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HP LaserJet Pro MFP - Solve problems sending or receiving faxes (including fax error messages)

Use the information in this document to troubleshoot issues with sending and receiving faxes and common fax error messages that might display on the printer control panel.

This document applies to HP LaserJet Pro fax models that have a touchscreen control panel with a white background.

Touchscreen with white background

If your HP LaserJet Pro fax model has a control panel with a black background (shown in the figure below), go to Solve problems sending or receiving faxes (including fax error messages).

Touchscreen with black background

About fax setup

Before you begin troubleshooting, review the following information about fax setup.

Fax configuration

Make sure to set up or review your current parameters and preferences for faxing. Using the correct settings for your situation can prevent many issues.

For example, you can set up send options and receive options. You can also specify reporting options, such as whether to print a notification report after a failed fax job, or whether to print a confirmation report after a successful fax job.

To access the Fax Setup menu from the printer control panel, touch the Setup icon , and then touch Fax Setup.

Analog vs. digital environments

This printer is an analog fax device. HP recommends using the printer on a dedicated analog telephone line.

For a digital environment, such as DSL, PBX, ISDN, or VoIP, make sure to use the correct filters and configure the digital settings correctly. For more information, contact the digital service provider.

Fax sending problems

Click a section heading below that corresponds with the issue you are experiencing, and then try the solutions (in the order presented) to resolve the issue.

Control panel displays a "Ready" message with no attempt to send the fax

The printer control panel indicates that the printer is in a "Ready" state, but the fax does not send.

Solution one: Check the fax activity log for errors.
1. From the Home screen on the printer control panel, swipe the tab at the top of the screen downward to open the Dashboard, and then touch the Setup icon .
2. Scroll to and touch Fax Setup, and then touch Reports.
3. Touch Print Fax Reports, and then touch Print.
Solution two: If a phone is connected to the printer, make sure that the phone is hung up.
Solution three: Disconnect all other lines between the fax and the printer.
Solution four: Connect the phone cord between the printer and the telephone jack in the wall, and then resend the fax.

Faxes are sending slowly

Faxes are sending slowly. This issue can be caused by poor phone-line quality.

Solution one: Try sending the fax when the line conditions have improved.
Solution two: Check with the phone service provider to make sure that the line supports fax.
Solution three: Turn off the Error Correction setting.

Note:
Turning off the Error Correction setting can reduce image quality.
1. From the Home screen on the printer control panel, swipe the tab at the top of the screen downward to open the Dashboard, and then touch the Setup icon .
2. Scroll to and touch Fax Setup, and then touch Preferences.
3. Scroll to Error Correction Mode and then touch the toggle button to turn off the setting.
Solution four: Use white paper for the original. Do not use colors such as gray, yellow, or pink.
Solution five: Increase the Fax Speed setting
1. From the Home screen on the printer control panel, swipe the tab at the top of the screen downward to open the Dashboard, and then touch the Setup icon .
2. Scroll to and touch Fax Setup, and then touch Preferences.
3. Scroll to and touch Speed, and then touch the desired speed setting.
Solution six: Divide large fax jobs into smaller sections, and then fax them individually.
Solution seven: Change the Fax Resolution setting to a lower resolution.
1. From the Home screen on the printer control panel, swipe right and touch the Fax icon.
2. Touch Send Now, and then touch the Settings button in the lower left corner of the screen.
3. Touch Resolution, and then touch the desired resolution setting.
  
  Note:
  If you wish to retain this setting for all future faxes, touch Save Current Settings at the bottom of the screen, and then touch Yes to confirm.

Faxes can be received, but not sent

The printer receives incoming faxes, but does not send outgoing faxes.

Solution one:: Check for a dial tone on the phone line by using the Start Fax button.
Solution two: Turn the printer off and then back on.
Solution three: Configure the fax time, date, and fax header.
1. From the Home screen on the printer control panel, swipe the tab at the top of the screen downward to open the Dashboard, and then touch the Setup icon .
2. Touch Preferences, and then touch Date and Time.
3. Touch Set the Date, swipe each column to set the month, day, and year, and then touch Done.
4. Touch Set the Time, swipe each column to set the hour, minute, and AM/PM setting, and then touch Done.
5. Touch the Back button to return to the Setup menu, and then scroll to and touch Fax Setup.
6. Touch Preferences, and then scroll to and touch Fax Header.
7. Enter your personal or company name using the touch keypad, and then touch Done.
8. Enter your fax number using the touch keypad, and then touch Done.
Solution four: Verify that any extension phones on the line are hung up.
Solution five: If using a DSL service, make sure that the phone line connection to the printer includes a high-pass filter.

