No Scan Options: Scan from an HP OfficeJet to a Mac

I was getting "No Scan Options" when pressing the scan button on the machine. For awhile I thought the scanner was broken but I finally figured out how to scan from the HP OfficeJet to my Mac.

Why "No Scan Options"

The root of the problem is that you have to issue the command to scan from the computer and not from the scanner as with many other machines.

Once I tried things from the mac, it was really quite easy to get the HP OfficeJet to scan both from the document feeder and the single page glass scanner onto my mac.

How to scan from an HP OfficeJet to a Mac

Step 1.  Plug in the usb cord from the printer to your mac and make sure all of the latest software is installed.

Step 2.  Open System Preferences from Spotlight and navigate into "Printers and Scanners".  If you are new to mac, to open Spotlight either use command+space or click on the magnifying glass in the top right.  Then search for anything.  For more on using spotlight, visit this page from apple: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204014.

Step 3.  Select the HP OfficeJet you are trying to scan from.  If you don't see your printer, then go back and make sure that the printer is on, it is plugged in to your computer and the software drivers have all been installed.

Step 4.  From the scan tab, choose to "Open Scanner..."



 

Step 5.  Scan away. Notice the option to use the document feeder or scan from the screen.


 

Enjoy your scanner

Now that I know how to scan from my HP OfficeJet, I am much more effective at my home office.