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 ..............................................................................................9
Full-featured, bidirectional communication ................................................................10
Easy to manage and configure ...............................................................................11
Customizable deployment ......................................................................................15
Effortless color performance....................................................................................16
Environmental responsibility ...................................................................................17
Industry-leading security .........................................................................................18

For more information .................................................................................................19

CONTENTS i
ii
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.
The HP Universal Print Driver is a single, intelligent, feature-rich driver that makes it easy to connect to a range
of HP LaserJet devices in the office or on the road—without downloading separate, product-specific drivers. The
driver provides full-featured support for most HP LaserJet devices and now includes basic printing capability for
non-supported devices, such as non-HP printers.
Manage your printing environment efficiently with the HP Universal Print Driver, a driver trusted by users
worldwide. IT professionals can use the HP Driver Configuration Utility to customize your printing environment.
This utility enables you to define printing defaults, such as two-sided or grayscale printing, and advanced
feature availability before installing and deploying the HP Universal Print Driver. You can 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.

GETTING TO KNOW THE HP UNIVERSAL PRINT DRIVER 1

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. Broad compatibility and bidirectional communication enables users to access the full features
of nearly every HP device in your managed printing environment. As a result, the information you see reflects
the real capabilities of the print device. Plus, this information can be updated when new finishing accessories,
for example, are added to the print device through the Update Now option. The user interface design is also
consistent across devices, increasing usability.
When you print, the job is sent to the print server or directly to the print device, depending on your
environment. The same bi-directional communication that builds the product-specific user interface provides you
with real-time information, such as when the job has finished printing—not just when the job has been spooled
to the print server.

The driver communicates with

Print servers each HP device and Wireless devices
automatically customizes the
user interface for each
device’s unique features.

Network USB-capable
connected printers printers

2 HOW THE HP UNIVERSAL PRINT DRIVER WORKS

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. No matter where users are across your
global enterprise, they have the benefit of the latest version of the HP Universal Print Driver, and you have
the convenience of deployment from a single location.

• Manage printing policies with ease

Reduce your printing costs—and impact on the environment—by applying policies that monitor supplies and
paper usage. The HP Managed Printing Administration and Active Directory templates enable IT managers
to set defaults for two-sided printing and energy-saving features. On HP Color LaserJet devices, IT managers
can use the HP Universal Print Driver to restrict color access and control costs. Assign color access by user,
application, or time of day—or limit it to special projects.

• Rely on HP—a leader in printing and imaging

HP EasyColor optimizes color printing. This smart technology detects document content and adjusts color
rendering accordingly, reducing rasterized images and improving the appearance of photos. In addition to
improved color images, your PowerPoint presentation will print more quickly with HP EasyColor. Best of all,
you don’t need to make a series of complex, manual adjustments. Simply enable HP EasyColor within the
HP Universal Print Driver and experience better color printing. You get the best color print—effortlessly.

TOP FEATURES 3
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. Once selected, the
driver functions as a traditional, product-specific driver (refer to the image on the right).

When installed in Dynamic mode, the HP Universal Print Driver offers the most flexibility and is ideal for global
corporations and a mobile work force. Dynamic mode enables users to find printers on a network without
downloading a product-specific driver—without IT or help desk assistance. This is perfect when you’re on the
road, in a conference room, or want help finding a new device.

4 TOP FEATURES
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.

Note 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. This enables the best printing experience.
HP provides advanced deployment and configuration tools for enterprise environments. You can fully configure
the HP Universal Print Driver for your specific enterprise requirements. Please see the Systems Administrator’s
Guide at www.hp.com/go/upd and select the Documentation tab for more information.

Installing the HP Universal Print Driver in Traditional mode

For a current list of supported print devices, go to www.hp.com/go/upd and select the Specifications tab.
1. Before beginning installation, make sure the HP Universal Print Driver supports your environment. The
driver supports:
• Microsoft Windows Vista®, 2000, XP®, XP Professional x64, 2003 and 2008 Server (32/64 bit)
• Microsoft Windows® Terminal Services and Citrix Presentation Server Environments

Note The HP Universal Print Driver can be used independently of management tools. However, for network
administrators, the HP Managed Printing Administration (MPA) software or Active Directory templates
are recommended. For more information on both, see page 11.
2. Go to the following Web site: www.hp.com/go/upd.

