Must restart 8720 printer/scanner for W10 HP driver to communicate with scanner

[Neal360]

I have an HP OfficeJet Pro 8720 all-in one printer.  It is connected over WiFi to two laptops.  All of the printing functions work properly from both.  I use the complete package of HP software (Printer Assistant) on my W10 laptop (HP Spectre 360) to initiate scanning of material on the 8720.  The assistant's update procedure says my software is up to date.

In order to get the 8720 to scan, it has to be restarted for the laptop scanning software to be able to communicate with the scanner.  Once the first scan is done, I can do more scans so long as the HP Printer Assistant is still running.   If I run the HP Print and Scan Doctor (5.7.0) ,  ignore the suggestion to restart the printer and skip the various software update procedures, I get to "Step 2" of "Finding and Fixing Problems" that runs a sequence of checks:  "Recommended Updates", "Device Manager", "Driver Check", "Device Status", "Windows(WIA) Scan", "Registry", "HP Scan" and "Test Scan".  The Recommended Updates, Device Manager, and Device Status checks return an OK status.  The Device Check returns "Scan Driver unable to ccommunicate with device".  The other procedures such as "HP Scan" are not accessible.

This problem with scanning is perhaps 3 or 4 months old -- was not present earlier.  

Please help me repair whatever has broken.

Thanks,

Neal Scribner

[Rainbow23]

Hi @Neal360

Welcome to HP Support Community. This is a great place to post questions and find answers.
Thank you for posting your query. I will be glad to help you.

I see that you are getting error "Scan Driver unable to communicate with device" on your HP OfficeJet Pro 8720 all-in one printer

Please follow the steps listed below to uninstall and reinstall the drivers:

Step 1: Please follow the steps to uninstall the drivers from this link

Step 2: Steps to remove printer driver files from Print Server Properties.
1. Open Settings.
2. Click on Devices.
3. Click on Printers & scanners.
4. Select the printer and click the Remove device button.
5. Click the Yes button to confirm.
Once you've completed the steps, the printer will be removed from your device.

Step 3: Download and install the drivers from this link

Let me know if this helps.
Take care and have a great day ahead.

Please click “Accepted 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!