Receive a recorded error message from the phone company when trying to send a fax

You receive a recorded error message from the phone company when trying to send a fax.

Solution one: Make sure you dial the fax number correctly, and make sure that the phone service is not blocked. For example, some phone services might prevent long distance calling.
Solution two: If an outside line requires a prefix, turn on the Dialing Prefix option (or include the prefix in the speed dial number).

Follow these steps to turn on the Dialing Prefix option.
1. From the Home screen on the printer control panel, swipe the tab at the top of the screen downward to open the Dashboard, and then touch the Setup icon .
2. Scroll to and touch Fax Setup, and then touch Preferences.
3. Scroll to and touch Dialing Prefix, and then touch On.
  
  Note:
  To send a fax without a prefix when the Dialing Prefix option is turned on, send the fax manually.
Solution three: If you are sending a fax to an international number, try the following tips:
- If a prefix is required, manually dial the telephone number with the prefix.
- Enter the country/region code before dialing the phone number.
- Wait for pauses as you hear the tones on the phone.
- Send the fax manually using the printer control panel.

Unable to send a fax when a phone is connected to the printer

A telephone is connected to the printer and you are not able to send a fax.

Solution one: Make sure that the telephone is hung up.
Solution two: Make sure that the telephone is not being used for a voice call when faxing.
Solution three: Disconnect the phone from the line, and then try sending the fax.

Unable to use fax functions from the control panel

The fax functions are not available on the printer control panel.

Solution one: The printer might be password protected. Use the HP Embedded Web Server, HP Toolbox software, or the control panel to set a password.
Solution two: If you do not know the password for the printer, contact your system administrator.
Solution three: Verify with the system administrator that the fax functionality has not been disabled.

Unable to use speed dials

The fax speed dial feature is not working.

Solution one: Make sure that the fax number is valid.
Solution two: If an outside line requires a prefix, turn on the Dialing Prefix option (or include the prefix in the speed dial number).

Follow these steps to turn on the Dialing Prefix option:
1. From the Home screen on the printer control panel, swipe the tab at the top of the screen downward to open the Dashboard, and then touch the Setup icon .
2. Scroll to and touch Fax Setup, and then touch Preferences.
3. Scroll to and touch Dialing Prefix, and then touch On.
  
  Note:
  To send a fax without a prefix when the Dialing Prefix option is turned on, send the fax manually.

Unable to use group dials

The group dialing feature is not working.

Solution one: Make sure that the fax number is valid.
Solution two: If an outside line requires a prefix, turn on the Dialing Prefix option (or include the prefix in the speed dial number).

Follow these steps to turn on the Dialing Prefix option:
1. From the Home screen on the printer control panel, swipe the tab at the top of the screen downward to open the Dashboard, and then touch the Setup icon .
2. Scroll to and touch Fax Setup, and then touch Preferences.
3. Scroll to and touch Dialing Prefix, and then touch On.
  
  Note:
  To send a fax without a prefix, when the Dialing Prefix option is turned on, send the fax manually.
Solution three: Set up all entries in the group with speed dial entries.
1. Open an unused speed dial entry.
2. Enter the fax number for the speed dial.
3. Touch OK to save the speed dial.

Fax receiving problems

Click a section heading below that corresponds with the issue you are experiencing, and then try the solutions (in the order presented) to resolve the issue.

Cannot send or receive a fax on a PBX line

If you are using a PBX phone line, contact your PBX administrator to configure an analog fax line for your printer.

The fax cuts off or prints on two pages

The fax you are receiving cuts off or prints on two pages.

Solution one: Faxes print on a single size of paper based on the Default Paper Size settings. Follow these steps to set the Default Paper Size setting.
1. From the Home screen on the printer control panel, swipe the tab at the top of the screen downward to open the Dashboard, and then touch the Setup icon .
2. Scroll to and open the following menus:
  1. Tray Management
  2. Tray Assignment
  3. Default Paper Size
3. Touch the desired paper size setting from the list of options.
Solution two: Set the paper type and size for the tray that is used for faxes.

