How to scan a file to your computer

There are multiple ways to scan a document or image from a scanner to your computer. Which method works best for you depends on the scanner and what services you can access. Below are descriptions of three common methods -- scanning to a folder, scanning to an application, and scanning to email.

1. Scan to folder

If your printer allows you to scan to a folder, you can set up a shared folder on your computer and send files from the printer to that folder. The below article describes how to set up a shared folder on a Windows computer. (The steps will be similar for more recent versions of Windows.)

- How to create a shared folder in Windows XP

2. Scan to application

Some multifunction printers have software that will allow you to scan directly from the printer to your computer, either into a folder or into an application. One example of this is the Brother Control Center found on many Brother MFC printers. See your printer's manual for details on using this software.

3. Scan to email

While this method doesn't send the file directly to your computer, you can still access it from your computer and download or save it. Many printers will let you scan a file and send it as an email. In order to do this, you generally need to have an email server for the scanner to route the file through. If you don't have an email server or you're not sure how to set one up, see this article for instructions on using a Gmail account as a free email server for scanning:

- How to use Gmail as a free email service for your scanner

The article below includes common SMTP settings for web-based email providers that can be used for scanning to email:

- Common SMTP settings for scanning to email

If you run into problems setting up scan to email from your printer, see this article for troubleshooting help:

- How to troubleshoot scan to email problems from a scanner or multifunction printer

(published on HelpOwl, Jan 2019)

Ricoh troubleshooting: How to fix a scan folder not found error

There are many possible reasons why you may not be able to scan to a folder from a Ricoh multifunction copier or scanner.  Here are some of the more common reasons, with suggested fixes:

- The folder that you are trying to scan to isn't shared.  Check the folder's share settings.

- The user account you are using to authenticate does not have rights to access that folder (possibly someone changed their password recently).  Update the password in the copier's address book (User Tools/Counter > System Settings > Administrator Tools > Address Book Management).

- There is a network connection problem somewhere between the copier and the computer.  Try to ping the copier from the computer and vice versa, then narrow down the problem by checking any intermediate devices (switches, hubs, routers, etc.).

- There is a hardware device or software program preventing the copier from reaching that folder (i.e. a firewall, anti-virus program, security suite, router, etc.).  Check any hardware/software security settings that may be preventing the connection.  You may have to set up an exception in your firewall.

- The copier and the computer are not in the same workgroup/domain.  Change the copier's workgroup or domain to match the computer you're trying to scan to.

- If you are using an IP address for the computer instead of a host name, the computer's IP address has changed.  Update the IP address, or change the destination path to use the computer's host name instead of IP address.

- If you are using the computer's host name in the scan folder path, the host name may have been changed, the DNS record might be corrupted, or the DNS server might be down.  Confirm that the host name is correct, and if it still won't connect, replace the host name with the computer's IP address in the scan folder path.

- The copier's SMB protocol has been disabled (User Tools/Counter > System Settings > Interface Settings > Effective Protocols).

If scanning to a folder was never fully configured, you can find instructions for doing so here:

• How to link to a network share folder from a Ricoh Aficio MP series copier

How to create a shared folder in Windows XP

If your computer is connected to a network, even a small home network, a shared folder is useful for several different things.  You can scan images or documents to it from a scanner, you can share files with other computers, and you can make resources available for other users on your network.  Sharing some folders is also useful for doing backups, if you perform them manually or do them from another computer.

Creating a shared folder on a Windows computer is typically easy to do, and the steps are similar throughout most Windows operating systems.  This article will guide you through the necessary steps for creating a shared folder in Windows XP.

First, you'll have to figure out where you want to put the folder.  Avoid putting it on the desktop if possible, both because Windows can be finicky with desktop folders, and because it helps to avoid clutter.  A good place for your shared folder is right in the root of your C: drive.

Go to My Computer, either from the link on your desktop or the link on your Start menu.  Then navigate to the drive or directory where you want to put your folder.  (To put it in the C: drive root, double click on the C: drive.)  Right click on an area of empty space and select New, then Folder.  You'll be prompted to name your folder, and once you've done that, press <ENTER>.