TOP FEATURES 5
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. May not be fully compatible with third-party and custom solutions based on PCL5
HP PCL5 driver Recommended for general office Windows printing
Backward compatible with previous PCL versions or older HP LaserJet printers
Is the best choice for third party or home-grown custom solutions (forms, fonts, SAP programs)
HP postscript emulation Recommended for printing with Adobe or other highly graphics-intensive applications
driver Use for HP postscript level 2 and 3 needs and postscript font support
Slightly faster than PCL6 when using Adobe applications
Best print compatibility between Apple Macintosh and Windows applications

For more information on installing the appropriate driver for your printing environment, refer to
www.hp.com/go/upd and select the Documentation tab.
4. Download and save the HP Universal Print Driver specific to your operating system and printing needs.
5. Navigate to and unzip the HP Universal Print Driver download file to a folder on your PC.
6. Open the unzipped HP Universal Print Driver folder.
7. Double-click the install.exe file to install the software.
8. The Universal Printing Installer Wizard opens. Read the software license agreement and click Yes to
continue.
9. The Installation Mode window opens.
10. Select Traditional mode and click Install, as shown in the image below. The Add Printer Wizard opens.

11. The Installing window opens. Wait for install to complete.

6 TOP FEATURES
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. Click on Search for Network Printers.

14. Select a device and click OK.

15. Click Check Status.
16. Click OK.
17. Repeat 11 and 12.
18. Click Enter a Printer Address.
19. Type in the IP address or host name of a printer and click OK.
20. Click Check Status.
21. Click OK.

TOP FEATURES 7
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 This option is only available for users with Local Admin rights.

8 TOP FEATURES
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. (While the HP Universal Print Driver
may enable printing to devices that are not included on the list, HP does not support these devices.)

• Communicates with networked and direct-connected devices—Simply plug your USB cable into any
supported USB-enabled HP LaserJet device or find a network device using Dynamic mode. Either way you
enjoy the benefits of instant connectivity.

• Speaks your printer’s language—The HP Universal Print Driver is available in multiple printer languages,
including PCL5, PCL6, and HP postscript 2 and 3 emulation. This means it is compatible with more
HP printing devices than ever.

• Speaks your language—The HP Universal Print Driver is available in 35 languages.

• Supports most Windows operating systems—The HP Universal Print Driver includes support for Microsoft
Windows Vista, XP, XP Professional x64, and 2003 and 2008 Server (32/64 bit); Microsoft Windows
Terminal Services; Citrix Presentation Server Environments; and Novell iPrint.

TOP FEATURES 9
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.

Accurate device features

Because the HP Universal Print Driver discovers device features using bidirectional communication with your
HP printing devices, it provides current, accurate device information. The print driver knows and displays such
advanced features as automatic two-sided printing, job storage (private print, stored, or proof-and-hold jobs),
input trays, output bins, stapling, and watermarks. In addition, if you add or remove a feature, such as a paper
tray or a hard disk, the HP Universal Print Driver will revise the device’s capabilities via the Update Now option.
The images below show the differences in the Document Properties tab between two different printers. The
second printer has Output, Job Storage, and Color capabilities that the first printer does not. The HP Universal
Print Driver detected these differences and customized the user interfaces accordingly.

If you want more control of your print environment, you can use the HP Driver Configuration Utility to disable the
bi-directional communication and configure the driver. This is particularly useful when you need to create
queues before print devices are physically installed. You can also use this utility to limit print features, such as
paper sizes or finishing devices, to specific user groups depending on need. You can also limit types of media,
such as transparencies. For more on this utility, see “Configure the HP Universal Print Driver” on page 15.

Note You can also manually configure the HP Universal Print Driver from the Device Settings tab without
bidirectional communication. (See the System Administrator’s Guide, which can be found at
www.hp.com/go/upd. Select the Documentation tab.)

