HP Laser Printer Firmware Upgrades
You might be put off upgrading your laser printers firmware after hearing horror stories of printer firmware updates gone wrong. The good news is that laser printer firmware update problems are very rare, especially amongst the leading brands. HP printer firmware updates are very reliable and the firmware update tools are easy to use.
What is Printer Firmware?
Dont confuse printer firmware with printer drivers. The two are quite different. Most of the recent hp printer install cds will check online for driver updates - these are Operating System drivers and are stored on your computers hard drive - A laser printers firmware is stored in programmable memory on the printer itself.
Printer Firmware is software that controls a laser printers basic hardware functions. Firmware cam be thought of as a software layer between your printer driver and the printers hardware itself.
Why upgrade my laser printer's firmware?
The manufacturers of laser printers release firmware upgrades for many reasons :
- Improve performance
- Fix existing hardware or firmware bugs
- Add new printer features
- Compatibility or Support Issues
How can I find my HP Laser Printer Firmware Version?
If your laser printer has a printer control panel you can access the firmware version from the Information : Configuration menus. Look under the Device Information section. Alternatively, print a printer configuration page. HP Printer firmware versions usually look something like : 20021011 04.003.2 The first part is the firmware release date the second part is the firmware version.
Can I upgrade my firmware?
If your printer supports it. Check our printer reviews and your printer manufacturers website if you are unsure and ALWAYS read the readme files first. You'll need to know your printers exact firmware version and have a new firmware file from hp.
How do I upgrade my laser printer firmware?
After reading the readme file for your printer model you have two choices - you can COPY the printer firmware update directly to your printer by typing a few cryptic commands OR if your laserjet printer is on a network / attached to a print server you can use tools from HP that will find your printer and walk you through the upgrade process. For more information check the HP Web JetAdmin links below.