LJ Pro MFP M477fnw not compatible with HP Smart

[ABPainter]

HP LJ MFP M477fnw worked just fine with "HP Scan and Capture" software.  We found out that the 477fnw does not work with "HP Smart" software because we are forced to upgrade to Windows 11, and "Scan and Capture" is no longer on the Microsoft Store, so "HP Smart" is the only thing available.

Using "HP Smart" software, the 477fnw goes through the motions of scanning (both from the flat glass and from the ADF) but what the software shows for a "scan preview" is absolutely always a blank page.

We also have an HP M227fdw which scans just fine using "HP Smart."  The problem is strictly that "HP Smart" does not support the 477fnw.

If there's any fix for this, or preferably another piece of software which actually works (as "HP Scan and Capture" once did) then I'd appreciate any help.

[TheHelper0007]

 Welcome to HP Support Community.

Thank you for posting your query, I will be glad to help you.

1. The Easiest Fix: Scan to a USB Flash Drive (Walk-Up Scanning)

The HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fnw is equipped with a walk-up USB port on the front. This feature allows you to scan documents directly to a flash drive, requiring absolutely no software on your Windows 11 machine.

Procedure:

1. Load your document into the document feeder or on the scanner glass.

2. Insert a USB flash drive into the walk-up USB port.

3. The USB Flash Drive menu will open on the printer control panel.

4. Select the Scan to USB Drive option.

5. On the summary screen, you can adjust settings like Scan File Type, Scan Resolution, and Output Color.

6. Touch the Scan button to execute the scan.

The printer will save the scanned file (in .PDF or .JPG format) into a folder named HPSCANS on the USB drive. This is the fastest, most reliable way to get your digital file when PC software fails.

2. Network-Based Scanning (Configured via Embedded Web Server)

If you need the scans sent directly to a network location or email, you can configure these features using the printer’s HP Embedded Web Server (EWS). The EWS is accessed via a web browser using the printer's IP address, making it platform and OS independent.

A. Scan to Network Folder

1. This allows the M477fnw to save files to a shared folder on your local network:
2. Access EWS: Obtain the printer’s IP address from the control panel by touching the Connection Information button, and then enter that IP address into a web browser on your computer.
3. Configure: Navigate to the Scan tab in the EWS and set up the Network Folder Setup. You will need the network path, user name, and password needed to access the folder.
4. Initiate Scan: Once configured, go to the printer control panel, touch the Scan icon, and select Scan to Network Folder.

B. Scan to E-mail

1. This turns the printer into its own scanning workstation, emailing documents without touching your PC's scan application:
2. Access EWS: Use the IP address in a web browser to access the EWS.
3. Configure: On the Scan tab, set up the Outgoing E-mail Profiles. This requires the SMTP Server address, port number, and potentially authentication credentials (User ID and Password).
4. Initiate Scan: Once configured, go to the printer control panel, touch the Scan icon, select Scan to E-mail, choose the profile, select the recipient(s), and press Scan.

Final Troubleshooting Tip (Physical Check)

Since the scanning mechanism itself is moving but producing blank results in "HP Smart," it is crucial to ensure the physical glass surfaces are clean. A specific issue related to scanning from the ADF is:

Check the Document Feeder Glass Strip: If you use the ADF, check the one-inch strip of glass to the left of the main scanner flatbed glass. Debris, dust, or sticky residue on this narrow strip can cause lines, streaks, or corrupted image data that might be misinterpreted by the software (like "HP Smart") as a blank document. Use a moist, lint-free cloth and nonabrasive glass cleaner to wipe both this strip and the corresponding plastic strip on the underside of the lid.

I hope this helps.
 
Take care and have a good day.

[ABPainter]

I'd like to thank you for your reply, but this is not helpful at all.  The whole problem with scanning at all is caused by a failure in the drivers and software HP provides for Win11 users.  HP Smart is not smart at all.  It's not only dumb and difficult to navigate in and difficult to understand the UI, but it flat-out doesn't work at all with the 477.

I think the USB trick might work, but that's a ridiculous number of steps to ask an office worker to go through.  

Even if "Scan to Network Folder" worked, and it would have to be using something like a custom SMB implementation in the printer itself since the faulty "HP Smart" software is bringing both the hardware/IO drivers and also the software interface which doesn't work by itself, then "Scan to Network Folder" just introduces additional steps the worker has to go through, such as renaming whatever default name the printer gives the scan (after returning to the workstation).  I want to repeat that, because the drivers and control software given by HP don't work, I don't believe this would work either, and it would not be a solution to the problem of "HP Smart Not Working" even if it did!

Scan to email is an even worse idea, even though I suspect it would work.  It introduces even more time-wasting intermediate steps between scanning at the MFP and saving/renaming the scan at the PC.

About cleaning and maintenance:  I was certified by HP in "Basic Laserjet Repair" clear back in 1997 and I've done a lot of work on laserjet printers, including non-HP devices.  Even if I hadn't had such long experience, I think any layman could advise you that telling someone to "clean the glass" in response to a software bug report like mine is just plain insulting.

[ABPainter]

As an additional followup, "Scan to Email" is no longer valid because Google is absolutely intent on going off-standard to obfuscate and stultify the entire email-server-hosting paradigm.  Because Google no longer offers legitimately standard SMTP Authentication, the M477 printer cannot even connect to smtp.google.com -- so please do remove that suggestion from HP's list of FAQ-answers immediately.

"Scan to Network Folder" was a bear to get working because the web interface for the M477fnw expects an extremely malformed version of the UNC Address, so if you actually know what a UNC path is (and more importantly if you follow the written directions HP provides right in that web interface) you add two leading backslashes to the UNC path... but then the actual implementation in the code doesn't know how to use that UNC path.  So \\MyPC\SharedFolder is what the examples show, but that doesn't work.  What works instead is the amateurishly malformed MyPC\SharedFolder and that's really lame.  Even worse, the standard UNC path \\MyPC\MyUserName works just fine in the next field down.

So maybe HP just needs to quit outsourcing to the lowest bidder in the 3rd World country whose own national currency trades at 0.06 to 1 USD.