HP Officejet Pro 8600 - The fax test failed

fail and you experience problems faxing, contact HP support. Go to www.hp.com/
go/customercare. This website provides information and utilities that can help you
correct many common printer problems. If prompted, select your country/region,
and then click Contact HP for information on calling for technical support.

The "Fax Connected to Active Telephone Wall Jack" test failed

Solution:
•

Check the connection between the telephone wall jack and the printer to
make sure the phone cord is secure.

•

Make sure you use the phone cord that came with the printer. If you do not
use the supplied phone cord to connect from the telephone wall jack to the
printer, you might not be able to send or receive faxes. After you plug in the
phone cord that came with the printer, run the fax test again.

•

Make sure you have correctly connected the printer to the telephone wall
jack. Using the phone cord supplied in the box with the printer, connect one
end to your telephone wall jack, then connect the other end to the port
labeled 1-LINE on the back of the printer. For more information on setting
up the printer for faxing, see Additional fax setup.

•

If you are using a phone splitter, this can cause faxing problems. (A splitter
is a two-cord connector that plugs into a telephone wall jack.) Try removing
the splitter and connecting the printer directly to the telephone wall jack.

•

Try connecting a working phone and phone cord to the telephone wall jack
that you are using for the printer and check for a dial tone. If you do not hear
a dial tone, contact your telephone company and have them check the line.

•

Try to send or receive a test fax. If you can send or receive a fax
successfully, there might not be a problem.

After you resolve any problems found, run the fax test again to make sure it
passes and the printer is ready for faxing.

The "Phone Cord Connected to Correct Port on Fax" test failed

Solution: Plug the phone cord into the correct port.
1.

Using the phone cord supplied in the box with the printer, connect one end
to your telephone wall jack, then connect the other end to the port labeled 1-
LINE on the back of the printer.

NOTE: If you use the 2-EXT port to connect to the telephone wall jack,
you cannot send or receive faxes. The 2-EXT port should only be used
to connect other equipment, such as an answering machine.

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119

Figure 9-1 Back view of the printer

1

2

1 Telephone wall jack

2 Use the phone cord supplied in the box with the printer to connect to the "1-

LINE" port

2.

After you have connected the phone cord to the port labeled 1-LINE, run the
fax test again to make sure it passes and the printer is ready for faxing.

3.

Try to send or receive a test fax.

•

Make sure you use the phone cord that came with the printer. If you do not
use the supplied phone cord to connect from the telephone wall jack to the
printer, you might not be able to send or receive faxes. After you plug in the
phone cord that came with the printer, run the fax test again.

•

If you are using a phone splitter, this can cause faxing problems. (A splitter
is a two-cord connector that plugs into a telephone wall jack.) Try removing
the splitter and connecting the printer directly to the telephone wall jack.

The "Using Correct Type of Phone Cord with Fax" test failed

Solution:
•

Make sure you used the phone cord supplied in the box with the printer to
connect to the telephone wall jack. One end of the phone cord should be

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connected to the port labeled 1-LINE on the back of the printer, and the
other end to your telephone wall jack, as shown in the illustration.

1

2

1 Telephone wall jack

2 Use the phone cord supplied in the box with the printer to connect to the "1-

LINE" port

If the phone cord that came with the printer is not long enough, you can use
a coupler to extend the length. You can purchase a coupler at an
electronics store that carries phone accessories. You also need another
phone cord, which can be a standard phone cord that you might already
have in your home or office.

•

Check the connection between the telephone wall jack and the printer to
make sure the phone cord is secure.

•

Make sure you use the phone cord that came with the printer. If you do not
use the supplied phone cord to connect from the telephone wall jack to the
printer, you might not be able to send or receive faxes. After you plug in the
phone cord that came with the printer, run the fax test again.

•

If you are using a phone splitter, this can cause faxing problems. (A splitter
is a two-cord connector that plugs into a telephone wall jack.) Try removing
the splitter and connecting the printer directly to the telephone wall jack.