10 TOP 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. HP MPA software also allows you to create Managed Printer
Lists to help users quickly find a printer. Both provide an automated method to create a controlled and
customized print environment. Download HP MPA software or AD templates from www.hp.com/go/mpa.
The image below illustrates the potential relationship between user groups, print policies, and printer lists.

Create and modify Managed Print Policies

Use Managed Print Policies (MPPs) to create a customized print environment and to limit user network access to
certain printers. An MPP controls the driver operation in a particular printing environment. For example, users in
one environment could print in color any time, while in another environment could print only during business
hours.
One benefit of an MPP is that it extends the control of IT administrators over the printer environment, ultimately
reducing support costs, supplies costs, and productivity costs in the company. IT administrators can assign color
access by user, time of day, or application, or shut color capability down completely until it’s needed for special
projects. This ensures that the people who truly need to leverage the power of color—such as your sales team
and marketing department—can, while others automatically default to black-and-white printing.
The MPP contains the following features:
• UseMode settings. Controls how users access the printing environment and controls printing attributes,
detection of HP printers, device-verification level, and availability of services.
• Color access. Controls users’ access to printing color on a color-capable device.
• User search capabilities. Controls user searches based on local ports, network print shares, and network
printers (in Dynamic mode).

TOP FEATURES 11
• 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. Controls basic features such as refresh rate, name, and default MPP for users who are
not currently associated to a specific MPP.
The image below illustrates the dialog box that limits color usage.

MPPs also allow you to control when status and supplies notifications appear. Customize job, device, and
supplies status notifications to fit the needs of your company or a specific department or group of users. If you
decide it’s appropriate, notifications may include links that allow the user to contact your company’s support
web page or shop online for supplies—or they may not.
You can also disable or limit the information available to users in the Services tab of the HP Universal Print
Driver with MPPs.
For additional information on all of the management capabilities and how to set them for your environment, see
the documentation at www.hp.com/go/upd.

Create, import, and modify Managed Printer Lists

Help users find the printing devices they need by employing Managed Printer Lists (MPLs). MPLs are defined lists
of printers based on department, printing needs (such as color or advanced finishing), or location. Printer lists
may be imported from HP Web Jetadmin, and you may add printers to existing MPLs.

12 TOP FEATURES
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 image-
based map displays printers that users can select. The image map allows users to click on the map to select
specific printers.

The screen below shows the tabular view of the same MPL shown above in the image map.

TOP FEATURES 13
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. You can also apply print policies to user groups already
established in Active Directory.

14 TOP FEATURES
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. This is most beneficial when configuring the driver for
multiple workstations or print servers for print queues that share the same configuration. This utility allows you to
define device defaults and feature availability such as two-sided or grayscale printing. Some of these defaults
can be locked so that users must always use certain features, for example two-sided printing to reduce printing
costs.
You can also use the configuration utility to delete existing printer shortcuts and create new administrator-
defined shortcuts. Users will be able to employ these shortcuts once they have installed the preconfigured driver.

Note For additional information on the HP Driver Configuration Utility, please refer to the System
Administrator’s Guide, which can be found at www.hp.com/go/upd. Select the Documentation tab.

Supported printing environments

• Point and Print environment—Point and Print is the feature that enables a Microsoft Windows user to
connect and print to a remote printer without any disks or other installation media. Using the HP Universal
Print Driver in a Point and Print environment results in fewer drivers to manage on print servers. Point and
Print automatically downloads and installs all printer driver and data files and the configuration information
required to use the remote printer from the client computer.
• Direct IP Printing—Direct IP printing connects computers directly to network printers without requiring print
servers. The HP Universal Print Driver makes Direct IP printing easy and convenient for users while
simplifying printing support for IT administrators. You can use Add Printer Wizard, the HP Universal Print
Driver installer, and/or Dynamic mode to create Direct IP printers on client PCs.

