Installing Windows Printer Drivers

Contents

Introduction

Step-By-Step Installation (Plug and Play)

Step-By-Step Installation (Manual)

Possible Errors During Driver Installation

Removing Printer Drivers

If You Have Difficulty Printing

Introduction

This document will help you install your Windows printer drivers.  Once they are installed, please refer to the help file included with the driver for answers to the most commonly asked questions regarding the drivers.  The help file also includes a thorough troubleshooting section.

It is recommended that you install printer drivers using Plug and Play whenever possible.  USB printers may not function correctly unless they are installed using Plug and Play.  If your printer supports this feature, go to Step-by-Step Installation (Plug and Play). 

If you are using a serial or TCP/IP connection, or if your printer does not support Plug and Play, go to Step-by-Step Installation (Manual).

Step-By-Step Installation (Plug and Play)

  1. If your printer supports Plug and Play installation and you are using a USB or parallel connection, it is recommended that you install the driver using Plug and Play.  Turn off the printer, connect the USB or parallel cable, and then turn on the printer.
  2. Windows should automatically detect the printer, selecting the correct model and port.  When prompted for the driver location, enter the Installation Directory you specified when extracting the files.

  3. Continue with the Add Printer wizard.  Select No when asked if you want to print a test page.  The standard Windows test page procedure is designed for typical office printers, and it does not always print properly on thermal label printers. 

    Note:

    At some point during installation you may receive a warning that the driver is not digitally signed and may not be compatible with your operating system.  This driver has been tested thoroughly with all current versions of Windows, and this message may be disregarded.

Step-By-Step Installation (Manual)

  1. If your printer does not support Plug and Play, you must launch the Windows Add Printer wizard manually:
    1. Click the Start button.
    2. Select Settings.
    3. Select Printers.  The Printers dialog opens.
    4. Double-click Add Printer.
  2. On each page of the wizard, answer the questions and press Next.  The pages that appear will vary depending on your version of Windows and how you answer the questions.  Eventually you will reach a page containing a Have Disk button.
  3. Click Have Disk.  When prompted for the driver location, enter the Installation Directory you specified when extracting the files.

  4. Continue with the Add Printer wizard.  Select No when asked if you want to print a test page.  The standard Windows test page procedure is designed for typical office printers, and it does not always print properly on thermal label printers. 

    Note:

    At some point during installation you may receive a warning that the driver is not digitally signed and may not be compatible with your operating system.  This driver has been tested thoroughly with all current versions of Windows, and this message may be disregarded.

Possible Errors During Driver Installation

If, during the printer driver installation, there were error messages about a file already being in use, take these steps:

  1. Restart Windows.
  2. Close any programs that automatically launched when Windows restarted, including the Microsoft Office shortcut bar if it opened.
  3. Go to Step-by-Step Installation and retry the installation.

Removing Printer Drivers

Many common driver problems are caused by conflicts with older driver files.  If you are experiencing problems after upgrading your printer driver, try removing the old printer drivers and reinstalling the new driver.  Deleting a printer from the printers folder does not remove all associated files and registry entries from the system.  We provide a utility that will thoroughly clean your system of old printer drivers.  To run this utility, open the Installation Directory and run DriverCleaner.exe.

If You Have Difficulty Printing

The help accessible from within your printer driver includes a Troubleshooting section, which contains a sub-section called Troubleshooting Printing Problems.  This section lists critical settings to check and a number of printing tests that will usually get you up and running quickly if you encounter difficulties.