A printer driver is a piece of software that allows the computer to talk to the printer. Without it the printer would be hopelessly lost since they do not speak the same language. Many times the printer manufacturer will find new and better ways to communicate with the printer and offer improved printer drivers for their customers to install. This could be because they might have a fault in the old driver or they added improvements to take advantage of enhanced technology emerging with newer computer systems. It's a good idea to keep a check on your printer driver version and upgrade if it is too far out of date.
Here is how to check your print driver version number.
Windows 95/98
1. Click the Windows Start button, choose Settings, and then choose Printers.
2. Right-click your default printer and choose Properties. (Your default printer will have a checkmark within a black circle above the printer icon.)
3. Click the General tab, click the "Print Test Page" button, and then click OK to print the test page.
Windows XP
1. Click the Windows Start button, choose Control Panel, and then choose Printers and Faxes.
2. Right-click your default printer and choose Properties. (Your default printer will have a checkmark within a black circle above the printer icon.)
3. Click the General tab, click the "Print Test Page" button, and then click OK to print the test page.
Look on the test page for Driver Version.
All of the major printer manufactures have web sites and they allow you to freely download their printer drivers. All you need to know is your printers manufacturer and model number. When you go to their web site look for words like "Downloads", "Drivers", "Software" or "Support" and drill down to your model.
Here is the web site URL's for the more popular brands. (I've done most of the drilling for you to the drivers). Some of these links are rather long so be sure to get the entire URL in your browser.
Hewlett Packard
http://welcome.hp.com/country/us/en/support.html
Canon
http://www.usa.canon.com/html/conCprTSIndex.jsp?appdownload
Epson
http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/support/SupportIndex.jsp?BVUseBVCookieyes
Lexmark
http://www.lexmark.com/US/support/drivers/
Xerox
http://www.xerox.com/go/xrx/template/productsupport.jsp?XcntryUSA&XlangenUS
Brother
http://www.brother.com/E-ftp/info/index.html
About the Author
Barry Shultz is the author of Atlascopy News, and President of Atlascopy, Inc. Atlascopy specialized in affordable alternatives to the high cost of printer supplies. Sign up for the Atlascopy Newsletter and get 10% coupons every week in your email. http://atlascopy.com/signupnew.htm
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