, and then manually attach it to your email message. Choose one of the following scan options:

Scan option Description

Image: Save to PDF

Use this option to scan a non-editable text document.

Image: Save to JPEG

Use this option to scan photos and images.

To change the basic scan settings

Click the drop-down arrow ( ) for the setting that you want to change, and then select the setting you need.
To change the advanced scan settings

Click Advanced Settings to change the following settings (depending on your printer):
- Specify the location to send saved scans on the computer
- Edit the file name of the saved scan
- Specify to create a new file for each scan or to combine multiple scans into one file
- Specify how the HP software completes the scan action:
  - Opens the scan file
  - Launches Windows Explorer
  - Emails the scan
  - Does nothing (saves scan to specified location)

Resolution and color settings information

Resolution and color settings can impact overall quality of your scan. The following information can help you decide when you need to set custom resolution and color settings for your scan.

NOTE:

Color : Use this setting for scanning high quality color photos or documents that have multiple colors.
Black and white : Use this setting to scan text-only documents and for the best OCR results with black text. It provides the fastest scan speed and the smallest scan file sizes.
Grayscale : Use this setting for scans that contain continuous-tone or shading, and black and white images. This setting can produce more accurate scans than the Black and White option, but the file size will be larger. Grayscale is the best setting for heavily shaded images.

Click Scan . A preview of the scan displays (by default).

NOTE:

If you unchecked Scan Preview , scans are automatically saved to the specified location on the computer. You cannot place a multi-page original into a single file if Scan Preview is disabled.

When the scan completes, perform one of the following actions:
- Click the Plus sign ( ) on the left side of the window to scan additional pages.
  
  NOTE: Scanning additional pages is supported at 300 dpi or lower.
- If you are not satisfied with the scan, click the X icon ( ) to delete the scanned file, and then click Back to scan a new file.
- Click Save to capture the scanned file but leave the HP Scan open.
- Click Done to capture the scanned file and close HP Scan.
Select the type of email program you are using for information on attaching the scan to the email message.
- Local email client (Microsoft Outlook, Mozilla Thunderbird)
  
  When you click Save , an email message automatically launches with the scan attached to the email.
  
  NOTE: If a 'No profiles have been created. ' message displays, open your local email client to create a user profile.
- Web-based email client (Gmail, Yahoo Mail, Hotmail)
  
  If you did not configure your Web-based email through a local email client such as Microsoft Outlook or Mozilla Thunderbird, you need to attach the scanned file to a new email message. Log into your email account, create a new email message, and then attach the scan from the specified folder on your computer.

How to scan multiple pages into a single file

Follow these steps to scan a multi-page document into a single file.

NOTE:

The HP software does not support scanning multiple photos into a single file.

Step one: Load the document

You can scan from the scanner glass or from the Automatic Document Feeder (ADF) tray, if your printer has one.

NOTE:

If your printer does not have an ADF and you are scanning a multi-page document, you will need to load each page on the scanner glass one at a time to scan the document.

Make sure that the printer is turned on and that it is connected to the computer.
Load the document.
- Scanner glass
  
  Place the document print side down on the scanner glass, and then position it according to the guides around the glass (usually on the right-front corner or the left-front corner). Close the scanner lid.
- ADF
  
  Place a single-page or multi-page document into the ADF tray. The printed side faces up and the top edge goes into the tray first. Adjust the width guides to fit the document.

Step two: Scan the document

Open the HP Scan window with one of the following methods:
- Double-click the HP Scan icon ( ) on the Windows desktop.
- Click the Windows icon ( ), click All Programs , click the HP folder, click the name of your printer, and then click HP Scan .

Select the appropriate scan option for the item you are scanning.

What scan options are available?

NOTE:

Depending on your printer, you might not have all of the following scan options available.

