Types of Print Drivers
Print drivers come in various types, each designed to handle different aspects of printing or to work with specific types of printers. Here are the 5 types of print drivers:
1. PCL (Printer Command Language)
PCL is a popular print driver used primarily for office printing. It is developed by Hewlett-Packard and supports a wide range of printers. PCL drivers offer fast and widely compatible print speeds, but they may not support high-quality graphics printing as effectively as other types.
2. PostScript
Developed by Adobe, PostScript drivers are ideal for environments that require high-quality graphics and detailed image rendering, such as in publishing and graphic design. PostScript is a page description language that describes the page in a high-level, device-independent way, allowing for precise layout and high-quality output.
3. GDI (Graphical Device Interface)
GDI drivers, developed by Microsoft, use the Windows graphical engine to render pages. These drivers depend heavily on the computer’s Central Processing Unit to process the print job. They are generally faster for simple text documents but may not be as effective for complex graphics or high-volume printing tasks.
4. XPS (XML Paper Specification)
XPS drivers are also developed by Microsoft and can be considered a rival to Adobe’s PDF format. XPS drivers are designed to preserve the fidelity of documents and support high-resolution outputs. They are embedded in some versions of Windows and are suitable for applications that need to maintain consistent document appearance across multiple platforms.
5. Universal Print Drivers
Universal drivers are designed to work with multiple models and brands of printers, simplifying the management of printers in large organizations with diverse fleets. These drivers are flexible and reduce compatibility issues, but they might not provide access to all the specialized features of a specific printer model.
What is a Print Driver? Installing and Compatibility
The ability to print documents and images directly from our computers is essential, and this is made possible by a crucial software known as a print driver. A print driver acts as a mediator between your computer and your printer, translating the data into a language that the printer can understand. Whether you are printing a simple text document or a complex graphic, the print driver ensures that your output looks exactly as it does on your screen.