HP Universal Print Driver Solution and Feature Guide Technology for better business outcomes
CONTENTS Getting to know the HP Universal Print Driver .................................................................1 How the HP Universal Print Driver works ........................................................................2 Top features ...............................................................................................................3 Flexible driver installation.........................................................................................4 Broad device support ..........
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GETTING TO KNOW THE HP UNIVERSAL PRINT DRIVER Welcome to the Solution and Feature Guide for the HP Universal Print Driver. This guide will introduce you to the print driver. Ideal for a mobile and worldwide workforce, the HP Universal Print Driver is available in 35 languages and is compatible with Microsoft® and Citrix systems, providing easy accessibility and a common user experience for systems worldwide.
HOW THE HP UNIVERSAL PRINT DRIVER WORKS Once the HP Universal Print Driver has been installed on a PC, it communicates with each supported HP print device to determine the unique print capabilities installed on each device. The driver then displays current, accurate device information, including advanced options like automatic two-sided printing, input trays, and finishing features.
TOP FEATURES • Improve the performance of your IT environment The HP Universal Print driver makes it easier to use, support, certify, and deploy HP LaserJet devices in your environment. Use industry-leading HP Web Jetadmin to create print queues from a single remote system, then connect those print queues to the HP Universal Print Driver.
FLEXIBLE driver installation Because the HP Universal Print Driver is flexible, you can install it in Traditional or Dynamic mode—and you can have both running on your PC at once. Traditional mode functions exactly like the product-specific drivers you are accustomed to using. When installed in Traditional mode, the HP Universal Print Driver is associated with a specific print device, which you can then select from an application’s Print menu, as illustrated in the image on the left.
There are four methods for finding a printer in Dynamic mode. The image below illustrates three of the four Dynamic modes for finding a printer: Manually enter printer address, Recently Used Printers, and Search Options. You can also find printers using Managed Printer Lists, discussed in “Create, import, and modify Managed Printer Lists“ on page 12. Both Traditional and Dynamic modes can be used on the same PC to support both office and mobile printing, and users can switch easily between them.
3. Decide which HP Universal Print Driver to install based on your specific printing needs. The table below provides a description and recommended environment for each. PDL Recommended print environment HP PCL6 Recommended for printing in all Windows environments Provides the overall best speed, print quality, and printer feature support for most users Developed to align with Windows Graphic Device Interface (GDI) for best speed in Windows environments.
12. When the Finish window opens, click Finish. Both the HP Universal Print Driver version number and the model name of the installed device will be displayed. Installing the HP Universal Print Driver in Dynamic mode Repeat instructions beginning at step 5 above, selecting Dynamic mode at step 10. 11. Right-click on the HP Universal Print driver in your Printers and Faxes folder or select the HP Universal Print Driver from the Print dropdown menu of an application. 12. Click on Properties. 13.
A permanent instance of this driver can be created by simply clicking Add this printer to my Printer and Faxes folder, as shown below. When you select this, the driver will function in Traditional mode and users can select print devices from an application’s Print menu. Note 8 This option is only available for users with Local Admin rights.
BROAD device support With the HP Universal Print Driver, you get the broadest compatibility of any print driver: • Supports HP LaserJet devices as well as many non-LaserJet or non-HP devices—The HP Universal Print Driver provides full printing support, including support for advanced features, for most HP LaserJet devices. The driver also offers basic printing capability for many other printing devices. To see a list of supported products, visit www.hp.com/go/upd and select the Specifications tab.
FULL-FEATURED, bidirectional communication The HP Universal Print Driver communicates with each HP device to gather information and to provide real-time print job and device information. This accurate, up-to-date information gives users the details they need and empowers them to resolve common problems. The driver also automatically customizes the user interface for each device’s unique features.
EASY to manage and configure The HP Universal Print Driver is a straightforward, simple solution that you can implement with minimal disruption to your existing print environment. There’s no need to change your workflow or your processes. Get even more functionality from the HP Universal Print Driver—use HP Managed Printing Administration (MPA) software or Active Directory (AD) group policy templates to create User Groups or Managed Print Policies that manage notifications and control color access.
• Status and supplies notifications. Controls what status and supplies notifications (if any) appear when the user opens the HP UPD dialog box. • Job accounting. Controls what job accounting information to submit to an external application or post to a Web server. • Job delivery. Controls what print-job data to submit to an external application. For example, the job data can be used in a pay-for-print environment. • Basic MPP settings.
Use MPA software to customize MPL views to simplify locating available print devices. Printers that are located in an MPL can be automatically discovered using the Dynamic mode, making it easy for mobile users or users in a changing environment to find a printer. Display printer lists using the Default HP Universal Print Driver view, Tabular HTML view, List with Printer Graphics, or Clickable Image Map (shown below). This interactive imagebased map displays printers that users can select.
Create and modify User Groups Establish user groups, determine their printing needs, and assign Managed Printer Lists and Managed Print Policies based on those needs. For example, create a user group for your finance department and assign a policy that allows color printing from 8 to 5 on weekdays, or assign a printer list to the departments that are located in the same building. User groups can be created using MPA software.
CUSTOMIZABLE deployment The HP Universal Print Driver is easy to integrate and customize to your print environment. When you are creating a printer path in HP Web Jetadmin, the HP Universal Print Driver is the default driver. The two tools work seamlessly together. Configure the HP Universal Print Driver You can configure the HP Universal Print Driver before installing and deploying it using the HP Driver Configuration Utility found at www.hp.com/go/dcu.
EFFORTLESS color performance The culmination of years of HP color innovation, HP EasyColor ensures you get the best color and black-and-white prints—combining multiple technology enhancements into one, easy-to-use feature. This smart technology detects document content and adjusts color rendering automatically, improving the appearance of photos and reducing rasterized images. A key feature is image classification.
Environmental RESPONSIBILITY As one of the world’s largest consumer IT companies, a leading IT supplier to small and medium-size businesses, and a leader in enterprise computing, HP’s largest impact on the environment is through its products. The environmental performance of products is largely determined at the design stage.
INDUSTRY-LEADING security HP has made security an integral component of its imaging and printing devices and solutions. In addition to supporting a wide range of standard, trusted security protocols, HP digital senders and HP LaserJet printers and MFPs offer industry-leading security capabilities and solutions that are designed to enable secure management, network communications, output, access, and device integrity. Moreover, HP has reduced complexity—the biggest obstacle to ensuring end-to-end security.
FOR MORE INFORMATION Download the free HP Universal Print Driver for Windows today at www.hp.com/go/upd. Need more help? Visit www.hp.com/support/universalprintdriver for support and more information. To download the HP Managed Printing Administrator or HP’s Active Directory Templates, go to: www.hp.com/go/mpa. Need more help? Visit www.hp.com/support/mpa for support and more information.
Microsoft, Windows, and Windows XP are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Windows Vista is either a registered trademark or trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. © Copyright 2009 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. The information contained herein is subject to change without notice. The only warranties for HP products and services are set forth in the express warranty statements accompanying such products and services.
