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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesTo scan a document with an all-in-one printer, place the page on the flatbed or in the automatic document feeder (ADF), select the printer in your scanning app, choose the matching input source, set the file type and destination, and start the scan. Save as PDF when several pages should become one document, and verify duplex support before expecting both sides to scan automatically.
The exact labels differ by printer model, app, and operating system. The workflow below covers the reliable choices for Windows, manufacturer apps, mobile devices, and model-specific features.
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Choose the right part of the printer
An all-in-one printer normally has a flatbed scanner under a hinged lid. Many models also have an automatic document feeder (ADF) on top. Your choice depends on the original, not just on convenience.
| Scanner part | Use it for | How to load the original | Important limitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flatbed glass | One page at a time, books, receipts, photographs, fragile originals, or anything that should not pass through rollers | Lift the lid and place the original face down against the alignment mark. Microsoft’s Windows instructions specify face down placement on the flatbed. | You must lift the lid and start another scan for each page unless the app offers a continuous or add-page workflow. |
| Automatic document feeder (ADF) | A stack of loose, similarly sized pages | Use the orientation icon printed on the feeder or the instructions for your exact printer. Feeder orientation is not universal. | An ADF does not automatically mean two-sided scanning. Duplex capability depends on the hardware and software. |
Keep the lid closed during a flatbed scan. For an ADF stack, remove clips, bindings, and anything that could obstruct the feed, then arrange the pages in the order you want them scanned. If the printer’s markings conflict with a generic illustration, follow the printer’s markings or manual.
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What you need before scanning
- The printer must be powered on and connected to the computer or mobile device through a connection the printer supports.
- The printer must be installed, discoverable, or selected in the scanning application.
- The original must be loaded on the flatbed or ADF before you choose the source.
- You need a destination with enough space and a filename you can recognize later.
- For a combined document, use a file type and application workflow that support adding pages, normally a multipage PDF workflow.
A multifunction printer’s scanner can appear in Windows under the printer entry rather than as a separate device. If you cannot find a scanner, check power, connection, installation, and the selected device before changing scan settings. Microsoft documents these checks in Install and use a scanner in Windows.
The basic scan workflow
- Turn on and connect the printer. Wait until the printer reports that it is ready. Connect it to the same computer or mobile device you intend to use, or confirm that the device can reach it over the supported network connection.
- Load the original. Put a single sheet face down on the flatbed and align it with the corner or edge marker. For a stack, use the ADF and follow its printed orientation guide.
- Open a scanning app. Use the printer manufacturer’s app, Windows Scan where supported, or the equivalent app supplied for your device. Select the exact printer/scanner if more than one device is listed.
- Match the input source. Choose Flatbed, Feeder, ADF, or Automatic selection according to where you placed the page. Selecting Flatbed while a stack is in the feeder, or selecting Feeder with an empty feeder, can produce an error or an incomplete scan.
- Choose the document settings. Select a document or photo preset, then review paper size, color, resolution, orientation, and any other controls the app exposes. Options vary by printer, driver, and operating system.
- Set the file and destination. Select the file type, choose a folder, and enter a recognizable name. If you want one document containing several pages, choose PDF or another format that explicitly supports multiple pages.
- Start the scan. Keep the original still until the preview or progress indicator shows that the operation is complete.
- Inspect the result. Check that the page is upright, fully visible, legible, and not cropped. Confirm that every page is present before closing the app or removing the originals.
Scanning in Windows with Windows Scan
Microsoft’s documented Windows route is to open Windows Scan, choose the scanner and source, select a file type and destination, and then scan. The scanner may be listed as part of your multifunction printer rather than with a separate scanner name. Use Microsoft’s current instructions at Install and use a scanner in Windows if a label in your installation differs.
Step-by-step Windows procedure
- Open Windows Scan from the Start menu. If it is not installed, use the Microsoft Store or the installation method provided for your Windows edition.
- Open the scanner selection and choose your all-in-one printer. If it is absent, verify that it is powered on, connected, installed, and available to Windows.
- Choose the source that matches the loaded original: flatbed glass or feeder. Use Automatic selection only when you are comfortable with the app deciding from the device state.
- Select the file type and destination. Windows Scan documents a default
PicturesScanslocation when no other folder is selected; choose a different folder when the document belongs in a project, shared folder, or cloud-synchronized location. - Review the available size, color, and resolution controls for the selected scanner. Choose a document-oriented setting for text and a photo-oriented setting when preserving an image is the priority.
- Start the scan, then open the saved file from the destination shown by the app. Check page edges, orientation, and readability.
