Shared Printer Driver Problems on Clients and the Additional Drivers Fix
When a client connects to a shared printer, Windows does not install the printer from thin air - it downloads the driver from the host. If the host only carries its own driver, the client's install has nothing correct to download.
✍️ Technical Anshu🖥️ Windows 10 / 11⏱️ 8 minute read
🎥 Watch the video - the sharing mistakes behind client driver errors, and the right setup
Driver faults on a shared printer have a tell-tale shape: the host prints beautifully, one or more clients fail while adding the printer or kill every job the instant it is sent, and the error talks about drivers, not passwords or the network. The sharing is fine and the accounts are fine - the host simply does not hold a driver that matches the client asking for one. Windows has a built-in place for exactly this, called Additional Drivers, and most failed setups have never opened it.
Adding the Printer From a Client (Example)
Host driver installed64-bit, current version, prints perfectly
Client connects and asks the hostNeeds a matching driver delivered by the host
Host carries no other driversDriver install fails on the client
After Additional Drivers are addedClient installs in seconds
Example values. The client is not being difficult - it is asking the host for something the host was never given.
1
Recognise a Driver Failure When You See One
The printer adds halfway then stops with a message about a missing or unsuitable driver - that is this fault
Or it adds, and every job errors within seconds while the host prints the same file cleanly
Or one client prints pages of garbage characters - the classic sign of a wrong or mismatched driver rendering the job
Password prompts and 'printer not found' are not this fault - do not change drivers for those
2
Add the Other Drivers on the Host
On the host, download the driver packages for your exact printer model from the maker's support site - the full INF-based packages, not a 'driver updater' tool
Open Printer properties then the Sharing tab then Additional Drivers
Tick the processor types your clients use - today almost everything is x64; add x86 only if an old 32-bit PC still prints
Point Windows at the driver folders when asked, and finish the wizard
On one client, remove and re-add the printer - it should now pull the correct driver from the host on its own
3
Keep Host and Client Driver Versions in Step
Drivers drift. The host gets an updated driver in March; a client keeps the copy it downloaded in January; in June that one PC starts printing garbage or losing duplex settings. The refresh is simple: on the problem client, remove the printer and add it again so it pulls the host's current driver. When you update the driver on the host, expect to refresh the clients that misbehave - it is normal maintenance, not a new breakdown.
4
Universal Drivers - Useful, With a Price
Makers offer universal print drivers - one PCL6 driver that drives many models. They genuinely end version chaos in offices with several printer models, and for basic printing they are reliable. The price is features: model-specific options such as extra trays, finishers and PIN-protected secure printing can shrink or disappear, because the universal driver does not know your exact machine.
One more modern wrinkle: with newer Type 4 (v4) drivers, the host does not send a full driver to clients at all - clients fall back to a basic built-in driver for the shared queue. If advanced options are missing on clients while the host has them all, that is usually why, and the cure is installing the model's full driver on that client itself.
🔴 Never fix a client driver error by sharing driver folders manually or disabling the firewall 'to let it through'. The driver belongs in Additional Drivers on the host - that is the channel Windows is designed to deliver it through.
🎥 See the Complete Method in the Video
See the driver side of sharing set up properly, including the mistakes that cause client errors.
Both PCs are Windows 11, 64-bit. Why would drivers still clash?
Because versions clash even when the architecture matches. If the host updated its driver and the client still holds an older copy, jobs can error or print wrong. Remove and re-add the printer on the client so it pulls the current driver from the host.
Where should I get the correct driver files from?
Only from the printer maker's official support page for the exact model, in the full package that contains the INF files. Third-party driver updater tools are a common source of wrong drivers and bundled junk.
The client prints, but duplex and tray options are missing. Is that a driver problem?
Usually yes - the client is running a universal or basic class driver instead of the model's full driver. Install the full driver for that exact model on the client, or serve it from the host through Additional Drivers where the driver type allows it.
This guide is based on the Technical Anshu printer sharing mistakes video • Stuck on any step? Ask in the video comments — you will get a reply there 🙏