Solve fax problems

121

The "Dial Tone Detection" test failed

Solution:
•

Other equipment, which uses the same phone line as the printer, might be
causing the test to fail. To find out if other equipment is causing a problem,
disconnect everything from the phone line, and then run the test again. If
the Dial Tone Detection Test passes without the other equipment, then
one or more pieces of the equipment is causing problems; try adding them
back one at a time and rerunning the test each time, until you identify which
piece of equipment is causing the problem.

•

Try connecting a working phone and phone cord to the telephone wall jack
that you are using for the printer and check for a dial tone. If you do not hear
a dial tone, contact your telephone company and have them check the line.

•

Make sure you have correctly connected the printer to the telephone wall
jack. Using the phone cord supplied in the box with the printer, connect one
end to your telephone wall jack, then connect the other end to the port
labeled 1-LINE on the back of the printer.

•

If you are using a phone splitter, this can cause faxing problems. (A splitter
is a two-cord connector that plugs into a telephone wall jack.) Try removing
the splitter and connecting the printer directly to the telephone wall jack.

•

If your telephone system is not using a standard dial tone, such as some
PBX systems, this might cause the test to fail. This does not cause
a problem sending or receiving faxes. Try sending or receiving a test fax.

•

Check to make sure the country/region setting is set appropriately for your
country/region. If the country/region setting is not set or is set incorrectly,
the test might fail and you might have problems sending and receiving
faxes.

•

Make sure you connect the printer to an analog phone line or you cannot
send or receive faxes. To check if your phone line is digital, connect
a regular analog phone to the line and listen for a dial tone. If you do not
hear a normal sounding dial tone, it might be a phone line set up for digital
phones. Connect the printer to an analog phone line and try sending or
receiving a fax.

•

Make sure you use the phone cord that came with the printer. If you do not
use the supplied phone cord to connect from the telephone wall jack to the
printer, you might not be able to send or receive faxes. After you plug in the
phone cord that came with the printer, run the fax test again.

After you resolve any problems found, run the fax test again to make sure it
passes and the printer is ready for faxing. If the Dial Tone Detection test
continues to fail, contact your telephone company and have them check the
phone line.

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The "Fax Line Condition" test failed

Solution:
•

Make sure you connect the printer to an analog phone line or you cannot
send or receive faxes. To check if your phone line is digital, connect
a regular analog phone to the line and listen for a dial tone. If you do not
hear a normal sounding dial tone, it might be a phone line set up for digital
phones. Connect the printer to an analog phone line and try sending or
receiving a fax.

•

Check the connection between the telephone wall jack and the printer to
make sure the phone cord is secure.

•

Make sure you have correctly connected the printer to the telephone wall
jack. Using the phone cord supplied in the box with the printer, connect one
end to your telephone wall jack, then connect the other end to the port
labeled 1-LINE on the back of the printer.

•

Other equipment, which uses the same phone line as the printer, might be
causing the test to fail. To find out if other equipment is causing a problem,
disconnect everything from the phone line, and then run the test again.
◦

If the Fax Line Condition Test passes without the other equipment,
then one or more pieces of the equipment is causing problems; try
adding them back one at a time and rerunning the test each time, until
you identify which piece of equipment is causing the problem.

◦

If the Fax Line Condition Test fails without the other equipment,
connect the printer to a working phone line and continue reviewing the
troubleshooting information in this section.

•

If you are using a phone splitter, this can cause faxing problems. (A splitter
is a two-cord connector that plugs into a telephone wall jack.) Try removing
the splitter and connecting the printer directly to the telephone wall jack.

•

Make sure you use the phone cord that came with the printer. If you do not
use the supplied phone cord to connect from the telephone wall jack to the
printer, you might not be able to send or receive faxes. After you plug in the
phone cord that came with the printer, run the fax test again.

