The Difference between a Full And Basic Printer Driver

This video explains the differences between a full and basic driver for your HP printer as well as the advantages of each. For most users, HP recommends the full feature driver. The full feature driver provides all the tools and software needed to use all of your printer's intended functions. For example, a full feature driver gives you access to useful software specific to your HP printer. Software might include HP ePrint to help you print to your printer from anywhere in the world, Photosmart Software Suite to help you with all your picture printing needs, or the HP Deskjet and Officejet Software Suite to help with scanning, faxing, and other product functionality. The software included with the full feature driver also provides access to maintenance and support information which is not available on older versions of the basic driver. Your software might vary depending on your printer model. You can also use the downloaded software to quickly check for updates for your printer, and to view the printer's ink levels. HP does not recommend installing the Basic driver because it does not always provide the software necessary to get full functionality from your printer. Some older basic drivers do not even allow you to use all scanning features for your printer. However, you might consider the Basic driver if you want to use your printer for printing only, you want to scan using non-HP software, or your computer has storage limitations. You can go to www.hp.com/support to download full or basic drivers for your HP printer. You can find additional helpful videos at hp.com/supportvideos and on our YouTube channel, youtube.com/hpprintersupport.