Printer drivers: where to find them

First you should know a little bit about what a printer driver actually is. A printer driver is software that should be provided by the printer manufacturer that enables your printer to run. Printer drivers do things like control the print quality of your printer, along with the paper size and other printer options, like the resolution of images. A printer driver is what communicates between your software and your printer, so that your printer automatically knows what size of paper to print on, what kind of font to use, what color to use, and what the resolution of your different images and text should be.

Your printer manufacturer should also provide free printer driver updates on their website. Frequently updating your printer drivers can help repair problems that might be discovered with your printer drivers.

Here are some good websites that will help you find printer drivers, if you can't locate the right one on your computer manufacturer's web site or your printer manufacturer's web site.

1. www.DriverSearch.com

DriverSearch is a catch-all site where you can find any driver that you might need for any device, including printers. DriverSearch provides assistance to help you find the right device driver to fit your programs, your operating system, and your devices. DriverSearch also has a device driver toolkit that will help you troubleshoot any potential problems that you might have with your devices.

2. www.printer-drivers.com

Printer-drivers is like DriverSearch, but it focuses only on printer drivers. You can find any printer driver on this site, and you can also find help to aid you on your quest to navigate all of the different device drivers that are available for you to choose from.

Now that you know where to find your printer drivers, let's talk about how you can find out what printer driver is right for you. These instructions are for those who are using a 64-bit version of Windows and a 64-bit printer. Use the following methods in the order presented, and work through them until you find one that works right for you.

1. Search for a supported driver that can already be found in the Windows 64-bit operating system.
a. On your 64-bit Windows computer, go to Start. Next, move to Settings, and click on the Printers and Faxes icon.
b. Double-click the option Add Printer.
c. Click Next, and then follow the instructions that appear on your screen.
d. If this method doesn't work, then try the following:

2. Go to the Microsoft Windows Update Web site to find a WHQL signed driver.
a. Click Start, then go to the icon that says Windows Update.
b. Clicking on Windows Update will automatically take you to the Windows Update website. Follow the instructions on the website.

3. Go to the printer manufacturer's Web site to find the right WHQL signed driver.
a. contact your printer manufacturer to find information about how you can search for a WHQL signed driver on your printer manufacturer's web site.
b. If this doesn't work, then try the following method:

4. Search for a driver that is non-WHQL signed.
a. While this method is not recommended, it can still be a possibility if you really can't find any other WHQL signed driver.
b. Search on the printer manufacturer's web site.
c. Search for beta drivers on the printer manufacturer's web site.
d. Search on different computer hardware web sites.

5. For more information on how to find compatible printer drivers, go to the following web site:

http://technet2.microsoft.com/windowsserver/en/library/41249604-bd14-41a2-b3e1-67f3a7685e831033.mspx

Rate This Post

Currently 0/5
1
2
3
4
5

Rating: 0/5 (0 votes cast)

Technology Info

Printer drivers: where to find them