scanned documents saving as .BMP instead of .PDF

[mistinlaci]

I've had my laptop and all-in-one since June.  I've been scanning my little heart out and saving them as PDF's with no problem.  Until a few days ago when I was tempted to re-enact the printer smashing scene from Office Space.  Now when I scan sometimes it will save as a PDF but most of the time it will save as .bmp.  When scanning documents I select save as PDF but once the document is scanned and I go through the steps to save,  all pages are saved separately as .bmp instead of .pdf.  I haven't changed any settings that I am aware of and I'm not doing anything differently. 

[Rainbow7000]

Hello there! Welcome to the forums @mistinlaci 

I read your post about the scanning issues you're having and I wanted to make my suggestions to you.

Here they are:

Check for Windows Updates and complete them all:

Install Windows updates

Update Adobe:
Open Reader or Acrobat.
Choose Help - Check For Updates. If a new update is available, it installs automatically.
Once installed, restart you computer.
Try to print the PDF again.

Run the Print and Scan Doctor. This diagnostic tool will check for any conflicts that could be causing the issue. The tool will show you a report at the end. If there was a problem that the tool could not fix, you will notice it in the results.

Please let me know if the troubleshooting steps helped!

Happy New Year

[TKD4]

Hi, I was wondering if this problem has been resolved as I am suffering exactly the same problem. Help pages are useless in resolving the problem which is that when I scan a document to file and save it as a PDF, it saves as a Bitmap image at 12MB instead of 400KB. This is a recent phenomenon - for ages I have been happily saving scanned documents as PDF. I have no idea what has changed but it is hugely frustrating. I have checked for updates both for the printer and Adobe PDF reader - both are all up to date. I have run the HP Print and Scan Doctor which doesn't even identify the problem. I've checked setings and the printer is set to save to PDF. Grateful for any help on this as I'm sure there must be others afflicted with the same tedious and infuriating problem which appears to have no resolution. Thanks in advance for any expert advice.

[TKD4]

Did you ever get this resolved mistinlaci? I share your pain!

[angeliak]

I have this problem too.  I've done updates on everything!  It's so annoying.  Yesterday, I was able to scan again and choose .pdf instead of .bmp, and it would save it again & I would delete the .bmp one, but today, even thought it SAYS .pdf, it's going in as .bmp.  This is so annoying!  Updated software, updated drivers, updated Adobe and Java.

[Dvortex]

Hello, @angeliak

Thanks for reaching out! I'd like to help 🙂

To assist you with this issue, I need to know the following details:

1. What is the product number or model number of your HP product? If unsure, please check: http://hp.care/2oPCMBG
2. What is the operating system on your PC?

Alternatively, if you are using Windows 8.1 or 10, then try using the HP Smart app. You can install it here: HP Smart

Use the app and then try scanning.

Thanks, Let me know how that goes!

Cheers 🙂

Please click "Accepted Solution" on the post that solves your issue to help others find the solution. To show appreciation for my help, please click the "Thumbs Up Icon" below!

[Nechama1]

I just had this problem but initially I couldn't scan at all.  After trying everything suggested online to no avail and then finally removing and reinstalling my 5-month old all-in-one (HP 4650), my scans would save, but only as a .bmp (despite choosing .jpg on the printer).  I also could not scan from my laptop at all.  A very long call to HP tech support also didn't resolve the issue.  So, after taking a walk to avoid throwing my newer purcahse out the window, I figured it out.  Warning, this may be caused by more than 1 issue but here's what I noticed on my newer Asus laptop (Windows 10) and how I fixed it:

After some detective work, I noticed in my documents folder (where my scans normally end up) that there was a new folder named scans.  I opened that up and saw that after the reinstall, my scan finally did work and it went there (it saved itself as image vs. scan) and again, it was a .bmp insted of a .jpg like I selected.  Btw, you can convert a .bmp to a .jpg via Paint (just search for Paint and Google how to do it as a last resort).  Anyway, it seems an update or something had created a new pathway for my scans where they now went to documents>scans vs. just documents so I figured this new folder was the culprit. I deleted the entire scans folder and then scanned my doc for the 100th time from my printer.  It worked and saved as "scan" (vs. "image") into my documents folder, like normal, and as a .jpg like I selected.  Yay.  Next, I tried to scan via my laptop (the all-in-one icon) and I chose .jpg again and it scanned , again for the 100th time, but this time it gave me the option to save at the end which was not happening before.  So, I saved it and then I checked my documents and there was my scan, again saved as "scan" and as a .jpg.  

It took a total of 5 hours of wasted time between HP tech support and their online suggestions via Google before I had the lightbulb moment and then about 10 minutes to fix everything.  Hallelujah!  Hope that helps anyone.  Btw, this advice would apply for those who save as a .pdf, as well.  I just prefer the old .jpg option.