Installation methods
The HP Universal Print Driver can be deployed into most environments using the same tools and approaches
used for product-specific drivers. Install or modify the driver using one of the following methods:
• Add Printer Wizard
• Install.exe
• Microsoft command line tools prompt
• HP Web Jetadmin display plug-in

Web Jetadmin installation

The HP Universal Print Driver postscript emulation driver is bundled with HP Web Jetadmin software and can be
installed from any Create or Edit queue interface. HP Universal Print Drivers PCL5 and PCL6 can be added to
HP Web Jetadmin through Application Management, Application Update.
When HP Web Jetadmin creates a queue using the HP Universal Print Driver, the driver and printer (specified in
HP Web Jetadmin) are installed in Traditional mode.

TOP FEATURES 15
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. HP EasyColor scans your file, and if it detects a photo, it determines which
enhancements are necessary and adjusts the photo image quality automatically. HP EasyColor does this by
employing your application’s JPG and PNG pass through, which enables it to enhance the entire image at once
rather than in little pieces. This also improves color consistency within the image. HP EasyColor delivers sharper
photos with a more natural appearance.
In addition to improved color photos, your PowerPoint presentation may print more quickly with HP EasyColor.
And because the spool file size is smaller, the network traffic to your color printer will also be reduced.
Best of all, you don’t need to make a series of complex, manual adjustments. HP EasyColor is automatically
enabled, so there’s no need for you to do anything. Experience better color printing—effortlessly.

16 TOP FEATURES
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. HP’s Design for the
Environment initiative is driving improvements at every stage in the product lifecycle—helping to reduce the
amount of energy, paper, packaging, and materials used at HP and by our customers. Through intelligent
design, we can reduce the environmental impact of our products, and of our customers.
The HP Universal Print Driver makes it easy to reduce paper use by controlling print settings automatically from
one location, helping your company to print more responsibly and save money.
• Two-sided printing Eco-Print short cut saves paper. The HP Universal Print Driver’s new Eco-print short cut
enables two-sided printing, making it easier to reduce paper use.

• Policy controls help you reduce the impact of printing on the environment while saving money. The HP
Managed Printing Administration and Active Directory templates support a variety of policy controls that
can help your company lessen its impact on the environment and save money via your HP LaserJet and
Edgeline print devices. The Duplex Default setting reduces paper use and Edgeline Quality Modes Control
ensures the right print quality is pre-set for HP Edgeline MFPs.

TOP FEATURES 17
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. Impressive security features are frequently ignored because IT
can find them difficult to implement, so HP focuses not only on delivering state-of-the-art security capabilities but
on creating seamlessly integrated, easy-to-use solutions as well.
• PIN printing provides extra security when printing. In environments where privacy and security are critical,
PIN printing ensures that the right person picks up a printed document. With PIN printing, the user enters a
four-digit PIN in the driver when sending a print job. When at the printer, the user enters the same PIN to
authorize the printer to begin printing the document. Print jobs are cleared from the printer’s memory when
they have finished printing for added security.
• Print private documents securely without a PIN. New PIN-less printing allows users to print and then pick up
documents when they want. Users queue print jobs and control when they print by printing from the print
device. Print jobs are then cleared from the printer memory after printing for added security.

Note The printer must support PIN and PINless printing to use these features.

• Help make your printing environment and your printers more secure. The HP Managed Printing
Administration and Active Directory templates can make your printing environment more secure throughout
the organization. You can set Private (PIN) Printing as a default, which allows users to queue print jobs
when they want but requires them to enter a PIN at the print device when jobs are printed. You can also
secure your print path using solutions specifically created for the HP Universal Print Driver by our print
solutions partners.

18 TOP FEATURES
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.

Contact Information
Hewlett-Packard Company
300 Hanover Street
Palo Alto, CA 94304-1185
Phone: (650) 857-1501
Fax: (650) 857-5518
Web address: www.hp.com
HP Shopping (for U.S. only)
www.hpshopping.com or 1-888-999-4747

TOP FEATURES 19
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. Nothing
herein should be construed as constituting an additional warranty. HP shall not be liable for technical or editorial
errors or omissions contained herein.

Printed in [country]

To learn more, visit www.hp.com

Technology for better business outcomes