Windows 8 Bible

Managing Printer Drivers

Virtually all hardware devices, including printers, come with a special program called a device driver, or just driver for short. The driver provides the interface between the device and a specific operating system, such as Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista, or Windows XP. You need to have the correct and current printer driver installed on your computer to get your printer to work correctly.

Tip

In most cases, the Windows 7 version of a printer driver will work just fine for Windows 8. However, you should always use the Windows 8 version of a printer driver if one is available to ensure you have access to all of your printer’s features. Also, keep in mind that if you have Windows 8 64-bit installed, you will need 64-bit printer drivers as well.

Many printers come with the drivers on a CD. How you install a driver from the disk depends on the printer you’re using, but an older printer may not even have a Windows 8 driver to offer. In that case, you’ll need to look for a current driver online. Try Windows Update first by following these steps:

1. Display the Charms Bar and choose Settings.

2. Click More PC Settings.

3. Click the Windows Update link in the PC Settings list. You may have to scroll down to view the Windows Update item.

4. Click Check for Updates, which you can see in Figure 32.5.

FIGURE 32.5 Checking Windows Update for updated printer device drivers

5. When the update search is complete, click the link for available updates ...