Pantum M6550NW Scanning from the Panel

This printer has given me much blog fodder!

So once this printer is finally connected to your wifi, you can install the accompanying software to initiate scans from your computer.  Unfortunately, I keep my printer in the next room, and would much prefer to scan from the printer and then collect it on the computer later.

This isn't too bad for one page at a time, but if you want to scan multiple documents but not use the sheet feeder, that's a fair amount of shoe leather you would be wearing out.

The printer panel has several "Scan To" options...  PC, email, and FTP.

PC appears to really only work with a USB connection.  Feel free to let me know if I'm wrong on that count.

email looked promising.  I own my own domain, so I created a "printer@xxxxxx.yyy" email address and then used the print server to set that up under "Network settings" - "Protocol Settings" - "SMTP".  The printer tested the connection and said it worked fine.  I then headed down to "Machinery settings" - "Address Book" - "E-mail address book" and added my own email address to the listing there.

Back on the printer panel, I asked to to scan to email, and it it choked out with a "no connection" message.  Very unhelpful.

Finally, I decided to try the FTP option.  You could set up an FTP server on your own computer using FileZilla, but I already have a spare hard disc plugged in to my router and it was a simple matter to create a directory on that drive called "scans" and make it accessible even to anonymous logins.

Back on the print server, "Network settings" - "Protocol Settings" - "FTP"

You can create a "New" FTP entry.  The "Service name" is just a reference for yourself.  "FTP server" I used 192.168.1.1 - the IP address of my router.  The tricky one for me was "FTP subcatalog" - eventually I discovered that I had to enter "NAS/scans".  N.B. that there is no leading slashes or trailing slashes.

"Port" is 21, and "Login name" is anonymous.

Boom!  Works right away from the device panel - no more need to initiate a scan from the computer and go back and forth.  I can just fill the folder on the router with scans and THEN retrieve them from the computer.