NOTE:

This document does not provide driver downloads but does link to www.hp.com where you will need to enter your product and model in order to locate and download the driver specific to your product. If you already know which driver you need, you can skip this document, go to Support & Drivers and click the Drivers & Software menu:

NOTE:

If there is more than one full solution driver available, you only need to download and install one driver. Select the driver closest to your worldwide region. Use the following table as a guide: Region Driver US, Canada, Mexico, Carribean, Central America, South America, Northern Europe, Southern Europe, etc. HP LaserJet Series Full Software/Feature Solution Americas/Europe East Asia, Southeast Asia, Australia, New Zealand, etc. HP LaserJet Series Full Software/Feature Solution Asia Pacific Eastern Europe, Middle East, Africa, etc. HP LaserJet Series Full Software/Feature Solution Europe 2

NOTE:

This document discusses driver options for the Windows 7 operating system. All drivers listed in this document are specific to Windows. If you are using another operating system listed below, use the link provided to direct you to the appropriate site.

Windows driver types other than UPD (full solution, product-specific, etc.)

If you have more than one driver type listed for your product, or you are still not sure which driver to select, use the information in this section to help you choose the best option.

Other driver options may be listed for your product when a specific driver type is most appropriate or when no other driver options are available. These might include one or more of the following:

Full solution drivers	When to use
Full feature Full solution , or Product software	When you want to upgrade your basic In-OS driver to enable more advanced software functionality or full features. This driver is the best option and is recommended for most products when available. It provides full product software functionality or the most advanced features available for the product and does not require additional HP software.

Product specific drivers	When to use
HP PCL 6	When available, this PCL driver option is recommended for most printing needs. It is used for general office applications such as word processing or spreadsheet applications, etc.
HP PCL 5	When available, this PCL driver option is typically used to achieve backward compatibility with previous PCL versions or older LaserJet printers, or used in mixed environments. When printing from 3rd party or custom based solutions such as forms, non-Postscript fonts, or SAP program applications. When printing in mixed environments which require the language to be set to PCL 5, for example, UNIX, Linux, mainframe.
Host-based basic* , or Host-based print/scan* , or Plug and Play* , or Print/Scan Plug and Play*	When you want to enable basic print or scan functions when a basic driver was not included with your Windows 7 OS. When using the computer's (host's) resources to process print commands that require their own specialized drivers and typically do not use either PCL or Postscript drivers. NOTE: Products that require a host-based driver may not have Windows 7 driver updates available. NOTE: These drivers do not upgrade or install network connected devices.
	USB cable or parallel port connected only*
Point and print driver bundle	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. When using a two-step driver installation process including 1. Install a shared driver on a network print server, and 2. Point to the print server share from a network client.

Driver included in Windows

When to use

In-OS driver

Basic driver built into in the Windows 7 operating system (OS). In some cases, this is the only driver option available. In the case of multifunction or all-in-one products, this might be considered a better choice than UPD. This driver is not the latest version, however, and some of the advanced features may not be available. With this basic driver, you can print, and import and view images on a memory card, however, the buttons on the product may not function. For multifunction or all-in-one products, customers can use this driver with either the product control panel or the Scan and Fax feature in Windows.

If a full solution or product-specific driver is not listed for your product and no other driver options are available other than Universal Print Drivers (UPDs), see the next section to find out whether a UPD is right for your product.

Universal print drivers (UPDs)

Universal Print Drivers (UPDs) are a good driver choice for print-only products because these drivers ONLY provide print capability. Universal print drivers (UPDs) are not recommended for use with all multifunction or all-in-one products unless there is no other driver option or mode of installation available (such as Windows Vista option in compatibility mode). Before you install a UPD, make sure it is the correct choice for your product.

If you are currently using the In-OS driver for a print-only product and do not have any other driver options available, use a UPD to upgrade to full software features.

UPD types can be identified by the name appended to the end of the file name (e.g. PCL 5, PCL 6, Postscript, etc.).

When to choose a UPD driver:

• When a basic driver was not included with your Windows 7 OS and there is no other driver option available, or
• When you want to upgrade your basic driver to enable more advanced software functionality or full features and there is no other driver option available (PCL 6), or
• When you have started the update process and Windows is searching for a specific driver such as PCL6, or
• When you want to achieve backward compatibility with previous PCL versions or older LaserJet printers (UPD - PCL 5), or
• When printing from Adobe or other highly graphic intensive applications or when printing documents containing a significant number of graphics or macros (UPD - Postscript), or
• When printing in a mixed environment (from both Windows and Macintosh applications, for example), or in an environment which requires the language to be set to PCL 5, for example: UNIX, Linux, or mainframe (UPD - PCL 5)
• When printing in an enterprise environment or when printing via a managed print server to multiple printer models in a static or mobile print environment (typically used by administrators or IT staff).

Which UPD do I choose?

In some cases, only one UPD driver is available for a product. In this case, use the available driver if you know that a UPD is the right choice for your product. If two or more UPD drivers are available, use the following information as a guide to select the driver most appropriate for your environment.

Driver	When to use
1 - HP Universal Print Driver for Windows PCL6	The HP Universal Print Driver for Windows PCL6 is recommended for most printing options.
2 - HP Universal Print Driver for Windows 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, for example, printing from both Windows and Macintosh applications. NOTE: Product must have PS printing capability to use this driver.
3 - HP Universal Print Driver for Windows PCL5	To achieve backward compatibility, use the PCL5 driver option.

For more information, go to www.hp.com/go/upd , and under the Free download section on the right, click Download software .