After you resolve any problems found, run the fax test again to make sure it
passes and the printer is ready for faxing. If the Fax Line Condition test
continues to fail and you experience problems faxing, contact your telephone
company and have them check the phone line.

The display always shows Phone Off Hook

Solution: You are using the wrong type of phone cord. Make sure you are
using the phone cord that came with the printer to connect the printer to your
phone line. If the phone cord that came with the printer is not long enough, you
can use a coupler to extend the length. You can purchase a coupler at an
electronics store that carries phone accessories. You also need another phone
cord, which can be a standard phone cord that you might already have in your
home or office.

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123

Solution: Other equipment that uses the same phone line as the printer might
be in use. Make sure extension phones (phones on the same phone line, but not
connected to the printer) or other equipment are not in use or off the hook. For
example, you cannot use the printer for faxing if an extension phone is off the
hook, or if you are using a computer dial-up modem to send email or access the
Internet.

The printer is having problems sending and receiving faxes

Solution: Make sure the printer is turned on. Look at the display on the printer.
If the display is blank and the (Power button) light is not lit, the printer is turned
off. Make sure the power cord is firmly connected to the printer and plugged into
a power outlet. Press the (Power button) to turn on the printer.
After turning on the printer, HP recommends you wait five minutes before sending
or receiving a fax. The printer cannot send or receive faxes while it is initializing
after being turned on.

Solution: If Fax to PC or Fax to Mac has been enabled, you may not be able to
send or receive faxes if the fax memory is full (limited by printer memory).

Solution:
•

Make sure you used the phone cord supplied in the box with the printer to
connect to the telephone wall jack. One end of the phone cord should be
connected to the port labeled 1-LINE on the back of the printer and the
other end to your telephone wall jack, as shown in the illustration.

1

2

1 Telephone wall jack

2 Use the phone cord supplied in the box with the printer to connect to the "1-

LINE" port

If the phone cord that came with the printer is not long enough, you can use
a coupler to extend the length. You can purchase a coupler at an

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electronics store that carries phone accessories. You also need another
phone cord, which can be a standard phone cord that you might already
have in your home or office.

•

Try connecting a working phone and phone cord to the telephone wall jack
that you are using for the printer and check for a dial tone. If you do not hear
a dial tone, call your local telephone company for service.

•

Other equipment, which uses the same phone line as the printer, might be
in use. For example, you cannot use the printer for faxing if an extension
phone is off the hook, or if you are using a computer dial-up modem to send
an email or access the Internet.

•

Check to see if another process has caused an error. Check the display or
your computer for an error message providing information about the
problem and how to solve it. If there is an error, the printer cannot send or
receive a fax until the error condition is resolved.

•

The phone line connection might be noisy. Phone lines with poor sound
quality (noise) can cause faxing problems. Check the sound quality of the
phone line by plugging a phone into the telephone wall jack and listening for
static or other noise. If you hear noise, turn Error Correction Mode (ECM)
off and try faxing again. For information about changing ECM, see Send
a fax in Error Correction Mode. If the problem persists, contact your
telephone company.

•

If you are using a digital subscriber line (DSL) service, make sure that you
have a DSL filter connected or you cannot fax successfully. For more
information, see Case B: Set up the printer with DSL.

•

Make sure the printer is not connected to a telephone wall jack that is set up
for digital phones. To check if your phone line is digital, connect a regular
analog phone to the line and listen for a dial tone. If you do not hear
a normal sounding dial tone, it might be a phone line set up for digital
phones.

•

If you are using either a private branch exchange (PBX) or an integrated
services digital network (ISDN) converter/terminal adapter, make sure the
printer is connected to the correct port and the terminal adapter is set to the
correct switch type for your country/region, if possible. For more information,
see Case C: Set up the printer with a PBX phone system or an ISDN line.