Fax does not respond

The printer does not respond when a fax is sent to it.

To identify a solution for this issue, first review the scenarios listed in the sections below. If any of them are applicable, click the section heading to expand that section, and then try the solutions in the order presented.

An answering machine is connected to the printer

The printer might not respond to an incoming fax if an answering machine is connected but the fax settings have not been configured to support it.

Solution one: Turn on the Auto Answer setting.
1. From the Home screen on the printer control panel, swipe the tab at the top of the screen downward to open the Dashboard, and then touch the Setup icon .
2. Scroll to and touch Fax Setup, and then touch Preferences.
3. Touch the toggle button next to Auto Answer to turn on the setting.
Solution two: Set the Rings to Answer setting to at least one ring more than the number of rings for which the answering machine is set.
1. From the Home screen on the printer control panel, swipe the tab at the top of the screen downward to open the Dashboard, and then touch the Setup icon .
2. Scroll to and touch Fax Setup, and then touch Preferences.
3. Scroll to and touch Rings to Answer, select the number of rings, and then touch Done.
Solution three: Connect the answering machine to the "telephone" port.

The fax has a dedicated phone line

If the fax has a dedicated phone line, the Auto Answer setting should be turned on.

Solution: Follow these steps to turn on Auto Answer:

From the Home screen on the printer control panel, swipe the tab at the top of the screen downward to open the Dashboard, and then touch the Setup icon .
Scroll to and touch Fax Setup, and then touch Preferences.
Touch the toggle button next to Auto Answer to turn on the setting.

The printer is connected to a DSL phone service

A DSL modem requires a high-pass filter on the phone line connection to the printer.

Solution one: Check the installation and features. A DSL modem requires a high-pass filter on the phone line connection to the printer. Contact your DSL service provider for a filter or buy a filter.
Solution two: Verify that the filter is connected.
Solution three: Replace the existing filter to make sure that it is not defective.

The printer uses a fax over IP or VoIP phone service

Make sure that fax is supported by the IP or VoIP service provider and that you are using the recommended fax speed setting.

Solution one: Set the fax speed option to the Slow or Medium setting.
1. From the Home screen on the printer control panel, swipe the tab at the top of the screen downward to open the Dashboard, and then touch the Setup icon .
2. Scroll to and touch Fax Setup, and then touch Preferences.
3. Scroll to and touch Speed, and then touch Slow or Medium.
Solution two: Contact your service provider to make sure that fax is supported and ask for the recommended fax speed setting. Some companies might require an adapter.

Voice mail is available on the fax line

The printer must be configured to distinguish an incoming fax call from a regular voice call.

Solution one: Add a distinctive ring service to your telephone line and change the Distinctive Ring setting on the printer to match the ring pattern supplied by the telephone company. Contact your telephone company for information.

Follow these steps to adjust the distinctive ring setting:
1. From the Home screen on the printer control panel, swipe the tab at the top of the screen downward to open the Dashboard, and then touch the Setup icon .
2. Scroll to and touch Fax Setup, and then touch Preferences.
3. Scroll to and touch Distinctive Ring, and then touch the desired setting.
Solution two: Turn off the Auto Answer setting.

Note:
When using this setting, you must be present to receive faxes.
1. From the Home screen on the printer control panel, swipe the tab at the top of the screen downward to open the Dashboard, and then touch the Setup icon .
2. Scroll to and touch Fax Setup, and then touch Preferences.
3. Touch the toggle button next to Auto Answer to turn off the setting.
Solution three: Purchase a dedicated line for faxing.

The printer continues to ring, but the fax does not answer

If the printer rings but the fax does not answer, the Auto Answer setting might be turned off, or the Rings to Answer or Distinctive Ring setting are not configured correctly.

