Installing Windows Printer Drivers

Contents

Introduction

This document will help you install and update your Windows printer drivers. After they are installed or updated, you can refer to the help file that is included with the drivers for answers to the most commonly asked questions. The help file also includes a thorough troubleshooting section.

To access the help file, in Windows 10, right-click the printer on the Devices and Printers page, and then click Printer properties or Printing preferences. Click Help in the bottom-right corner of the dialog.

The drivers include the Seagull Driver wizard, which you can use to install, remove, and upgrade drivers. We strongly recommend that you use the Seagull Driver wizard, because the standard Windows Add a Device wizard does not always upgrade existing drivers correctly.

Installing Printer Drivers

  1. Turn off the printer, connect the appropriate cable, and then turn on the printer.
  2. If the printer supports the Plug and Play functionality and if you have connected it by using a USB or parallel cable, then the Windows Add a Device wizard automatically detects the printer and displays a dialog that prompts you to install a driver. Click Cancel and do not install the driver by using this wizard.
  3. In Windows Explorer, browse to the installation directory where the driver files are located, and then double-click the DriverWizard.exe utility.
  4. Click to select Install printer drivers, and then click Next.
  5. Click to select the connection type, and then click Next.
  6. Configure the printer settings according to the steps in the wizard.

Note: During installation, you might receive a message that the driver is not digitally signed and may not be compatible with your operating system. You can safely ignore this message. This driver has been tested thoroughly with all current versions of Windows.

Installing the Seagull Scientific Port Monitor

Some printer models support Transport Layer Security (TLS) encrypted communication. The drivers for these models include the Seagull Scientific Port Monitor, which you can use to access and configure the TLS settings. You can install the Seagull Scientific Port Monitor by using the Seagull Driver wizard or by using Windows Control Panel.

To install the monitor by using the Seagull Driver wizard, follow these steps:

  1. On the Install Components page of the wizard, select the Seagull Scientific Port checkbox, and then click Next.

    Note: This component is available only for printers that support TLS or that use non-standard port numbers.

  2. On the Specify Port page, click Create Port.
  3. In the Create Port dialog, select Seagull Scientific Port, and then click New Port.
  4. In the Add Port dialog, enter a name for the port, and then click OK.
  5. In the Configure Port dialog, enter a name or IP address for the printer, enter a port number, select Enable Transport Layer Security Protocol (TLS), and then click OK.
  6. Configure the other printer settings according to the steps in the wizard.

To install the monitor by using Control Panel, follow these steps:

  1. Download and unpack the Seagull driver for the printer that you want.
  2. On the Devices and Printers page of Control Panel, select any printer, and then click Print server properties.
  3. On the Ports tab of the Print Server Properties dialog, click Change Port Settings.
  4. Click Add Port.
  5. In the Printer Ports dialog, click New Port Type.
  6. In the Installing Port Monitor dialog, click Browse.
  7. In the Locate File dialog, locate and then open the printer's .inf configuration file, which includes the Seagull Scientific Port Monitor information.
  8. In the Installing Port Monitor dialog, click OK.
  9. In the Printer Ports dialog, select Seagull Scientific Port, and then click New Port.
  10. In the Add Port dialog, enter a name for the port, and then click OK.
  11. In the Configure Port dialog, enter a name or IP address for the printer, enter a port number, and then click OK.
  12. Close the Printer Ports dialog and the Print Server Properties page.

After you install the Seagull Scientific Port Monitor, you can access your TLS port on the Ports tab of the printer properties page. Use this tab to add, delete, or configure a port.

Upgrading Printer Drivers

We recommend that you use the Seagull Driver wizard to upgrade existing drivers when they become outdated. Upgrading instead of removing helps to ensure that your driver settings remain intact. Using the Windows Add a Device wizard to upgrade existing drivers is not recommended because this wizard might not upgrade all driver files correctly, which could leave the driver in a corrupted state.

  1. In Windows Explorer, browse to the installation directory where the driver files are located, and then double-click the DriverWizard.exe utility.
  2. Click to select Upgrade printer drivers, and then click Next.
  3. Click to select the printers whose drivers you want to upgrade, and then click Next.
  4. Click Finish.

Removing Printer Drivers

You can use the Seagull Driver wizard to remove printer drivers from the system. To do this, follow these steps:

  1. In the installation directory where the driver files are located, double-click the DriverWizard.exe utility.
  2. Click to select Remove printer drivers, and then click Next.
  3. Click to select the removal method that you want, and then click Next.
  4. Verify the items to be removed, click Next, and then click Finish.

Troubleshooting Printing Problems

The help file that is included with the printer driver includes a Technical Support section, which contains a sub-section called Troubleshooting Printing Problems. This section lists critical settings to check and several printing tests that will usually resolve any problems that may occur.

To access the help file, in Windows 10, right-click the printer on the Devices and Printers page, and then click Printer properties or Printing preferences. Click Help in the bottom-right corner of the dialog.