Windows Scan’s controls are tied to the installed scanner driver. If a setting described in another guide is missing, the printer or driver may not expose it rather than the setting being hidden in a universal Windows menu.
Using a manufacturer’s scanning app
Manufacturer software can expose controls that a general operating-system app does not. The names and availability change by model and region, so select the printer inside the app before looking for scan options.
HP printer apps
On supported setups, the HP app workflow starts by selecting the printer, opening the scan tile, choosing the glass or ADF, adjusting available options, scanning, and saving. HP identifies controls such as paper size, resolution, color, and input source in its guidance at How to scan with an HP printer. The HP app is replacing HP Smart where it has rolled out, while HP Smart remains a supported route where the newer app is not yet available. Therefore, the button names on one computer may not match those on another.
- Open the installed HP scanning app and select the correct printer.
- Choose the scan tile or scan action.
- Select the glass for one page or the ADF for a stack.
- Set paper size, color, resolution, and other controls that appear for that device.
- Scan, add another page if the workflow offers that option, and save the finished file.
Canon IJ Scan Utility
Canon documents scanning multiple documents from an ADF in IJ Scan Utility for the covered Windows setup. The instructions are model- and software-specific, so treat the presence of an ADF multi-document command as a capability to verify for your own printer, not as a feature every Canon all-in-one shares. The procedure is described in IJ Scan Utility (Windows) – Scanning Multiple Documents at One Time from the ADF.
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Brother scanning software
Brother explains how to save a multipage document as one file when a compatible format is selected. Its guidance also describes continuous scanning for flatbed or workflows that exceed the ADF’s capacity on covered setups. Select a format that supports multiple pages and follow the application’s prompt to continue or finish the document. See How to scan a multi-page document into a single file.
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Scanning several pages is not just a matter of pressing Scan repeatedly. The application must retain the pages in one job and the selected file type must support a multipage document.
ADF method
- Place the stack in the ADF in the required orientation and order.
- Select ADF or Feeder as the source.
- Choose PDF or another format identified by the app as multipage-capable.
- Start the scan and wait for the feeder to finish.
- Use the app’s Finish, Save, or Complete command rather than starting a separate one-page job.
- Open the resulting file and confirm that the page count and order are correct.
Flatbed method
- Place the first page face down and select Flatbed.
- Choose PDF or the app’s multipage document mode.
- Scan the first page.
- When the app offers Add page, Continue scanning, or a similar command, lift the lid, replace the original with the next page, and continue.
- Repeat until every page is scanned, then choose Finish or Save.
Some programs save each flatbed scan immediately as a separate image unless you deliberately start a multipage workflow. If every page arrives as its own file, start over with the application’s add-page or continuous-scan mode and a compatible file type. Brother’s instructions at How to scan a multi-page document into a single file describe this distinction for its supported software. HP also documents adding pages and selecting Basic PDF in its scan workflow at How to scan with an HP printer.
Can an all-in-one printer scan both sides at once?
Only some combinations of printer hardware and scanning software can capture both sides automatically. An ADF by itself does not prove that the printer has duplex scanning, and duplex behavior can differ between the printer’s control panel, desktop app, and mobile app.
Single-pass duplex scanning
A printer with a duplex-capable ADF and compatible software can feed a sheet and capture both sides in one pass. Look for a two-sided, duplex, or both-sides option in the source or document settings. Verify that the option is available for the exact model and app before loading a large stack.
Manual two-pass scanning
Some supported HP workflows instruct you to scan one side, turn the stack over, and scan the reverse side before the software combines the pages. Follow the on-screen order exactly; turning the stack the wrong way reverses page order or orientation. HP’s two-sided workflow is documented at How to scan with an HP printer.
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When duplex is unavailable
Scan the front sides first, turn the originals as the app instructs, then scan the backs as a second pass. If the software cannot combine the passes, save both groups and use a document application that can reorder and merge pages. Do not assume that selecting PDF will automatically interleave front and back pages; the app must provide that function.
Choosing scan settings
Use the simplest setting that preserves the information you need. The available controls depend on the printer, driver, and app; HP specifically identifies paper size, resolution, color, and input source as examples of controls exposed on supported setups.
Paper size and cropping
Choose the size that matches the original when it is offered. A mismatch can crop edges or leave an unexpectedly large border. If the preview shows a missing margin, recheck the page against the flatbed alignment mark, confirm the source, and select the correct paper size before scanning again.
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Color mode
Use color when colored marks, photographs, diagrams, or signatures must remain distinguishable. Grayscale or monochrome can be appropriate for plain text when a smaller, simpler document is sufficient, but inspect the preview to ensure faint writing has not disappeared.