Solution one: Turn on the Auto Answer setting.
1. From the Home screen on the printer control panel, swipe the tab at the top of the screen downward to open the Dashboard, and then touch the Setup icon .
2. Scroll to and touch Fax Setup, and then touch Preferences.
3. Touch the toggle button next to Auto Answer to turn on the setting.
Solution two: Configure the correct Rings to Answer setting.
1. From the Home screen on the printer control panel, swipe the tab at the top of the screen downward to open the Dashboard, and then touch the Setup icon .
2. Scroll to and touch Fax Setup, and then touch Preferences.
3. Scroll to and touch Rings to Answer, and then touch the correct setting.
Solution three: Configure the correct Distinctive Ring setting.
1. From the Home screen on the printer control panel, swipe the tab at the top of the screen downward to open the Dashboard, and then touch the Setup icon .
2. Scroll to and touch Fax Setup, and then touch Preferences.
3. Scroll to and touch Distinctive Ring, and then touch the correct setting.

The printer answers, but the fax does not print

An incoming fax is received, but does not print. The printer might be out of paper.

Solution: Make sure that paper is loaded in the paper tray.

Received fax quality is poor

The printed fax is blurry or too light.

Solution one: Check the toner cartridges and replace if necessary.
Solution two: Ask the sender to darken the contrast setting on the sending fax machine, or increase the resolution, and then resend the fax.

Sender receives a busy signal when a handset is connected

The sender receives a busy signal when attempting to send a fax to your printer that has a handset connected.

Solution: Make sure the phone is hung up.

Sender receives a busy signal or no dial tone when a phone line splitter is used

When a phone line splitter is being used for the telephone connection, the sender receives a busy signal or no dial tone.

Solution one: Make sure the phone is hung up.
Solution two: Make sure the phone is not being used for a voice call when sending or receiving faxes.
Solution three: If you are using a phone line splitter, remove the splitter and set up the phone as a downstream phone.

Fax error messages

Find the fax error message in the options below, and then try the solutions (in the order presented) to resolve the error.

No fax detected

The printer answered the incoming call, but did not detect that a fax machine was calling.

Note:

This error does not always refer to a missed fax. If a voice call is made to a fax number by mistake and the caller hangs up, a "No fax detected" message displays on the printer control panel.

Solution one: Ask the sender to resend the fax.
Solution two: Make sure that the telephone cord from the printer is connected to the telephone jack on the wall.
Solution three: Try a different phone cord.
Solution four: Connect the printer phone cord to a jack for another phone line.
Solution five: Make sure the telephone line and phone wall jack are active by connecting a telephone and checking for a dial tone.
Solution six: Make sure that the telephone cord is connected to the "line" port on the printer.
Solution seven: Check the phone line by running a fax test from the printer control panel.
1. From the Home screen on the printer control panel, swipe the tab at the top of the screen downward to open the Dashboard, and then touch the Setup icon .
2. Scroll to and touch Fax Setup, and then touch Tools.
3. Touch Run Fax Test.
  
  The printer prints a fax test report.
  
  If there are any problems with the fax, they will be indicated on the report, including information on how to resolve the issue.

If the error persists, contact HP Customer Support for further assistance.

Communication error

A fax communication error occurred between the printer and the sender or receiver.

Solution one: Ask the sender to send the fax again, or send at a later time when the line conditions have improved.
Solution two: Disconnect the printer telephone cord from the wall, connect a telephone to the phone jack on the wall, and then try making a call. Plug the printer phone cord into a jack for another phone line.
Solution three: Try a different phone cord.
Solution four: Set the fax speed option to Slow or Medium.
1. From the Home screen on the printer control panel, swipe the tab at the top of the screen downward to open the Dashboard, and then touch the Setup icon .
2. Scroll to and touch Fax Setup, and then touch Preferences.
3. Scroll to and touch Speed, and then touch the desired speed setting.
Solution five: Turn off the Error Correction Mode setting to prevent automatic error correction

Note:
Turning off the Error Correction Mode setting can reduce image quality.
1. From the Home screen on the printer control panel, swipe the tab at the top of the screen downward to open the Dashboard, and then touch the Setup icon .
2. Scroll to and touch Fax Setup, and then touch Preferences.
3. Scroll to Error Correction Mode, and then touch the toggle button to turn off the setting.
Solution six: Print the fax activity log from the printer control panel to determine if the error occurs with a specific fax number.
1. From the Home screen on the printer control panel, swipe the tab at the top of the screen downward to open the Dashboard, and then touch the Setup icon .
2. Scroll to and touch Fax Setup, and then touch Reports.
3. Touch Print Fax Reports, and then touch Print.

