Duplex Scanning on HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M281fdw

[twc54]

Can you duplex scan using the adf with a HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M281fdw? 

[John_Getzke]

I would say no to automatic duplex scanning with the M281 ADF.

The specs do mention auto duplex printing but nothing about auto duplex scanning for this model:

http://store.hp.com/us/en/pdp/hp-color-laserjet-pro-mfp-m281fdw

You will have to proceed with manual duplex scanning by using the HP or a 3rd party scanning application.  Then modify the contents of the document before you publish as a final scan job so the pages are in the desired order and orientation. Or republish the document with something that can complete those steps post scan job creation.

[ShlomiL]

Indeed no duplex scanning is offered for the printer but duplex printing only.

You may use the HP Scan software supplied with the device to manually scan a such.

Set the Page Sides option within the Scan software for manual two side scanning and follow the steps on screen, it will allow scanning multiple pages from teh top feeder and flipping them once while the pages will be auto arranged in the correct order by the software.

Hope that helps,

Shlomi

[mgbmail1]

Will this work-around also work with the scan software in Windows?

[mgbmail1]

I should explain that I’m about to purchase a new printer. The HP Color Laser Jet Pro MFP M281fdw appears to fit all my requirements provided I can do occasional double-sided scanning of multiple page documents. I don’t mind turning a stack of pages and putting the stack through the ADF a second time and then getting software to stitch the two runs together, so if this can be done with HP software running in Windows 10 I would be delighted and will purchase this MFP printer. Thank you for your help.

[John_Getzke]

> if this can be done with HP software running in Windows 10 I would be delighted and will purchase this MFP printer.

Yes.  The M281 has a full software solution available for win10 which would include the HP Scan app.  You can manage your manual duplex scan jobs from there.

[mgbmail1]

Thank you.

[M281fdwOwner]

Yes, but not very well at all....

Background - I purchased a Laserjet Pro MFP M281FDW this week (April 2018).  This was after being reassured by the assistant in Currys (Silverlink South Shields) that the printer (which I knew had only a single sided scanning document feeder) could cope ok with a double-sided, multi-page document.  I asked if this could be done by putting the bundle into the feeder and allowing it to be scanned once, stored in the printer's memory, then turning the bundle around, replacing it into the feeder for a 2nd pass to get the rear side of each page.  The printer would then output from memory the copied document, clearly printing this in duplex.  He confirmed this was possible. 

Sadly this does NOT work as described above when using ONLY the printer.  As is explained in the earlier posts in this thread, to achieve a double sided scan and copy you are encouraged to instead the HP scan software which is installed onto your PC.   Herein there is an option for double-sided scanning (see the screenshot below).  This option directs you to make two scans, turning the bundle around after the first.  These are then combined into a single pdf which you must save before finally printing out.   This process is far more clunky than being able to do it from the printer's control panel as might be expected from a standalone device.  Also, somewhat strangely, the scans come out much lower quality that just using the printer directly.  Sadly, after the second scan, although you see thumbnails of the document aranged in the right order, there is no PRINT button available - thus  you must go into Explorer, find the saved file and print it.    Come on HP, sort this out in a software update - add a print button as this will speed things up slightly  - I shouldn't need to save the scanned document.

Manual work-arounds -

1) Copying of a single-sheet,  double-sided doc is easy enough to do.  The M281 has a manual feed port on the front side (so you don't have to open the paper drawer) - but doing it this way is of course neither duplex scanning nor duplex printing !

2) Copying of a ten-sheet, double-sided doc (ie 20 sides in total) could be achieved without using a PC by putting the bundle on the feeder, selecting Copy on the printer and letting the feeder pull through the 10 sheets.  After the printed paper has cooled for a few seconds (to avoid jams), turn it over AND around and reinsert it into the top of the paper tray.  Turn around the bundle of originals and reinsert into the feeder and re etc) and then hit copy to do the other side.  Clearly somewhat labour intensive, but just about practical.

Summary -  Why did I chose the M281FDW instead of its bigger brother the M477?  The latter is only slightly bigger by a couple of inches but crucially has a genuine two-sided auto-document-feeder (ADF), and also a very slightly larger paper tray capacity.  The main reason for getting the M281 was that it was on a very good offer last week of just £229, less a further £100 via HP Cashback ie £129 total.  Its bigger brother the M477 was not on the same promotion and thus quite a jump up to £367 (again via the HP website).  So I decided the extra £230 saved by going for the smaller unit despite its single sided scanner was money better spent on replacement toner cartridges when required in due course.   It is also worth pointing out that the page capacity of the toner cartridges used on the M477 is almost double that of the M281 for almost the same money.  So if you expect to print over 1000 pages a month, it is probably worth going for the M477 in the long run.   

Conclusion - If you expect or need to copy double sided multi-page documents more than once or twice a year, you should really go for the M477.  Else the M281 on promotion is better value.  

Hope that helps.

[vcator]

HP Smart recommended upgrading the software  ....and now I have lost automatic duplex printing 😕

Prior to the upgrade auto duplex printing was working fine.   How do I get auto Duplex printing back ?

Firmware Datecode 20190419 

[kevin-t]

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