Scan option	Description
Image: Save to PDF	Use this option to scan text documents that will not be editable. Use the Save as Editable Text (OCR) to scan text that you can edit.
Image: Email as PDF	Use this option to automatically attach a non-editable scanned text document to an email message. This option requires that you use a local email client, such as Microsoft Outlook or Mozilla Thunderbird
Image: Save as Editable Text (OCR)	Use this option to scan text documents that you can then edit. You must have Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software from HP or a third-party vendor (OmniPage, FineReader, TextBridge, SimpleOCR) installed on your computer to save the text as editable.
Image: Everyday Scan	Use this option to create customized scan settings that you will use regularly.

To change the basic scan settings

Click the drop-down arrow ( ) for the setting that you want to change, and then select the setting you need.
To change the advanced scan settings

Click Advanced Settings to change the following settings (depending on your printer):
- Specify the location to send saved scans on the computer
- Edit the file name of the saved scan
- Specify to create a new file for each scan or to combine multiple scans into one file
- Specify how the HP software completes the scan action:
  - Opens the scan file
  - Launches Windows Explorer
  - Emails the scan
  - Does nothing (saves scan to specified location)

Resolution and color settings information

Resolution and color settings can impact overall quality of your scan. The following information can help you decide when you need to set custom resolution and color settings for your scan.

NOTE:

Color : Use this setting for scanning high quality color photos or documents that have multiple colors.
Black and white : Use this setting to scan text-only documents and for the best OCR results with black text. It provides the fastest scan speed and the smallest scan file sizes.
Grayscale : Use this setting for scans that contain continuous-tone or shading, and black and white images. This setting can produce more accurate scans than the Black and White option, but the file size will be larger. Grayscale is the best setting for heavily shaded images.

Click Scan . A preview of the scan displays (by default).

Important : The Scan Preview feature must be enabled in order to scan multi-page documents into a single file. Additional pages from the original are added to the single file in the Scan Preview window.

When the scan preview displays, perform one of the following actions:
- Click the Plus sign ( ) on the left side of the window to scan additional pages. If you are not using an ADF, you will need to load the next page of the document onto the scanner glass to add each additional page.
  
  NOTE: Scanning additional pages is supported at 300 dpi or lower.
- If you are not satisfied with the scan, click the X icon ( ) to delete the scanned file, and then click Back to scan a new file.
- Click Save to capture the scanned file but leave HP Scan open.
- Click Done to capture the scanned file and close HP Scan.

How to scan without HP Software

Use one of the following methods to scan a document from programs in the Windows 7 operating system. You can scan using the following methods with or without the Full Feature HP software installed on your computer.

NOTE:

Some of these methods might not work, depending on the printer and your connection type. For instance, if the printer connects to the computer over a network you might only be able to scan using the Embedded Web Server (EWS). Try one of the other methods if the first method you tried did not work.

How to scan with Windows Live Photo Gallery

To scan a photo or document using Windows Live Photo Gallery in Windows 7, follow these steps.

NOTE:

Before you begin, make sure that the printer is connected to your computer.

Video of scanning with Windows Live Photo Gallery

The following video demonstrates how to scan with Windows Live Photo Gallery in Windows 7.

Scan with Windows Live Photo Gallery in Windows 7

If you have trouble viewing the video or to view the video in a different size, click here to play the video on YouTube.

Click the Windows icon ( ), click All Programs , and then click Windows Live Photo Gallery .

NOTE: If Windows Live Photo Gallery does not appear in the list of programs, you can go to the Microsoft Web site to download it, or try the next method.
Click File , and then click Import From Camera or Scanner .
Click the product you are using to scan, and then click Import .
Make any desired setting changes, and then click Scan .

Scan settings available with Windows drivers

The following scan options and file types are available when you scan with drivers in Windows.

Scan Options
Picture : Color, Grayscale, Black and white
Text : Color, Grayscale, Black and white
Custom Settings

Supported file types
.bmp - Bitmap Image File
.jpg - JPG Image File
.tif - Tagged Image File
.png - Portable Network Graphics File

How to scan with Paint

To scan a photo or document using Paint in Windows 7, follow these steps.

NOTE:

Before you begin, make sure that the printer is connected to your computer.

