LaserJet software/driver issues. Print and Scan Doctor doesn't work on scanning function of MFP.

Question

Upon using the diagnostic utility HPPSdr. exe, only the select an action "Fix Printing" shows up and not the "Fix Scanning" option. Our printer is the LaserJet 3050 connected via usb running under Windows Vista32 on a HP dv8408us laptop. The scanning driver is HP imaging 4.0.4.0. There have been numerous problems with this scanning software/driver package which have been well illustrated on the HP forums. An update is sorely needed. All that HP customers really expect when we buy a product is that we get the functionality that we paid for and that we get support for the software and hardware for a reasonable length of time, I think that 5-7 years after the final production date of the product, at least, is reasonable. In the case of the 3050, the scanning has never worked right since day 1 because the scans are too light with signatures and time stamps showing up poorly. With the pnp driver installed it it almost impossible to scan in receipts, etc. The communication software Toolbox FX is needed to use the scan button on the machine, and since there are so many problems with this package with respect to system resource usage and connectivity, we can't use it and we don't get the walk up use of the scan button that we paid for originally. As Microsoft has updated the Windows OS, HP has failed to keep pace and we lose functionality of our equipment over time.  The diagnostic utilities have supposedly been updated several times and the scanning portion of the MFP still doesn't show. Surely the wide base of installation of this product could justify the expense of some engineering time for an update to the software and drivers. If HP hopes to turn itself around, a commitment needs to be made towards engineering products that really work in the environments that its customers use them, or else HP will merely be regarded as marketing company that is only concerned with selling the next thing without respect to customer retention.

Answer 1

VisionAiry,
Thank you for your response,
     There have been problems with the software and drivers for the LaserJet MFP/AIO machines which have been well illustrated by many users on here for several years. What is shocking is the unwillingness of HP to address these issues at an engineering and design level. This is the level in your organization that these problems need to be addressed at, not at the marketing and customer service level. The software/driver package has never really worked right ever since the 3050 - 3392 series was introduced back in 2006. The scanning drivers in the pnp drivers don't work, and never have, because of frequent communication problems. Someone never bothered to check if a blue ink signature would scan. I and several others have reported on these issues. What I have discoverd, through much trial and error, is that the full software package upon installation with only basic drivers installed using the check boxes in the menu, actually installs differently than the pnp driver. Who would have thought this? So now the machine scans OK. 
     My PC really appreciates not having the ToolboxFX installed. ToolBoxFX Error messages and crashes have been well documented on here. This is an application that puts an unnecessary drain on system resources. The only problem is that now the use of the Scan button on the machine is taken away so I don't get the walk up use of the scan button that we paid for in the original design. Why is the scan button function tied to the defective ToolboxFX software? 
     As far as printing goes, after carefully deleting the original print drivers, I use the PCL 5 and PCL6 UPD drivers. They work a lot better than the original print drivers ever did. But what about scanning? The scan driver on the 3050 dates all the way back to 7 2007. Scanning is an integral part of the functioning of most offices nowadays, but it is an afterthought at HP.  Why would a driver, software or diagnostic package only address half of the capabilities of a machine?
     When I went on the vacation recently, I tried to use my PCL 5 and PCL 6 drivers on my relatives 2009 OfficeJet 7310 and it wouldn't work at all. I had to spend 2 hours with multiple failed attempts to install the full 7310 package on my PC. Installation problems and repeated attempts are a constant theme with HP software. The very term Universal Print Driver is misleading because it won't work on many of the HP products out there. The product listing for the UPD, I only recently discovered on here, with help, because it was so buried on the UPD information page. 
     The LaserJet 3050 at $300 from Staples wasn't the most expensive printer out there, but it wasn't the least either. It is actually a pretty nice piece of hardware. I have invested over $1,500 in marked up toner since I've had this machine. HP needs to do better for us.