Resolution
Select a resolution appropriate to the original and intended use from the choices your app provides. A text document intended for reading needs different treatment from a photograph that will be edited. Do not choose a value merely because another printer’s menu uses the same label; driver options and output behavior vary.
Orientation
Set portrait or landscape when the app offers it, then verify the saved page. Some software rotates the preview automatically while leaving the stored file unchanged, so opening the final PDF is the reliable check.
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Save, name, and verify the scanned file
Choose the destination before scanning when the app permits it, or use the save dialog immediately afterward. A clear filename prevents confusion when several scans are created on the same day. A practical pattern is a date, subject, and page description, such as 2026-10-16_contract_signed.pdf; use a naming style that fits your own filing system.
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- Check that the first and last pages are present.
- Look at every page for clipped edges, sideways orientation, blank output, streaks, or unreadable text.
- For a duplex job, confirm that front and back pages are paired in the intended order.
- Move or copy the verified file to its long-term folder only after the scan is complete.
Windows Scan documents the selected save folder and uses PicturesScans when no folder is chosen. If you cannot locate a scan, reopen the app’s destination setting and search that folder before scanning again.
Scanning from a phone or tablet
A mobile workflow follows the same decisions but uses the printer maker’s mobile app when one is provided for the model. Connect the device as the printer requires, select the printer in the app, choose the scanner source, set the available document options, scan, and save or share the resulting file. App availability, account requirements, menu names, and multipage support vary by printer and mobile operating system.
For a single page, the flatbed is usually easier to control from a phone because you can confirm alignment before starting. For a stack, use the ADF only if the mobile app exposes the feeder and multipage controls. If the app lists the printer for printing but not scanning, check the model’s support page and use the desktop scanning route instead of assuming the phone connection supports both functions.
macOS considerations
There is no single current macOS menu sequence that applies to every all-in-one printer. Use the scanning app or instructions supplied for the exact printer model and the macOS version installed on the Mac. Confirm the selected printer, source, file type, and destination in that app, then perform the same placement and verification checks described above. If a menu label differs from a Windows or manufacturer example, the difference may be normal for that driver.
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The printer or scanner is missing
- Confirm that the printer is powered on and not displaying an error.
- Check the cable or network connection and make sure the computer or phone can reach the printer.
- Open the operating system or manufacturer app and select the printer as the scanner.
- If the multifunction device appears only as a printer, install or update the scanner component supplied for that model.
- Close and reopen the app after installation, then select the device again.
Microsoft’s Windows guidance begins with power and scanner selection checks at Install and use a scanner in Windows.
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The scan is blank
- On the flatbed, make sure the page is face down and resting on the glass, not on the lid.
- Check that the selected source matches the physical location of the page.
- For an ADF, reload the stack according to the feeder’s orientation mark.
- Preview or rescan after checking the paper size and alignment.
The edges are cut off
- Move the page to the flatbed’s alignment mark.
- Confirm the paper-size setting.
- Check whether an automatic crop option is reducing the page area.
- Use the preview before committing a multipage job.
HP identifies input-source and paper-size controls in its supported scan workflows at How to scan with an HP printer.
Every page becomes a separate file
Restart the job in a multipage-capable workflow. Select PDF or another format that the app identifies as supporting multiple pages, use Add page or Continuous scan, and finish the job only after all pages are loaded. Selecting PDF in a one-page image workflow may still produce separate files, so the application mode matters as much as the extension.
Only one side of each sheet was captured
Check whether the exact printer and app support duplex scanning. If they do not, perform the manual two-pass method: scan one side, turn the stack as directed, scan the other side, and use the app’s combine or reorder function. A standard ADF does not guarantee automatic two-sided capture.
The document is sideways or out of order
Check the feeder’s orientation icon, the app’s rotation setting, and the order in which pages were loaded. For manual duplex, follow the prompt for turning the stack rather than choosing an intuitive direction; the correct flip depends on how the feeder handles the pages.
Some scan options are unavailable
Options are supplied by the printer driver and app. A feature shown in another model’s instructions may not be present on yours. Select the manufacturer’s app for your model, update its software if the manufacturer provides an update, and use only the controls exposed for the selected source.
A final check before you file or share the scan
- The file opens on the device where you saved it.
- The document has the expected number of pages.
- Text is readable at normal viewing size.
- No page is blank, cropped, upside down, or duplicated.
- Duplex pages are in the intended front-to-back order.
- The filename and folder make the document easy to retrieve.
Once those checks pass, the scan is ready to attach, archive, print, or move to another device. If a future scan fails, start by repeating the three decisions that cause most errors: where the original is loaded, which source the app selected, and whether the chosen file workflow supports the result you want.
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