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125

•

If the printer shares the same phone line with a DSL service, the DSL
modem might not be grounded correctly. If the DSL modem is not grounded
correctly, it can create noise on the phone line. Phone lines with poor sound
quality (noise) can cause faxing problems. You can check the sound quality
of the phone line by plugging a phone into the telephone wall jack and
listening for static or other noise. If you hear noise, turn off your DSL
modem and completely remove power for at least 15 minutes. Turn the DSL
modem back on and listen to the dial tone again.

NOTE: You might notice static on the phone line again in the future. If
the printer stops sending and receiving faxes, repeat this process.

If the phone line is still noisy, contact your telephone company. For
information on turning your DSL modem off, contact your DSL provider for
support.

•

If you are using a phone splitter, this can cause faxing problems. (A splitter
is a two-cord connector that plugs into a telephone wall jack.) Try removing
the splitter and connecting the printer directly to the telephone wall jack.

The printer is having problems sending a manual fax

Solution:

NOTE: This possible solution applies only in the countries/regions that
receive a 2-wire phone cord in the box with the printer, including: Argentina,
Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Greece, India, Indonesia,
Ireland, Japan, Korea, Latin America, Malaysia, Mexico, Philippines, Poland,
Portugal, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand, USA,
Venezuela, and Vietnam.

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•

Make sure the telephone you use to initiate the fax call is connected directly
to the printer. To send a fax manually, the telephone must be connected
directly to the port labeled 2-EXT on the printer, as shown in the illustration.

3

2

1

1 Telephone wall jack

2 Use the phone cord supplied in the box with the printer to connect to the "1-

LINE" port

3 Telephone

•

If you are sending a fax manually from your phone that is connected directly
to the printer, you must use the keypad on the telephone to send the fax.
You cannot use the keypad on the printer control panel.

NOTE: If using a serial-type phone system, please connect your phone
directly on top of the printer cable which has a wall plug attached to it.

The printer cannot receive faxes, but can send faxes

Solution:
•

If you are not using a distinctive ring service, check to make sure that the
Distinctive Ring feature on the printer is set to All Rings. For more
information, see Change the answer ring pattern for distinctive ring.

•

If Auto Answer is set to Off, you need to receive faxes manually;
otherwise, the printer cannot receive the fax. For information on receiving
faxes manually, see Receive a fax manually.

•

If you have a voice mail service at the same phone number you use for fax
calls, you must receive faxes manually, not automatically. This means that
you must be available to respond in person to incoming fax calls. For
information on setting up the printer when you have a voice mail service,
see Case F: Shared voice/fax line with voice mail. For information on
receiving faxes manually, see Receive a fax manually.

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127

•

If you have a computer dial-up modem on the same phone line with the
printer, check to make sure that the software that came with your modem is
not set to receive faxes automatically. Modems that are set up to receive
faxes automatically take over the phone line to receive all incoming faxes,
which prevents the printer from receiving fax calls.

•

If you have an answering machine on the same phone line with the printer,
you might have one of the following problems:
◦

Your answering machine might not be set up correctly with the printer.

◦

Your outgoing message might be too long or too loud to allow the
printer to detect fax tones, and the sending fax machine might
disconnect.

◦

Your answering machine might not have enough quiet time after your
outgoing message to allow the printer to detect fax tones. This
problem is most common with digital answering machines.

The following actions might help solve these problems:
◦

When you have an answering machine on the same phone line you
use for fax calls, try connecting the answering machine directly to the
printer as described in Case I: Shared voice/fax line with answering
machine.

◦

Make sure the printer is set to receive faxes automatically. For
information on setting up the printer to receive faxes automatically,
see Receive a fax.

◦

Make sure the Rings to Answer setting is set to a greater number of
rings than the answering machine. For more information, see Set the
number of rings before answering.

◦

Disconnect the answering machine and then try receiving a fax. If
faxing is successful without the answering machine, the answering
machine might be causing the problem.

◦

Reconnect the answering machine and record your outgoing message
again. Record a message that is approximately 10 seconds in
duration. Speak slowly and at a low volume when recording your
message. Leave at least 5 seconds of silence at the end of the voice
message. There should be no background noise when recording this
silent time. Try to receive a fax again.

