HP Envy Photo 7855 gives a dark scan

[UnderdogAnomaly]

I purchased a HP Envy Photo 7855 printer recently and did a test trial to scan a document, only to reveal it to be a dark scan, whether by the feeder and the scanner that involves opening the top of the printer.  Printing a document or copying a document is no problem, but the scans are darker and virtually unreadable, whether it's a photo or a document. How do I rectify this? Also, how do I make light scanning a default setting so that the problem doesn't repeat itself the next time I scan something?

[Kumar0307 · Accepted solution]

Hi @UnderdogAnomaly

Welcome to the HP Support Community. I'd be happy to assist you.

• Are you sure the copies are fine?
• The printer uses the same mechanism to make a copy and scan.
• Try making a standalone copy and check if that works. By this, we can conclude if this is a hardware or a driver issue.

If the copy is fine, it means this is a software issue.

Which application are you using to scan?

Check the scanner bar functionality if the copy is also dark

Perform a visual test of the scanner mechanism to see if it is jammed.

1. Remove any original documents or photos from the scanner glass.
2. Lift the scanner lid slightly, and then press the Copy button or icon.

If the scanner light does not move or moves halfway or is not lit, the scanner mechanism is likely jammed/broken.

For now, kindly follow the steps mentioned in this document to resolve issues related to the scan.

Hope this helps! Keep me posted. 

Please click “Accept as Solution” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution.

Click the “Kudos, Thumbs Up" on the bottom right to say “Thanks” for helping!

Have a great day! 

[Busyatwork]

I'm having the exact same issues. It's consistent with only the scan to email, as copies and scans to USB or computer work fine. It seems almost entirely a software glitch, as I've used this on multiple other HP envy printers (different models).

This is the latest in a series of posts on the same issue, so any help or future info would be appreciated. Specifically resolving this function is an email because my family and I use this feature often.

[Kumar0307]

@Busyatwork, Welcome to the HP Support Community.

Let us try these steps:

Reset the printer

1. With the printer turned on, disconnect the power cord from the rear of the printer.
2. Wait at least 60 seconds.
3. Reconnect the power cord to the rear of the printer.
4. Turn ON the printer, if it does not automatically turn on.
5. Wait until the printer is idle and silent before you proceed.

Note: HP recommends connecting the printer directly to a wall outlet rather than a surge protector or a power strip.

Update the printer firmware

Click here to know different methods of updating printer firmware.

Try scanning.

If the issue persists, re-setup the scan to email profile.

Refer to this document. (Applies to your model printer)

Alternatively, you may watch this video for a better understanding. 

Let me know how this goes.

[UnderdogAnomaly]

Okay, so for some reason, the scanner started working correctly. I tried @Kumar0307 and his idea, and the copying worked fine. Then, I went to the scanner and for some reason it worked fine now. The scans to the computer worked okay and wasn't dark anymore. The printer was unplugged before I tried this (by habit), but I don't know what solved the problem as of yet.

[Kumar0307]

@UnderdogAnomaly

Glad to know that the issue is now resolved. Feel free to contact us with any concerns related to HP products.

Happy to help!

[UnderdogAnomaly]

Hello, Kumar0307. Now I have an issue that isn't much of an issue now, but I realized the issue.  When I try to print from the scanner/printer itself, the scan result is dark. When I try to print from my computer or my phone, it works properly and the result is normal and not dark. Do you know what the issue could be?

[hmshelley]

I have a very similar issue. I have an HP Envy Photo 7858. I've been using the Scan to Email function for over a year with no problems. At the end of March, I noticed the scans were suddenly darker. I just spent over an hour trying to troubleshoot this issue, including resetting, updating firmware, checking power, and cleaning. I scanned the same photo using Scan to Email and Scan to Computer. The Scan to Email image is significantly darker. I think there must have been a software update or something in March that caused this issue, because it wasn't happening before March and now others are reporting the same problem. I'm hoping someone from HP will reopen this issue and take a look!

[Kumar0307]

Hi @hmshelley

Welcome to the HP Support Community. I'd be happy to assist you.

Are you trying to scan a PDF file or an image(jpg) file?

Try both and check for the issue.

For now, let us try these steps:

Reset the printer

1. With the printer turned on, disconnect the power cord from the rear of the printer.
2. Wait at least 60 seconds.
3. Reconnect the power cord to the rear of the printer.
4. Turn ON the printer, if it does not automatically turn on.
5. Wait until the printer is idle and silent before you proceed.

Note: HP recommends connecting the printer directly to a wall outlet rather than a surge protector or a power strip.

Update the printer firmware

On the printer, go to Setup > Tools > Printer maintenance > Update printer > Check now.

Try scanning to email and check if the issue persists.

Hope this helps! Keep me posted. 

Please click “Accept as Solution” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution.

Click the “Kudos, Thumbs Up" on the bottom right to say “Thanks” for helping!

Have a great day!