Driver question

[DavidTN]

When I bought this printer, it had the capability to scan to a searchable PDF.  Later the driver became corrupted and I had to download a new driver, which does not have that capability.  I selected and paid for the printer as one that could produce searchable PDFs.  The new driver has been downgraded so that I am not getting what I paid for.  How can I get a driver with that capability?

[Max3Aj]

@DavidTN, Welcome to HP Support Community. 

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

To restore the "Scan to Searchable PDF" functionality for your HP Officejet Pro 8600 e-All-in-One Printer (N911a) on Windows 11, follow these steps:

Download the Full Feature Software and Drivers:

• Visit the official HP driver page for your printer: HP OfficeJet Pro 8600 Drivers.
• Select Windows 11 as your operating system.
• Download the Full Feature Software and Driver package.

Install with OCR Support:

• During installation, ensure that HP Scan and OCR Software by I.R.I.S. are selected.
• This OCR component is what enables the creation of searchable PDFs.

Verify OCR Installation:

• After installation, open HP Scan.
• Choose PDF (Searchable) as the file type in the scan settings.
• If this option is missing, the OCR component may not have installed correctly—try reinstalling and ensure it's selected.

Alternative Method (if HP Scan fails):

• Use the HP Smart App from the Microsoft Store.
• While it may not support searchable PDFs directly, you can scan to PDF and then use Adobe Acrobat or free OCR tools to convert to searchable format.

I hope this helps. 

Take care and have a good day. 

Please click “Accepted Solution” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution. Select "Yes" on the bottom left to say “Thanks” for helping! 

Max3Aj

HP Support 

[DavidTN]

Thanks for the detailed instructions.  They were very clear.  Unfortunately, in installing the driver after I downloaded it, I was never presented with the HP Scan and OCR Software by I.R.I.S. option.  I reinstalled to make sure.  What I ended up with, after opening the scan screen, was the same scanning screen I had before -- with only one PDF option (non-searchable).  The file name of the driver I installed was Full_Webpack-1312_1-OJ8600_Full_Webpack.

At one point, a year or two ago, I was able to download a bootleg older version of the driver, but at some point it was replaced with the "new and improved" driver, minus the searchable PDF option, by one of those driver update services.  With my new computer I've been unable to find the source of that bootleg driver.  I will keep looking.  It's a shame that HP removed this functionality, as it was very beneficial.  Not only did it create searchable PDFs, but it automatically straightened the scan alignment.  And I believe that's what I paid for when I bought the Officejet Pro 8600.

Thanks again for your help.  I'm just sorry it didn't work out.

[Max3Aj]

@DavidTN, Thank you for your response,  

I'm sending a private message to assist you with the next action. 

  

Please check your Private message icon on the upper right corner of your HP Community profile Next, to your profile Name, you should see a little blue envelope, please click on it or simply click on this link. 

  

I hope this helps! Keep me posted. 

  

Max3Aj

HP Support