Officejet 8600 says unable to send or receive faxes

[Leroy8600]

Haven't used fax function since April 2020. Went to fax something this morning and getting a message on my printer saying unable to send or receive faxes. Called Comcast to see if there was a phone line issue. She called the line to test and it shows up on caller ID. Went through all the fax setup/tests and can't even print a fax test page?

[Jay_G24]

Hi @Leroy8600,

I'd like to help!

To better assist -

Are you able to make copies using the printer?

Meanwhile, 

Check the connection

Check for phone line connection issues that might be causing failed sent faxes.

• Call the fax number you are sending to from a phone: If you do not hear fax tones, the receiving fax machine might be turned off or disconnected.

• Confirm the fax setup: There are two phone ports on the rear the printer labeled 1-Line and 2-Ext. Connect the phone line to the 1-Line port, and connect the answering machine to 2-Ext.

  Go to HP Printers - How to Fax for steps to set up your printer.

• Check the phone line: Connect a phone to the wall jack and try to make a call. If the call fails or there is no dial tone, check if another phone or device is keeping the line open. Additionally, if you hear static, there might be interference from nearby electrical appliances (motors, fans, kitchen appliances, or televisions) and/or coax cables, or there is an issue with the line quality that requires attention from your phone service provider.

• Use the fax cord that shipped with your printer: HP fax-capable printers ship with a two-wire phone cord. If you are using a different cord, confirm the connector does not have four wires. Shorter, higher quality cords work better than longer cords of lesser quality.

  

• Remove other devices from the phone line: Devices such as answering machines, modems, or other telephones might cause faxing issues.

Additional troubleshooting

If the previous steps do not resolve the issue, reset the printer, check for any hardware related issues, and restore the default fax settings.

NOTE: 

Re-add any printer settings and preferences that were removed after a reset or settings restore.

• Reset the printer: With the printer turned on, disconnect the power cable from the rear of the printer and the wall outlet, wait 30 seconds, and then reconnect the power cable.

• Check the scanner bar functionality: Lift the scanner lid slightly, and then press the Copy button or icon to start a copy job. If the scanner light does not move or illuminate, the scanner mechanism requires servicing.

• Restore fax settings to default: Restore factory default fax settings, and then run the fax setup wizard again.

Print a fax test report

To begin troubleshooting, print a fax test report to identify any issues with the printer, phone line connection, or fax settings. On the printer control panel, locate Run Fax Test or Fax Test Report in the Fax or Setup menus.

Share the report.

Hope this helps! Keep me posted. 

And, Welcome to the HP Support Community. 

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