NOTE: Some digital answering machines might not retain the
recorded silence at the end of your outgoing message. Play back
your outgoing message to check.

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•

If the printer shares the same phone line with other types of phone
equipment, such as an answering machine, a computer dial-up modem, or
a multi-port switch box, the fax signal level might be reduced. The signal
level can also be reduced if you use a splitter or connect extra cables to
extend the length of your phone. A reduced fax signal can cause problems
during fax reception.
To find out if other equipment is causing a problem, disconnect everything
except the printer from the phone line, and then try to receive a fax. If you
can receive faxes successfully without the other equipment, one or more
pieces of the other equipment is causing problems; try adding them back
one at a time and receiving a fax each time, until you identify which
equipment is causing the problem.

•

If you have a special ring pattern for your fax phone number (using
a distinctive ring service through your telephone company), make sure that
the Distinctive Ring feature on the printer is set to match. For more
information, see Change the answer ring pattern for distinctive ring.

The printer cannot send faxes, but can receive faxes

Solution:
•

The printer might be dialing too fast or too soon. You might need to insert
some pauses in the number sequence. For example, if you need to access
an outside line before dialing the phone number, insert a pause following
the access number. If your number is 95555555, and 9 accesses an outside
line, you might insert pauses as follows: 9-555-5555. To enter a pause in
the fax number you are typing, touch the Space (#) button repeatedly, until
a dash (-) appears on the display.
You can also send the fax using monitor dialing. This enables you to listen
to the phone line as you dial. You can set the pace of your dialing and
respond to prompts as you dial. For more information, see Send a fax using
monitor dialing.

•

The number you entered when sending the fax is not in the proper format or
the receiving fax machine is having problems. To check this, try calling the
fax number from a telephone and listen for fax tones. If you cannot hear fax
tones, the receiving fax machine might not be turned on or connected, or
a voice mail service could be interfering with the recipient's phone line. You
can also ask the recipient to check the receiving fax machine for any
problems.

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129

Fax tones are recorded on my answering machine

Solution:
•

When you have an answering machine on the same phone line you use for
fax calls, try connecting the answering machine directly to the printer as
described in Case I: Shared voice/fax line with answering machine. If you
do not connect the answering machine as recommended, fax tones might
be recorded on your answering machine.

•

Make sure the printer is set to receive faxes automatically and that the
Rings to Answer setting is correct. The number of rings to answer for the
printer should be greater than the number of rings to answer for the
answering machine. If the answering machine and the printer are set to the
same number of rings to answer, both devices answer the call and fax tones
are recorded on the answering machine.

•

Set your answering machine to a low number of rings and the printer to
answer in the maximum number of rings supported. (The maximum number
of rings varies by country/region.) In this setup, the answering machine
answers the call and the printer monitors the line. If the printer detects fax
tones, the printer receives the fax. If the call is a voice call, the answering
machine records the incoming message. For more information, see Set the
number of rings before answering.

The phone cord that came with my printer is not long enough

Solution: If the phone cord that came with the printer is not long enough, you
can use a coupler to extend the length. You can purchase a coupler at an
electronics store that carries phone accessories. You also need another phone
cord, which can be a standard phone cord that you might already have in your
home or office.

TIP: If the printer came with a 2-wire phone cord adaptor, you can use it with
a 4-wire phone cord to extend the length. For information on using the 2-wire
phone cord adaptor, see the documentation that came with it.

To extend your phone cord
1.

Using the phone cord supplied in the box with the printer, connect one end
to the coupler, then connect the other end to the port labeled 1-LINE on the
back of the printer.

2.

Connect another phone cord to the open port on the coupler and to the
telephone wall jack.

Color faxes do not print

Cause: The Incoming Fax Printing option is turned off.
Solution: To print color faxes, make sure that the Incoming Fax Printing option
in the printer control panel is turned on.

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