What Is a Driverless Printer? A Complete Guide for Resellers, MSPs & Dealers

Why Driverless Printing Matters More Than Ever

Printer drivers have always been one of the most frustrating parts of office tech. They break, they update unpredictably, they require local installs—and they often fail at the worst possible time. For MSPs and resellers, driver issues can also translate into more help desk tickets, more truck rolls, and slower deployments.

But the industry has evolved.

“Driverless printing” has emerged as the modern standard for simpler, faster, more reliable device deployment. If you’ve used Apple AirPrint or Windows' Modern Print stack, you’ve already experienced versions of it. Today, driverless printing is becoming a core expectation in hybrid offices, BYOD environments, and distributed workforces.

In this blog, we’ll break down what driverless printing actually is, how it works, the industry standards behind it, and why solutions like Image Star’s Capsul printers are designed to make adoption easy for resellers and MSPs.

What Is a Driverless Printer?

At its core, a driverless printer is a printer that does not require a traditional, locally installed print driver to function. Instead, it uses universal protocols and modern standards to communicate directly with computers, phones, tablets, and cloud platforms.

In a standard setup, print drivers act as the translator between a device and a printer—mapping capabilities, managing commands, and sending the data in a format the printer understands.

But driver management has always been a major pain point:

• Driver versions change often

• OS updates cause breakage

• Driver conflicts create instability

• Every manufacturer has different driver packages

• Legacy environments need constant patching

Driverless printing eliminates these concerns by relying on built-in OS-level print standards that work across devices, manufacturers, and platforms.

How Traditional Printer Drivers Work (and Why They Cause Problems)

To understand driverless printing, it helps to know what drivers were originally designed to do.

Drivers Are the “Software Layer” That Talks to the Peripheral

A traditional print driver is a software package installed on a PC or server that:

• Communicates with the printer

• Translates print jobs

• Manages features (duplexing, finishing, trays, etc.)

• Handles color processing

• Manages spooler behavior

Every model, every brand, every firmware update—each one requires its own driver version.

Why Traditional Drivers Are Problematic

Drivers cause issues because:

• Updates can be finicky (OS updates break compatibility)

• Too many versions across departments slow deployment

• Remote and hybrid environments make local driver installs harder

• Mobile/BYOD devices often can't install drivers at all

• Mac/Windows/Linux versions differ

This is why the industry began shifting to driverless printing standards—consistent, universal, and far simpler to deploy.

How Driverless Printing Works

Driverless printing relies on industry-defined standards that allow devices to discover, communicate with, and print to hardware without needing individual drivers.

The three most important modern standards are:

1. Apple AirPrint

AirPrint, first introduced in 2010, allows iOS and macOS devices to:

• Discover printers on the same network

• Connect instantly

• Print without installing any software

• Automatically use supported features

AirPrint is widely adopted across business and consumer printers, and is considered the “gold standard” of simple, reliable printing.

2. Microsoft Modern Print Stack

Microsoft is moving away from legacy drivers in favor of:

• Class drivers

• Universal print standards

• Cloud-based print management

Windows' Modern Print technology allows driverless compatibility with printers that follow standardized communication protocols.

3. Mopria (Android + Universal Standard)

Mopria, first developed by Google and leading print manufacturers, is designed to:

• Standardize driverless printing across Android

• Provide a common print interface

• Enable cross-manufacturer compatibility

• Support multi-platform workflows

Mopria is the backbone of driverless printing on Android, but it is also the basis for many universal print technologies across all platforms.

Why Manufacturers Are Moving to Driverless Standards

Manufacturers—including Image Star’s Capsul printer line—actively build support for these standards because they:

• Reduce support burden

• Make hybrid office setups easier

• Improve user experience

• Allow multi-OS compatibility

• Enable faster deployment

• Simplify firmware updates

By aligning with standards rather than relying on custom drivers, compatibility improves dramatically.

Why Driverless Printing Is Now a Requirement for Modern Workplaces

Hybrid offices, remote teams, and mobile-first workflows are now the norm. That means:

• More laptops

• More mobile devices

• More personal devices

• More device diversity

• More home-office setups

Driverless printing supports all of these environments—without manual installs, complicated configuration, or heavy IT intervention.

Driverless Printing Makes Life Easier for MSPs & Dealers

For resellers, IT service providers, and managed print partners, driverless-ready printers reduce operational friction.

Benefits Include:

1. Faster Deployment

Devices connect instantly over the same network using recognized standards. No driver installation means less setup time.

2. Lower Support Tickets

Driver issues represent a huge percentage of print support calls. Driverless printing eliminates most of them.

3. Works Across All Platforms

Windows, macOS, iOS, Android—driverless compatibility keeps things standardized.

4. Simplifies Remote Workflows

Users can print without:

• VPN gymnastics

• Mapping printers manually

• Installer packages

5. Better Long-Term Stability

No driver updates = fewer disruptions.

For MSPs managing large fleets, it’s an immediate operational win.

How Image Star’s Capsul Printers Leverage Driverless Standards

Capsul, Image Star’s flagship line of affordable A4 office printers, is built with modern driverless printing at its core.

Capsul supports the major OS-native standards:

• AirPrint (Apple)

• Windows Modern Print

• Mopria (Android)

This means Capsul printers work across devices right out of the box, using the same network—no custom drivers needed.

Why This Matters for the Channel

For resellers and MSPs:

• Deployments move faster

• Fewer support tickets

• Better compatibility with customer environments

• Easier upgrades from legacy systems

• Ideal for SMBs, hybrid offices, and distributed teams

Driverless support also makes Capsul an easy recommendation for environments with mixed devices or limited IT staff.

Driverless Printing and Firmware Updates

One concern IT pros often raise is:

“If I’m not using a vendor driver, how do updates work?”

Driverless printing is designed with this in mind.

Manufacturers typically:

• Build firmware around stable, universal standards

• Provide over-the-air updates

• Maintain compatibility through standardized protocol updates

• Remove the need for individual driver versioning

This results in more predictable performance and fewer compatibility issues over time.

Why Driverless Printing Is the Future

Between constant OS updates, remote workflows, and increasing device diversity, traditional print drivers simply can’t keep up. The industry is consolidating around universal, standardized, OS-native print technologies—and driverless printers are becoming the new expected norm.

For resellers, dealers, and MSPs, this shift unlocks:

• Simpler deployments

• Cleaner environments

• Lower service overhead

• Happier customers

And for manufacturers like Image Star, it reinforces why Capsul is engineered for universal compatibility.

Driverless Printing Is Here—Make Sure You’re Ready

Driverless printing is no longer an emerging trend—it’s the new standard in office technology. Whether you support SMBs, enterprise teams, or hybrid workplaces, adopting devices built for AirPrint, Modern Print, and Mopria ensures long-term reliability and simpler operations.

Interested in adding driverless-capable hardware to your lineup?

Image Star can help you select and deploy solutions—like our Capsul A4 printers—that align with today’s universal standards.

👉 Explore Capsul and other reseller-ready solutions at Image Star.

Reach out to us to learn more