This short video assists users on obtaining device drivers for their printers in case they do not have or have lost the CD installer, or have purchased a second-hand printer.

These machines cannot be considered as just printers anymore; they are more than that. You get printers which are multi-functional and include the functions of a scanner and fax machine too. Even with all this complexity, all of these machines usually produce their output in an efficient and relatively trouble free fashion. There are of course sometimes mechanical hitches, such as the paper becoming jammed, but most of the problems are connected with printer drivers.

Why You Need Printer Drivers

Not only is there a large variety of types and capabilities when it comes to printers, but there are different manufacturers, and a number of different operating systems which means that the way in which a printer prepares its output will vary from one machine to another. They may use different print control languages, for example, or vary in their print processors. Some have a print spooler, which means the output is stored and printed later on, whereas others print immediately. The problem for your computer is to cope with all of these variations, so that it can communicate with any printer and tell it what it has to print. It also needs to know when the printing has worked, and if it has not, then what the problem is.

This problem is dealt with by means of a printer driver, which goes with each type of printer and therefore can communicate with it. These printer drivers are produced in a version to suit any type of operating system, so that it can act as a translator to aid communication between the operating system and the printer. It is important that these two can continue to communicate effectively.

Common Issues with Printer Drivers

When you buy a new printer, it comes with a printer driver which is up to date. Eventually, though, computer applications are updated, as is the operating system, and this may lead to problems with the printer driver.

You might start to receive serious error messages, such as the one that an application ‘has encountered a problem and needs to close’. This may mean that the printer driver is not receiving information via the print spooler from the print processor, although these should work well together as they are on the whole installed together.

Other issues may include a printer not being recognized when you are trying to print over a network, or information not being correctly transmitted. Most printer errors, in fact, are connected with the print processor or printer driver, as a result of these being out of date or faulty.

How to Fix Printer Driver Problems

Manufacturers of printers often become aware of errors and will release a new driver to correct this, add new features or enhance printer performance. You will get better performance from your printer, therefore, by updating your printer driver from time to time.

You can do this by going into the Device Manager, which may be reached via the Control Panel or by going to My Computer and right clicking, and selecting Manage. Then click on Ports, followed by Printer Port. On the Driver tab, there is a button there to update the driver, which will download the latest driver version for you. You will need to restart the computer for the updates to take effect. You can also select Printers in Control Panel then right click on the printer, and choose Properties-New Driver under Advanced.

If you are still having problems after this, right click on the printer in Control Panel, and select delete to uninstall the printer. Then re-install it by right clicking on Printers and selecting Add Printer.