[vivienne]

I bought a HP4345mfp for a home/office not realizing that it was a network
printer. HP helped me connect it to a router thus making it a network
printer. The print part works now but the scanner does not. It is supposed
to scan to email but in order to do this it has to go to an external ISP and
there is no way to configure it to do that as it is meant to connect to a server. It does not have a scan to file function (never realized that when I bought it - I just presumed all scanners had that function) A technician at the store we bought it from said that he could get us software to make our computer a small server and then we wouldn't need to go through an ISP. Do you think this would work? We have very little computer 'savvy' and are afraid that this will just cause us more problems that we won't know how to solve. Should we just send the printer back and get one that is more in keeping with our system?

Thanks for any advice!!

Vivienne

 

[Beavis+B.hed]

Its probably ftp software which is not a big deal, it just has to be running when you scan and set up with static IPs. I'm surprised that it has only a network interface, and that it doesn't come with another scan option, such as a software utility or scan via web browser.
Yeah, you may want to look for something that fits your needs better.

 

[vivienne]

Hi B+B

Its probably ftp software which is not a big deal, it just has to be running when you scan and set up with static IPs.

Would you mind very much explaining how this would work? Would the FTP software allow for an internal email address?

I'm surprised that it has only a network interface, and that it doesn't come with another scan option, such as a software utility or scan via web browser.

Some HP bigshot is to call us from Boulder tomorrow and I shall confirm with him that this is correct. I, also, find it hard to believe especially since the printer comes also with a parallel port.

Yeah, you may want to look for something that fits your needs better.

Too bad. We love the printer. :-( But I think it would be best to get another unless the FTP way really could work.

Thanks very much for your help!

Vivienne

 

[Squashman]

Did you read the manual. I just downloaded it and it says you can upload the scanned document to a shared folder on the netowork or to a ftp server on your network. I would think that a shared folder would be the easiest.

 

[Beavis+B.hed]

The ftp software will allow the scans to be sent to a designated folder on a computer on the network. To email it, you would have to send an email and attach the scan. Not too inconvenient once set up. But I wonder what format the scans can be saved in. If you have multi-page scans, you might want them saved as a single .pdf file, rather than a bunch of separate .tiff or .jpg files.
I'm going to take a guess that scanning directly into email might be designed for businesses with an email server on the local network, and will require the hp to have its own email account. And how difficult would it be to enter email destinations from the hp control panel?

I have heard of usb interface as an optional add on. So I wonder if this, or parrallel would give you any scan options that the network connection doesn't. Seems it should be the other way around actually.

So the bottom line is we need to know how the hp software works. So maybe this will help you have your questions lined up for them.

Tom

worst case- you keep the mfp and buy a stand alone scanner with a document feeder

 

[vivienne]

Hi

Did you read the manual. I just downloaded it and it says you can upload the scanned document to a shared folder on the netowork or to a ftp server on your network. I would think that a shared folder would be the easiest.

Oh please, where did you find that? Where did you download the manual from? This might solve everything! There was no manual with it - just a training guide. All the info came from the techs at HP!

Thanks!!!!!!!!

Vivienne

 

[vivienne]

Hi Tom

When we set up the printer, we set it up with a parallel port. When no buttons came up for scan, the tech guys told us that a parallel port was not powerful enough to do the scanning and we had to network it. Actually nothing worked not even the printer.This whole thing does not make sense!!
Then they helped us connect it to a router. At that time 'Email' option came up. We put in the email address but there was no place to put in login id or password or this server requires authentication and so email failed. It saves in .pdf which is what we want. It may have other choices as well.

As for buying another scanner, we could do that but we did pay $3000 for this printer and hate to spend the extra money.

Thanks for being so patient and explaining so well!

Vivienne

 

[vivienne]

Hi

Did you read the manual. I just downloaded it and it says you can upload the scanned document to a shared folder on the netowork or to a ftp server on your network. I would think that a shared folder would be the easiest.

I found it! But I think you have to use special software?? There is a trial version of Digital Sending Software which we can buy for $427!!! We'll install it and see if it works.

Did you see a place where we could use this feature (scan to a folder) without buying this software?

Any guidance would be most appreciated!!!

Thanks!

Vivienne

 

[vivienne]

One of HP's top technicians (or so they said) called from Idaho. He told me that my MFP was not a scanner but a digital sender and because we didn't have our own server, this printer could not send scanned copies by email and it did not have the function of saving to file. I'm still stunned at this. He said that even if we buy the Digital Sending Software, it won't work. We called the place we bought it from and said that we had been given incorrect advice as to which model would best suit our purpose and we would like to return the computer. They made us a deal - they would send someone to make it work. If they were successful, they would charge us a $100 and if not, they would pack up the printer and take it back. We agreed and the printer works now using SMTP server software that we downloaded from the internet ($40 us). But it does now work!!!

Thanks Tom, for the explanations and thanks, LwdSquashman, for telling me about the manual which I downloaded from HP. Your replies were most appreciated!!

Vivienne