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- Mac OS Scan to Network Folder Network Path Formatting Instru...

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01-04-2021 11:01 PM - edited 01-17-2021 03:28 PM
These instructions assume you're trying to set up the Scan to Network Folder option on your HP printer, that you set up the shared folder, that you opened the HP Embedded Web Server (EWS), that you're under the Scan tab, that you're in the Network Folder Setup window, that you typed in the display name, and now you're stuck trying to figure out the network path. Here's instructions on how to set up the network path for a Mac OS.
I successfully set up Scan to Network Folder for my HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP 277dw on my Macbook Pro running Mojave. This was to connect the printer to my router in my home office using an ethernet cable. The biggest problem I had was the syntax, or formatting, for the network path. Here's the syntax I eventually figured out that was successful:
//[IP Address]/[Hard Disk Name]/Users/[User Name]/[Folder Name]
Note: You can either use forward or backward slants. I tested them both. They both work. You can even have both backward and forward slants in the same network path. I tested that, too, and it worked. But, Mac network paths are set up with forward slants. So, it's probably easier to use forward slants.
I would type this out in a word processing document first because it's easier to work with.
To find the IP address, go to: System Preferences-->Network-->Advanced-->TCP/IP. Look for: IP Address or IPv4 Address. It will probably be something like: XXX.XXX.X.X. The Xs will be numbers. You should be able to highlight the IP address, copy it, and paste it into the network path. Make sure there isn't a space between the slants at the beginning of the network path and the IP address.
Note: The IP address will change if you switch your network connection from wifi to ethernet and vice versa. You can set up more than one network folder. So, the display name for one network folder might be: Wifi Scans. Then, you can create another network folder with the display name: Ethernet Scans. Just use the appropriate IP address for each network folder. They can both be routed to the same shared folder, though, such as HP Scans. The rest of the network path will be the same. The only thing that will be different is the IP address.
You can find the name of the hard disk in several ways. Try this from the Desktop: Finder-->Preferences. Click the box next to: Hard disks. The hard disk will appear on the Desktop. You can click on the name. The name box should open and the name should be highlighted. Hit Command + C to copy the name. Paste it in the network path. Make sure there isn't a space between the slant and the hard disk name. You can then unclick the box next to Hard disks in the Preferences window to hide the hard disk again.
Now, go to the shared folder you set up for the scans. Either right click on the shared folder or press and hold Control and then click on the shared folder. Once the context menu is displayed, you can let go of the Control button. Now, press and hold Option. Scroll down to Copy "[Folder Name]" as Pathname. Click on it. Let go of the Option button. Then, paste the pathname into the network path. The pathname for the shared folder will probably look like this:
/Users/[User Name]/[Folder Name]
Make sure there isn't a space between the hard disk name and the first slant in the pathname.
Your network path should now be complete.
So, an example of a network path might be:
//XXX.XXX.X.X/Macintosh HD/Users/joeyjojojuniorshabadoo/HP Scans
Remember, the Xs are numbers.
If parts of the names have spaces, like "Macintosh HD", don't worry about. It's OK. In fact, if they do have spaces, you have to leave them in. I tried deleting the space for the hard disk name so it was "MacintoshHD" and it didn't work. So, leave in those spaces! But, make sure there aren't any spaces between the slants and the names in the network pathway. I tried several tests for the network path with a space between a slant and one of the names in the network path, and the tests were all unsuccessful. So, you can't have spaces between the slants and the names in the network path.
Now, if you were working in a word processing document, copy and paste the network path into the appropriate box for Network Path in the Network Folder Setup window under the Scan tab in the HP EWS.
I used this approach, finished the rest of the setup process, and then hit Save and Test. The test was successful. I then used my HP printer to scan an item, and it worked. The scan went right into the appropriate shared folder.
Remember, you can set up more than one shared folder. So, if you're running a small business, you might have one shared folder for bills, one for invoices, and one for contracts. The various network paths might look like:
//XXX.XXX.X.X/Macintosh HD/Users/joeyjojojuniorshabadoo/Shabadoo Inc/Records/Bills
//XXX.XXX.X.X/Macintosh HD/Users/joeyjojojuniorshabadoo/Shabadoo Inc/Records/Invoices
//XXX.XXX.X.X/Macintosh HD/Users/joeyjojojuniorshabadoo/Shabadoo Inc/Records/Contracts
Remember, the Xs are numbers.
For the display names, you could name them separately, such as one with the display name: Bills; one with the display name: Invoices; and one with the display name: Contracts. Then, just pick the appropriate display name on the HP printer when you scan a document.
Finally, I tested scanning to a shared folder in OneDrive and a shared folder in Dropbox. On the Desktop folder for both OneDrive and Dropbox, I created a shared folder in each of them, respectively. I then created a network path for each and set up a network folder on the HP EWS for both. The tests on the HP EWS for both shared folders was successful. The test scans for both went into their appropriate respective shared folders. I tested both scanning on the flatbed scanner and scanning using the document feeder. Both worked. So, you can scan to a shared folder on OneDrive and you can scan to a shared folder on Dropbox. I didn't test scanning to a shared folder on any other cloud service. You'll have to experiment with that yourself if you want to scan to some other cloud service.
Your OneDrive shared folder network path might look something like this:
//XXX.XXX.X.X/Macintosh HD//Users/joeyjojojuniorshabadoo/OneDrive - Shabadoo/HP Scans
Remember, the Xs are numbers.
Your Dropbox shared folder network path might look something like this:
//XXX.XXX.X.X/Macintosh HD/Users/ joeyjojojuniorshabadoo/Dropbox/HP Scans
Remember, the Xs are numbers.
So, here's my question: Has anybody else used this same formatting for the network path to successfully set up the Scan to Network Folder option for an HP printer?
Thanks.
