HP LaserJet, HP OfficeJet Enterprise, HP PageWide Enterprise, HP Managed - How to select the correct printer driver

HP LaserJet, HP OfficeJet Enterprise, HP PageWide Enterprise, HP Managed - How to select the correct printer driver

If there is more than one driver available for your printer, use the information in this document to help you determine which printer driver to choose.

Otherwise, to quickly determine which driver is recommended, and/or whether your printer is supported, go to one of the following support documents:

NOTE:

This document provides instructions for print drivers only. A full feature driver or software solution with other features, such as scan applications, etc., might be available from hp.com for some HP multifunction printers.

To find out if a full solution is available for your printer, use one of the links below.

  • Printers compatible with Windows 11

  • Printers compatible with Windows 10

  • Printers compatible with macOS Monterey 12.0, macOS Big Sur 11.0, and macOS Catalina 10.15

Download a driver

If you know which driver to select, follow these steps to download and install the driver from the Software and Driver downloads page.

  1. Go to support.hp.com, click Software and Drivers in the menu bar, and then click Printer.

  2. In the text field, type your printer model. If prompted, select your printer in the drop-down list.

  3. In the list of available drivers, locate the driver that you want to download, and then click Download.

    NOTE:

    Drivers are typically found under either the Driver, Software, or Utility sections. You do NOT need to download drivers from each section.

Before you select a driver

Many HP printers come with a driver built into the Windows operating system (OS), such as the In-OS driver that can be found in Windows Devices and Printers, or a driver available from Windows Update. Likewise, for macOS systems, drivers are usually available via Apple Software Update. For some printers, these are the only drivers available.

In Windows, for many users, Windows detects the printer hardware and automatically installs the correct driver when the USB or network cable is connected from the printer to the computer (if connected to the internet) and you do not need to download any software.

If Windows does not automatically detect and install the driver, you might need to install the driver using Devices and Printers (formerly Add a Printer wizard) in Windows.

Select a driver

In general, driver selection depends on which features you want, in which environment you are using the printer, and the number of printers that you want to update. Use the following links to navigate to the appropriate section for your operating system.

Click the section below for your operating system to learn about the driver options that are available.

Windows drivers

For Windows users, there are HP printer-specific drivers and HP Universal Print Drivers (UPDs).

Refer to the sections below to learn about these types of drivers.

Model-specific drivers for Windows

The following tables contain information about printer-specific software and driver options for the Windows operating system.

NOTE:

For most Windows users, in most situations, HP recommends the full solution driver. When available, this model-specific driver is typically called the Full Solution, Full Software Solution, Full Feature Software and Driver, or HP Product Installation Software.

WINDOWS PRINTER-SPECIFIC DRIVERS (AVAILABLE AT HP.COM)

Printer-specific driver option

Description

HP Easy Start

  • Available for some HP printers.

  • Driver utility to automatically install latest driver and software for the printer.

  • Provides guided setup and drivers for your HP printer.

  • Recommended for most users that want all the software required to take advantage of all printer capabilities.

  • Provides full feature or basic driver options for download.

HP Smart

  • Available for some HP LaserJet Pro low-end printers.

  • Compatible with Windows 11 and Windows 10 version 1809 or higher.

  • Allows to set up your printer, manage printer settings, and troubleshoot printer issues.

  • Recommended for most users to print, scan and copy files, or print remotely.

NOTE:

Go to 123.hp.com to install HP Smart app.

To set up HP Smart for the first time, you must create or sign in to an HP account to access all printer functions.

Full Solution,

Full Software Solution,

Full Feature Software and Driver,

or

Product Installation Software

  • Available for some HP printers.

  • Recommended for most users that want all the software required to take advantage of all printer capabilities.

  • Includes installer wizard, model-specific print driver, model-specific scan driver (MFPs only), and administrative tools, etc.

  • Does not require additional HP software.

  • Includes the complete set of printer-specific PCL 6 or host-based drivers and advanced features, such as the following:

    • Easy-to-use software installer wizard.

    • Administrative tools such as HP Device Toolbox.

    • HP Scan or Send software (MFPs only).

    • HP Fax setup (MFPs only).

NOTE:

Use this option if you need to reinstall the software, or want the latest driver.

HP PCL 6 and Basic driver

  • Available for some HP printers

  • Recommended for all Windows environments

  • Recommended for general office applications such as word processing or spreadsheet applications, etc.

  • Provides the overall best speed, print quality, and printer feature support for most users

NOTE:

Use if there is not a full solution available, or as a distributable driver alternative to the HP UPD.

HP PCL 5

(PCL 5c, or PCL 5e for some printers)

  • Supported in Windows 7 and earlier

  • Available for some HP printers

  • Recommended for general office printing in Windows environments

  • Includes print-only driver compatible with previous PCL versions or older printers

  • For printing from 3rd-party or custom software solutions, such as forms, fonts (non-Postscript), or SAP programs

  • For printing in mixed environments which require the printer language to be set to PCL 5, such as with UNIX, Linux, and mainframe

NOTE:

This driver can be used to achieve backward compatibility with previous PCL versions or older printers.