If the error persists, contact HP Customer Support for further assistance.

No dial tone

The printer cannot detect a dial tone.

Solution one: Make sure that the telephone cord is connected to the correct port on the printer.
Solution two: Make sure that the telephone cord from the printer is connected directly to the wall telephone jack.
Solution three: Check for a dial tone on the phone line by using the Start Fax button.
Solution four: Disconnect the printer telephone cord from the wall, connect a telephone to the phone jack on the wall, and then try making a voice call.
Solution five: Disconnect the telephone cord from both the printer and the wall, and then reconnect it.
Solution six: Make sure that you are using the telephone cord that came with the printer.
Solution seven: Connect the printer phone cord to a jack for another phone line.
Solution eight: Check the phone line by running a fax text from the printer control panel.
1. From the Home screen on the printer control panel, swipe the tab at the top of the screen downward to open the Dashboard, and then touch the Setup icon .
2. Scroll to and touch Fax Setup, and then touch Tools.
3. Touch Run Fax Test.
  
  The printer prints a fax test report.
  
  If there are any problems with the fax, they will be indicated on the report, including information on how to resolve the issue.

Fax is busy

The fax line to which you were sending a fax, is busy.

Solution one: Try sending the fax at a later time.
Solution two: Call the recipient to ensure that the fax machine is on and ready.
Solution three: Check that you are dialing the correct fax number.
Solution four: Check for a dial tone on the phone line by using the Start Fax button.
Solution five: Make sure that the phone line is working by disconnecting the printer, connecting a telephone to the phone line, and then try making a voice call.
Solution six: Connect the printer phone cord to a jack for another phone line, and try sending the fax again.
Solution seven: Try a different phone cord.

If the error persists, contact HP Customer Support for further assistance.

No fax answer

The receiving fax line did not answer.

Solution one: Try resending the fax.
Solution two: Call the recipient to ensure that the fax machine is on and ready.
Solution three: Check that you are dialing the correct fax number.
Solution four: Disconnect the printer telephone cord from the wall, connect a telephone to the phone jack on the wall, and then try making a voice call.
Solution five: Connect the printer phone cord to a jack for another phone line, and try sending the fax again.
Solution six: Try a different phone cord.
Solution seven: Make sure that the phone cord from the telephone jack on the wall is connected to the "line" port on the printer.
Solution eight: Check the phone line by running a fax text from the printer control panel.
1. From the Home screen on the printer control panel, swipe the tab at the top of the screen downward to open the Dashboard, and then touch the Setup icon .
2. Scroll to and touch Fax Setup, and then touch Tools.
3. Touch Run Fax Test.
  
  The printer prints a fax test report.
  
  If there are any problems with the fax, they will be indicated on the report, including information on how to resolve the issue.

Document feeder paper jam

A paper jam occurred in the document feeder.

Solution one: Verify that the paper meets the printer's paper size requirements. The printer does not support pages longer than 381 mm (15 in) for faxing.
Solution two: Copy or print the original to letter, A4, or legal size paper, and then resend the fax.

Fax storage is full

The fax memory is full.

Solution one: Turn the printer off and then back on.
Solution two: Delete stored faxes from memory.
1. From the Home screen on the printer control panel, swipe the tab at the top of the screen downward to open the Dashboard, and then touch the Setup icon .
2. Scroll to and touch Fax Setup, and then touch Tools.
3. Touch Clear Fax Logs/Memory, and then touch Clear to confirm.
Solution three: Divide a large fax job into smaller sections, and then fax them individually.

Scanner error

A problem occurred while scanning the original document.

Solution one: Verify that the paper meets the printer's paper size requirements. The printer does not support pages longer than 381 mm (15 in) for faxing.
Solution two: Copy or print the original onto letter, A4, or legal size paper and then resend the fax.

Storing page 1

A "Storing page 1" message displays on the printer control panel, but the fax is not stored.

Solution: Follow these steps to delete stored faxes from the printer's memory:

From the Home screen on the printer control panel, swipe the tab at the top of the screen downward to open the Dashboard, and then touch the Setup icon .
Scroll to and touch Fax Setup, and then touch Tools.
Touch Clear Fax Logs/Memory, and then touch Clear to confirm.

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