How Do You Use a Driver? A Practical Guide for Today’s Office Tech Users

How Do You Use a Driver? An Everyday Guide for Setting Up Your Printer the Right Way

If you’ve ever bought a new printer—whether for your home office, small business, or client workspace—you already know that setup can either be incredibly easy… or incredibly confusing. The biggest reason things get complicated? Drivers.

Printer drivers are one of the most asked-about support topics in the office technology world. At Image Star, we hear it all the time from our resellers and end users:

• Do I need to download a driver?

• How do I install one?

• What if my printer says it’s “driverless”?

• Where do I even find drivers?

In this guide, we’ll break down what a driver is, how to use one, and why modern devices—especially from Capsul—are removing the need for traditional drivers altogether.

Whether you're configuring your office’s first printer or helping a customer set up a new device, this article will walk you step-by-step through the process.

What Is a Printer Driver and Why Does It Matter?

A printer driver is the software that allows your computer to communicate with your printer.

Without the correct driver, your computer doesn’t know how to translate your document into a format the printer can understand.

Think of the driver as a “translator”:

• Your computer speaks one language

• Your printer speaks another

• The driver connects the two

Traditionally, you had to download drivers manually from the manufacturer’s website—or worse, install them via CD. But today’s office tech has evolved.

Capsul printers, designed for simplicity and high accessibility, support modern “driverless printing,” letting users bypass the old download steps entirely.

Driverless Printing: A Game-Changer for Small Businesses

Before we jump into setup steps, it’s worth understanding why driverless technology matters.

Driverless printing uses standard, universal print protocols (like IPP Everywhere, Mopria, or AirPrint) to allow your device and printer to communicate automatically.

Benefits of Driverless Printing

• No manual downloads

• Instant setup on Windows, Mac, and mobile devices

• Fewer support issues for IT teams

• Faster onboarding for teams replacing older equipment

• More secure (no outdated drivers sitting on machines)

Capsul’s printer lineup was designed around this principle: give users performance and reliability without the typical complexity.

But even with driverless functionality, users still need to know where to access printer settings and how to properly add a device to their network.

That brings us to the most important part of this guide:

How to Use a Driver (or Driverless Setup) on a Capsul Printer

Below is the exact step-by-step process your customers can follow to set up a Capsul printer across the same network.

Step 1 — Connect Your Capsul Printer to the Same Network

To start, make sure your printer and computer are connected to the same Wi-Fi network or local wired network.

Most Capsul printers offer:

• Wi-Fi setup via control panel

• Ethernet connection for business users

• Quick-start wireless pairing

Once both devices share the same network, your computer will be able to auto-detect the printer.

Step 2 — Go to CPU (Computer) Settings

On your computer, open your general device settings.

• On Windows, go to: Settings → Bluetooth & Devices → Printers & Scanners

• On Mac, go to: System Settings → Printers & Scanners

This is where your computer will manage drivers, device detection, and print queues.

Step 3 — Add Your Printer as a New Device

Click Add Device.

Your system will begin scanning for available printers connected to the same network. Capsul printers should appear automatically if:

• The device is powered on

• Both devices share the same network

• The printer supports driverless or universal print protocols (Capsul does)

If your device appears, select it.

Step 4 — Search for Local Driver (If Needed)

Most Capsul models support universal protocols, meaning your computer may automatically select a compatible driver without requiring a download.

But if your device does ask for one:

• Your system will search local drivers already built into your OS

• Windows and macOS maintain libraries of universal print drivers

• If your Capsul model requires a basic print driver, it will automatically apply one here

For most users, this step completes itself.

Step 5 — Enable Driverless Printing

This is where Capsul shines.

If your Capsul device is compatible, your system will recognize it as driverless-capable and select the appropriate driverless printing mode automatically (like IPP Everywhere).

Your setup screen may show:

• “Secure AirPrint Printer”

• “Driverless Printing Enabled”

• “Using Generic IPP Driver”

Once confirmed, your printer is ready to use—no manual installation required.

Troubleshooting Common Driver Questions

Here are the most common driver concerns we see and what to do about them:

“My printer isn’t showing up.”

• Make sure both devices share the same network

• Power cycle the printer

• Disable VPNs that mask local networks

“It keeps asking me to install a driver.”

Some older legacy software may require a specific print driver. In these cases:

• Use the system’s local driver search

• Choose a Generic IPP, Generic PCL, or AirPrint driver

“My print quality looks off.”

Driverless printing produces excellent results, but if you want specialized options (stapling, tray assignment):

• Install the advanced driver from the manufacturer’s support site or reseller portal

“Is driverless printing safe?”

Absolutely. It uses secure, modern printing standards—often more secure than old manual drivers.

Final Thoughts: Driverless Printing Is the Future

Understanding drivers is still important, but the evolution toward driverless printing is making setup easier than ever—especially with modern devices like Capsul printers, designed specifically for today’s small offices and SOHO environments.

At Image Star, we're committed to helping our reseller network and customers simplify their workflows with intuitive, reliable technology. Driverless printing is just one example of how office tech is becoming more accessible.

If you're upgrading your workspace or helping clients modernize theirs, consider choosing equipment built for the driverless future.