Video of scanning with Paint

The following video demonstrates how to scan with Paint in Windows 7.

Scan with Paint in Windows 7

If you have trouble viewing the video or to view the video in a different size, click here to play the video on YouTube.

Click the Windows icon ( ), click All Programs , click Accessories , and then click Paint .
Click the Paint button ( ), and then click From Camera or Scanner .
Make any desired setting changes, and then click Scan .

Scan settings available with Windows drivers

The following scan options and file types are available when you scan with drivers in Windows.

Scan Options
Picture : Color, Grayscale, Black and white
Text : Color, Grayscale, Black and white
Custom Settings

Supported file types
.bmp - Bitmap Image File
.jpg - JPG Image File
.tif - Tagged Image File
.png - Portable Network Graphics File

How to scan with Windows Fax and Scan

To scan a photo or document using Windows Fax and Scan in Windows 7, follow these steps.

NOTE:

Before you begin, make sure that the printer is connected to your computer.

Video of scanning with Windows Fax and Scan

The following video demonstrates how to scan with Windows Fax and Scan in Windows 7.

Scan with Windows Fax and Scan in Windows 7

If you have trouble viewing the video or to view the video in a different size, click here to play the video on YouTube.

Click the Windows icon ( ), click All Programs , and then click Windows Fax and Scan .
Click New Scan .
Make any desired setting changes, and then click Scan .

Scan settings available with Windows drivers

The following scan options and file types are available when you scan with drivers in Windows.

Scan Options
Picture : Color, Grayscale, Black and white
Text : Color, Grayscale, Black and white
Custom Settings

Supported file types
.bmp - Bitmap Image File
.jpg - JPG Image File
.tif - Tagged Image File
.png - Portable Network Graphics File

How to scan from the Embedded Web Server (Network only)

Follow these steps to scan a document from the printer's Embedded Web Server (EWS).

NOTE:

The printer must be connected to a wired (Ethernet) or wireless network to access the EWS. You cannot access the EWS via a USB connection.

Step one: Get the printer IP address

In order to access the EWS, you will need to know the IP address assigned to your printer on your network. You can find your printer's IP address in multiple ways, though options vary by printer.

Press the Wireless button on the printer control panel to view the network settings.
Access the Network menu on the printer control panel.
Print a network configuration page or wireless network test page.

For more details on these options or detailed instructions to find your printer's IP address, click here to go to the support page for your printer and search for steps to print a network configuration page or to access network information on the control panel.

Prompted to enter your printer name/number in the search box?

If you are prompted for additional information, use the following steps to access your printer support page.
1. Type your printer's name and number in the search box, and then click Next .
2. If necessary, select your model in a list of similar printers.

Step two: Access the EWS

In a Web browser such as Internet Explorer or Google Chrome, open a new window or tab.

In the address bar, type the product IP address given on the test page, and then press Enter on your keyboard.

Figure 1: Example IP address in the browser address bar

Image: Example IP address in browser address bar

The EWS\Printer information page opens.

I got a security certificate error. What do I do?

If a 'There is a problem with this website's security certificate ' message displays in the Web browser when you try to open the EWS, or when you navigate within the EWS, click '

Continue to this website (not recommended) '.

NOTE:

Choosing '

Continue to this website (not recommended) ' will not harm your computer while you navigate within the printer's EWS. If you encounter this error outside of your HP printer's EWS, your computer could be at risk.

If the Web browser fails to open the EWS after you click '

Continue to this website (not recommended) ', refresh the browser window.

Continue to the next step.

Step three: Scan with the EWS

Browse to the Scan tab of the EWS.

NOTE: Webscan might need to be enabled before you try to scan. Click the Settings tab and locate Webscan under administrative tools to enable the function.
Specify the document type, color preference, paper size, resolution, quality, and brightness.
Click Start Scan .

Are you experiencing scanning errors?

If you experience an error during scanning, try the HP Print and Scan Doctor .

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HP Multifunction Printers - How to Scan: Windows 7