A printer driver is a piece of software that is installed on your computer that allows it to “talk” to other pieces of hardware such as your keyboard, mouse, and printer. For a printer, this means converting your documents into printer instructions so that your print job looks exactly like it does on your screen. To ensure that your documents print correctly, different printers and operating systems will require different drivers.
Printer drivers are classified into two types: PCL (Printer Command Language) and PS (PostScript) (Postscript). PCL drivers are more widely used because they are more efficient and are supported by most operating systems. Because PCL drivers are printer-specific, your print job may differ from one printer to the next.
PS drivers, on the other hand, are more specialized and are frequently used in graphics-intensive applications and print shops. The instructions generated by a PS driver are intended to make your print job look exactly like it does on the screen. This requires more time and storage space, making it a slower, but more precise, process.
PRINT PROBLEMS
Sometimes printers don’t function as you expect them, and when this occurs it may be due to the printer driver. Some common problems that may occur include:
- The computer fails to recognize the printer.
- Symbols or characters are added to, or subtracted from, the document.
- Black lines print on your document.
- Your program crashes when you try to print.
If these occur, you may need to update your printer drivers.
UPDATING DRIVERS
Because printer drivers are responsible for the performance of your printer, they occasionally need to be updated. This can solve problems, and is also how bug fixes are distributed, security features are updated, or additional functionality is added to your printer.
To update your printer driver you should:
Uninstall the old printer driver.
Locate the newest printer driver for your specific model printer and operating system on the printer manufacturer’s website.
Download and install new drivers according to manufacturer instructions.
Printer drivers are essential to the proper functioning of your printer. A solid understanding of this software and when to update it can help keep your printers running smoothly.
