How do i know which printer driver to download

For example:. If the printer contains PS2 in the name, it typically refers to PostScript level 2. PS3 in the device name typically refers to PostScript level 3. For some printers, a printer driver has v. Some personal laser printers are less standard. Typically, PostScript level 3 is a superset of PostScript level 2. So if you have a printer that understands PostScript level 3, and a driver that uses PostScript level 2, the printed test may be decipherable.

If you select a similar printer in the Add Printer Wizard on a computer running bit Windows, consider the physical features of the printer. For example, if you require duplex printing on your documents, the compatible driver that you choose must also support duplex printing. Other issues to consider include the availability of paper input and output trays, and the default orientation of the paper input.

For example, printer drivers offer different methods to select duplex printing. If you choose a printer driver from the same manufacturer as your printer, you can increase the chance that duplex is implemented in the same way across the whole range of devices. Besides, if you pick a printer model that has a similar model series number, you can increase the chance that the printer driver is compatible. If you select a compatible printer, you may experience compatibility issues.

For example, you want to print to a monochrome laser printer. In this situation, you must find a printer driver that uses the same printer emulation. The same printer emulation typically ensures that the document prints legibly. But you may not have the required duplex feature available. If you print to a color laser printer, and you install a compatible printer driver that uses the same printer emulation, you can print decipherable documents. However, subtle differences in text color may not be preserved.

It means that documents such as photographs may not print with a high image quality. If you print to a dot-matrix printer device, and you install a compatible printer driver that uses the same printer emulation, you may experience one or more of the following symptoms:. It may be difficult to match an inkjet printer with a compatible printer driver. The rules that apply to other classes of printers don't always apply to inkjet printers, because there are many different types of inkjet printers on the market.

Installing a WHQL signed printer driver that's designed to match your specific printer always produces better results. Your hardware manufacturer provides technical support and assistance for xbased versions of Windows.

Your hardware manufacturer provides support because an xbased version of Windows was included with your hardware. Your hardware manufacturer might have customized the installation of Windows with unique components. Unique components might include specific device drivers or might include optional settings to maximize the performance of the hardware. Microsoft will provide reasonable-effort assistance if you need technical help with your xbased version of Windows.

For all other brand read on below. Printer Drivers are the pieces of software that allow your PC or laptop to communicate with your Printer. If there is a problem with this communication it is most likely due to the Printer Drivers. Common Printer errors are:. You need to update your Printer Drivers regularly in order to keep your devices such as your printer running well. Download the Driver Installer below and run a free scan to check if your drivers are up-to-date.

Start Download. To fix your Drivers problems you will need to know the particular model of the Printer device you are having problems with if you are choosing to manually update the Drivers, for automatic Driver update the Driver Update Tool will find the exact Driver for you.

Once you have the details you can search the Printer website for your drivers and, if available, download and install these drivers. If you are unsure of whether or not you need to update your Drivers, or indeed which Drivers may need to be updated, you can run a Drivers scan using a driver update tool you will need to pay to register this tool but usually the Drivers scan is free.

Most drivers will offer at least partial interoperability between OS versions, and may even offer an link or an automatic update feature that finds your elusive driver for you. If searching fails, you can reach out to the company itself. Most manufacturers offer some sort of chat-based tech support, and you can try asking for a direct link to the software for your model of printer.

You can also reach out via email or social media. An email address for customer support should be easy to find, but if not, just send a message to the company Twitter account or Facebook page. While alternate sources will likely show up in the same Google searches you did earlier, there are a few preferred sites for finding out of date drivers. The first two are driver-specific sites: DriverScape. Both offer a broad, searchable catalogue of downloads for models old and new.

If you need options for other operating systems, you can try Softpedia. This package of drivers should get you where you need to go, providing support for thousands of inkjet and laser printers for MacOS and Linux operating systems.