HP PostScript

  • Available for some HP printers

  • Includes print-only driver recommended for printing from graphic-intensive applications, such as Adobe

  • Provides support for postscript emulation printing, or for postscript flash font support

  • For best print compatibility between macOS and Windows application files, such as when font matching is needed in mixed macOS and Windows environments

NOTE:

The printer must have PostScript printing capability to use this driver.

Host-based basic 1, 2

Host-based print/scan*1, 2

Plug and Play 1

Print/Scan Plug and Play 1

  • Available for some HP printers

  • Enables scan and/or print functionality for USB- or parallel port-connected printers

  • Includes an easy-to-use software installer wizard, print driver, scan driver (MFPs only), and USB compatibility files

  • Plug and Play options do not typically work with network-connected printers

NOTE:

Use to obtain the most features if there is no full solution available.

Point and print driver bundle

  • Available for some HP printers

  • For use when installing a shared driver on a network print server

  • Typically used by administrators or IT staff to allow for Point and Print interaction among different operating systems

  • For use when using a two-step driver installation process, including installing a shared driver on a network print server, and pointing to the print server share from a network client.

1 - USB cable or parallel port connected only

2 - Host-based print drivers use the computer's (host's) resources to process print commands and convert the text and graphics into pixels or dots that the printer can place on the page, thereby taking advantage of the computer's memory and processing power. Host-based printers cannot use PCL or PS drivers. Plug and Play drivers are specifically designed to assist with installing printers connected via a USB or parallel port.

Drivers are available for most printers. If a driver for your printer was not included in Windows Devices and Printers, and you have not been able to locate a driver in Windows Update, or on hp.com, your printer might not be supported.

WINDOWS PRINTER-SPECIFIC DRIVERS (INCLUDED IN WINDOWS)

Printer-specific driver option

Description

In-OS

or

Windows Update driver

  • Available for most HP printers

  • Print driver built into the Windows operating system (In-OS) found in Devices and Printers

  • Windows Update requires an internet connection

  • For some HP Printers, this is the only driver option available

  • Might not include advanced driver features or scan options

  • For some multifunction printers, use this driver to print, and use the control panel (or the Scan and Fax feature in Windows) to scan

HP Smart Universal Print Driver Series for Windows

The HP Smart Universal Printer Driver (SUPD) was created to facilitate printer installations in a managed (IT) business environment where multiple printer models and multiple drivers might otherwise be needed. Driver management is greatly simplified.

For Windows users that want a driver without an installer or extra software, the HP Smart Universal Print Driver (SUPD) is recommended.

The HP Smart Universal Print Driver (SUPD) is a single driver which provides printing support for multiple HP printer models in a Windows environment in lieu of printer-specific drivers for each printer. This makes it easy for system administrators and IT help desks to distribute.

When to choose a SUPD

  • When you have a managed print environment with multiple HP printer models, in order to reduce the number of unique printer drivers to be installed and managed (typically used by print administrators or IT staff)

  • When a driver was not included with your Windows OS (In-OS driver) and there is no Windows Update driver option available

  • When you want more advanced driver functionality or features that are not available with the In-OS driver

NOTE:

SUPD drivers can be used when connected via network or USB.

For more information, or to download the HP SUPD, go to www.hp.com/go/smartupd.

Driver types in Windows Devices and Printers menu or Windows Update

The PCL6, PCL5, and PS driver options that you find listed in the Windows Devices and Printers menu vary slightly. Use the following table as a guide to help you choose which driver is best for your printing needs.

NOTE:

PCL5 is NOT supported in Windows 8/8.1, Windows 10, or Windows 11 and later versions.

DRIVERS IN THE WINDOWS DEVICES AND PRINTERS MENU OR WINDOWS UPDATE

Driver type

When to use

PCL6

  • Recommended for most printing needs from general office applications used for word processing or spreadsheet applications, etc.

PS (PostScript)

  • When you know that you have a postscript printer

  • When printing from Adobe or other highly graphic intensive applications

  • When printing documents containing a significant number of graphics or macros

  • When printing in a mixed environment, such as when printing from both Windows and macOS applications

NOTE:

The printer must have Postscript printing capability to use this driver.
NOTE:

The "Class" driver listed in Devices and Printers is typically the In-OS driver. This driver is not recommended unless no other option is available.

macOS drivers

Most drivers for macOS are available only in Apple Software Update. For some HP printers, this driver might not include scan options.

Go to support.hp.com and check for an HP Full Solution driver.

If a full solution is not available for your printer, use Apple Software Update, or the HP Mac Postscript driver (typically built into the Mac operating system), and then use the Apple Image Capture feature to scan.

Linux drivers

For more information on Linux printing, and to obtain drivers, click the link below.

www.hp.com/go/linuxprinting

https://support.hp.com/

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