Among the most useful peripherals in the office and at home we certainly find the printer, with which we can print documents, graphics but also photographs (in the case of color printers). When we use Windows, the installation of a printer should be simple and immediate, to the point that it should automatically install itself immediately after connecting the cable.If this does not happen or we encounter problems adding the new printer we will show you, in this handy guide, how add a printer on Windows 11 and Windows 10so as to solve any driver problems we may encounter.
At the end of the reading we will be able to make the printer work correctly with any program, without having to configure it in the future (the settings will be kept by the Windows operating system).
READ ALSO -> Which are the fastest printers (high PPM)
1) Add a new printer on Windows 11
Installing a new printer is very simple on Windows 11 operating systemas the suitable driver is automatically downloaded by the operating system and works automatically in most cases.
To proceed, connect the printer to the computer via USB cable (preferred choice for the first configuration), turn on the printer, open the Start menu, press the menu Settingslet’s open the menu Bluetooth and deviceswe press on Printers and scanners and finally press on Add device.
The name of the printer connected via USB should be visible: click on it to start the installation and wait for the right drivers to be downloaded (the procedure is totally automatic).
At the end we press on the new printer added and press on Print test page to test the correct operation of the printer. The printer is now ready for use in the various programs that support the shortcut CTRL+P (assigned by convection always to the print page).
The same procedure can be used to connect Wi-Fi or Ethernet printersbut in this case we will have to make sure of always install the manufacturer’s driversince Microsoft tends to use a generic driver that is underperforming (or with some functions disabled).
To learn more we can read our guides on how to install and connect the Wi-Fi printer and how configure a network printer shared between PCs.
2) Add a new printer on Windows 10
Those who use Windows 10 as an operating system can add a new printer by going to the path Settings -> Devices -> Printers and Scanners and pressing on Add a printer or scanner.
We wait a few seconds and, as soon as the name of the printer is available, click on the name and press on Add device.
The system will immediately search for a compatible driver via the Internet; at the end of the process (which may take a few minutes), the printer will be available among those listed in the window, ready to be used.
To test correct operation, press on the newly added printer, click on the menu Manage and finally select the item Print test page.
3) How to update the driver manually
If we want to update the driver of a printer already present in the system, we right-click on the Start menu and select the item Device management. In the list of all computer devices, we scroll down to find the section Printersright click on the printer name then use the button Update Driver.
The system will start looking for an updated driver for the printer, also searching the Internet if necessary.
If the update does not solve the problems or the printer does not print correctly (especially if we added it via Wi-Fi or Ethernet connection), all that remains is to follow the steps indicated in the next chapter of the guide.
4) Solve common problems with printers
If the printer does not want to know that it works, to solve the problem we will have to uninstall it completely and deprive it of the driver used so far (cause of almost all the problems with modern printers).
As already indicated in the previous chapter, right click on the Start menu and select Device management; in the list of devices, let’s go back to the section Printersright click on the printer name and use the button this time Uninstall device. In the small window that will appear, put the check mark next to the item to delete the driver associated with the printer, then click on Uninstall.
The printer will be removed from the system and with it the driver used up to now; immediately after removal we can try to reinstall the printer with the procedure seen from the settings or (recommended at this point of the guide) download the driver updates directly from the manufacturer’s websiteas we will see in the next chapter.
5) Sites where to download printer drivers
If we want to use a specific driver and the programs associated with the printer, we will have to download everything we need from the manufacturers’ sites. Below we find the list of sites to use:
- Hewlett Packard (HP)
- Canon
- Epson
- Lexmark
- Brother
- Xerox
- Samsung
On all sites it is sufficient to enter the model of the printer in use or choose the model from a drop-down menu, so as to be able to download both the specific driver for the printer and the operating system in use and the support software, able to provide additional features.
6) How to find drivers for very old printers
If the printer is too old and we are unable in any way to find the drivers necessary to make it work, we can rely on some programs designed to automatically find the right driver for devices not recognized by the system.
The best free programs to update drivers are the following:
- Driver Booster Free
- DriversCloud
- Driver Easy
- Snappy Driver Installer
- Slimware Driver Update
We download one of these programs and start the search for drivers: if the driver is present in the databases, it will be downloaded and immediately added to the system, the only thing we have to do is make sure that the printer is connected to the computer via USB cable and without no other drivers installed (to remove it just follow the procedure described in one of the previous chapters).
Conclusions
Printers are useful in the workplace but, before we can actually use them, we will have to install them on our computer! In the vast majority of cases the procedure will be quick and painless ma, for some printerswe will have to use alternative procedures to be able to print correctly or to be able to access all the functions included in the printer (just think of the scanner, the copier function or the automatic duplexer).
To learn more we can read our guides to solutions to the most common printer problems on Windows and what to do If the printer does not print (HP, Epson and others).
