Install the printer driver

After you Get the printer driver, follow the appropriate steps below based on the type of printer driver you have.

Some printer manufacturers supply drivers as part of an installer, which is a program that installs the printer. Other manufacturers supply drivers as separate files, which you must install through a series of steps.

Do you have a driver installer or driver files?

Here is how you can determine what kind of printer driver you have and how you install it:

If you have one of the following ...

Use this procedure ...

A printer installation CD

A downloaded file, with a name ending in .exe
 

If you have a driver installer

A Windows installation CD

A downloaded file, with a name ending in .inf

 

If you have driver files

If you have a driver installer

  1. Start the installer.

    If you have a printer installation CD, installation is simple. Typically, you insert the disk into your computer's CD drive and an installation menu automatically appears. From the menu, select the driver installation option (for example, Install Printer).

    If you have a downloaded installer file:
 
    1. Use Windows Explorer to browse to it.



      Go to the location where you saved the file in Install a printer driver.
 
    1. Double-click the file.

      Often, printer manufacturers' .exe files are self-extracting (meaning, the one file contains many files). If this is the case, follow the instructions on the screen to extract the files. From the instructions, note the location to which the files are extracted. Then, locate the installer program. It will have a file name such as Setup.exe. Double-click the file and allow the installer program to start.
 

However, if the extracted files do not include an installer program (that is, a file name ending in .exe), look for a file with a name ending in .inf. If there is such a file, this is the printer driver file. Continue with the steps in If you have driver files.

 
  1. Follow the instructions on the screen to complete installation.
 
  1. Continue with the steps in Share the printer from the local computer.

If you have driver files

Use the appropriate procedure below for your Microsoft Windows version:

If you are using Windows XP

If you are using Windows 2000

If you are using Windows 98 SE or Windows Me