Now that you've created the folder, you just have to share it.  Right click on the folder, select Properties from the menu that appears, and then select the Sharing tab in the window that opens.

Windows XP uses two kinds of sharing: "regular" file sharing and simple file sharing.  Depending on which kind of sharing your computer is configured to use, the sharing screen might look a little different, but the steps to enable it are basically the same.

If your Windows XP computer is configured for simple file sharing, you should see a screen that looks like this one:

If simple file sharing is disabled on your PC, you should see a screen that looks like the one below:

(Instead of either of the above examples, you may see a message that advises you of the risks of sharing the folder.  If you see this message, you will need to click on the option to enable sharing for this folder in order to continue, but you should read up on the risks of choosing that option first, or talk to your network administrator.)

Select the option for either "Share this folder on the network" or "Share this folder," depending on which screen you see.  You'll then be prompted to enter a share name for this folder, which is how the folder will appear on your network.  This field will automatically populate with the folder's name, but you can change it if you wish.

If your computer is using simple file sharing, check the box marked "Allow network users to change my files" (unless you only want the files in this folder to be read-only) and then skip the following two paragraphs.  Otherwise, follow the steps in the next two paragraphs to manually set up the permissions for this folder.

To configure the permissions for your share folder, click on the button toward the middle of the screen labeled Permissions.  When the Permissions window opens, you can choose to either allow everyone to modify the contents of the folder, or just a selected user.  If you choose just one user, then wherever you access this folder from (such as another computer, or a scanner) the person or device that will be accessing the folder will need to know that user's username and password.  If you choose to allow everyone permissions to change this folder's contents, then you can use any valid username and password to access the folder.

To choose everyone, simply highlight Everyone in the box at the top of the screen and then select the box under Allow, next to Full Control, then click OK.  To choose a specific user, either highlight that user in the box at the top (if their name appears there) or click Add, type their name in, and click OK to add them to the list.  Then, with that user highlighted, select the box under Allow, next to Full Control, and then click OK.

Now your folder is created and shared, and can be accessed from other parts of your network.  One important thing to remember when sharing a folder on a Windows network is that the other computers or devices should all be in the same workgroup as the sharing computer, or at least have access to the same workgroup.

How to link to a network share folder from a Ricoh MP series copier

If your Ricoh MP series copier (MP C4000, MP C6003, MP 6002, etc.) is connected to your network, you probably have the ability to scan a document from the copier to a folder on your computer, or a folder on a server.  If the folder is already set up and shared, and you know its path, you can follow the steps below to link the copier to that folder, so that you can scan directly to that folder and not have to find it each time you want to scan.  (These steps will work for any Ricoh MP series copier with a touch screen, but they might vary slightly for copiers with the smaller touch screens, such as the MP 301 or MP C305.)

At the copier's operation panel, press the Scanner button, or select Scanner from the Home screen.  Select the Folder tab if it's not already the highlighted option.  Then, press the Prg Dest button on the screen.

You'll have two choices for linking to the network folder: you can browse to the folder, or you can type in the path manually.  To browse to the folder, select Browse Network and then navigate through the workgroups, devices, and folders until you find the folder that you want, then select OK.  (If this method doesn't work with your network, you may have to use the method below instead.)

To manually enter the network path, select Change and then use the soft keyboard on the screen to enter the path to your folder, using one of the two structures below:

\\computer's hostname\folder

or

\\computer's IP address\folder

Once you've typed in the path, select OK.  If you want, you can use the Connection Test option at the bottom of the screen to verify that the copier can connect to that folder.  While using either of these methods, you may be prompted to enter a valid username and password if your network requires authentication to access that computer and/or folder.

Select OK in the upper right corner, and you will be prompted to enter a display name for this folder.  This name is the description that will appear on the scanning screen for this folder.  You can use whatever name you want, but it should be descriptive enough so that you know which folder it is referring to.

After entering the name, select OK, then select OK again to finish the process.  That folder is now registered in the copier's address book, and you can scan to it simply by selecting it from the scanning screen and pressing the Start button.

(Originally published on Bubblews.com, November 2013)