Old Samsung Printer With No Driver? What You Can Still Do

Help guide · Older Samsung printers

HP took over Samsung’s printer business in 2017, and many older Samsung models are no longer listed on HP’s support site. The printer itself usually still works. This guide shows the official ways to get it printing again, step by step.

Official sources onlyWindows, macOS & Linux
Written: 28 October 2026Editor: Günay V.

Quick answer: what should I try first?

Avoid “driver updater” tools and unofficial download sites. They often bundle unwanted software. Every method in this guide uses Microsoft, HP, Samsung or the printer’s built-in features.

1. Find the exact model name

Samsung often sold the same printer under several names. For example, a letter at the end can mean a network (N), duplex (D), fax (F) or Wi‑Fi (W) version. These variants usually use the same driver, but not always. Check the label on the back or bottom of the printer, or print a configuration report from the printer’s menu. The report also shows the printer’s IP address, which you need for network printing.

2. Get the driver through Windows Update

Microsoft still keeps many Samsung printer drivers in its Update Catalog. Windows can install them for you. There are three ways, from easiest to most manual.

a) Optional driver updates

  1. Connect the printer with a USB cable and turn it on.
  2. Windows 11: open Settings → Windows Update → Advanced options → Optional updates. Windows 10: Settings → Update & Security → Windows Update → View optional updates.
  3. Open Driver updates. If a Samsung printer driver is listed, select it and install it.

b) Add the printer and refresh the driver list

  1. Open Settings → Bluetooth & devices → Printers & scanners → Add device. Wait a moment, then choose Add manually (“The printer that I want isn’t listed”).
  2. Choose Add a local printer or network printer with manual settings, then pick the port: USB001 for USB, or create a Standard TCP/IP Port with the printer’s IP address.
  3. In the driver list, click Windows Update. Windows downloads the full printer list from Microsoft; this can take a few minutes.
  4. Choose Samsung on the left and your model or its series on the right (for example “Samsung ML-1660 Series”). Finish the wizard and print a test page.

c) Download the package from the Microsoft Update Catalog

  1. Open the Microsoft Update Catalog and search for “Samsung” followed by your model, for example Samsung CLP-300. Our model pages link to this search directly.
  2. Pick the newest package that lists your Windows version, or one marked “Windows 8.1 and later drivers”, and click Download. You get a .cab file.
  3. Right‑click the .cab file and extract it to a new folder.
  4. Add the printer as in step b), but in the driver list click Have Disk and select the .inf file in that folder.
Is an old driver safe on Windows 11? Packages in Microsoft’s catalog are signed and were checked by Microsoft when they were published. They are old, so some features (status pop‑ups, toner alerts) may be missing, but basic printing usually works. Microsoft does not guarantee them for every new Windows version.

3. Use a generic driver (PCL or PostScript printers only)

Every printer understands one or more printer languages. Many Samsung office printers understand PCL or PostScript, which are industry standards. For those, Windows’ own generic drivers can print basic documents. Many small Samsung home printers only understand Samsung’s own SPL or GDI language. Generic drivers do not work with them. Our model pages show the printer language under “printer language and what it means”.

  1. Add the printer manually as in step 2b.
  2. In the driver list, choose Microsoft on the left, then Microsoft PCL6 Class Driver or Microsoft PS Class Driver, matching your printer’s language.
  3. Print a test page. If the page prints garbled text, the printer does not understand that language; remove it and try the other driver.

HP’s Samsung Universal Print Driver is another option. It supports many Samsung laser printers, but not all of the oldest host-based (SPL/GDI) models. You can find it on the model pages of newer printers on this site, for example the SCX-5737FW page.

4. Old Samsung printers on a Mac

  • Samsung’s Mac drivers were made for older Mac OS X versions and usually do not install on current macOS.
  • Network models that support AirPrint can be added without any driver: System Settings → Printers & Scanners → Add Printer.
  • PostScript printers can often use macOS’ built-in Generic PostScript Printer: when adding the printer, open the Use menu and choose it.
  • SPL/GDI printers have no current Mac option. Sharing the printer from a Windows or Linux computer on the same network is a practical workaround.

5. Old Samsung printers on Linux

Linux often has better support for old Samsung printers than current Windows or macOS. The printing system (CUPS) includes open-source drivers such as SpliX (Samsung SPL printers) and foo2qpdl (some colour models), and many distributions install them automatically. Connect the printer, open your printer settings and add it. The OpenPrinting database shows the recommended driver and how well each model works; our model pages link to the right entry.

6. The driver is installed but the printer does not print

Documents stay in the print queue

Restart the print spooler: press Win + R, type services.msc, find Print Spooler and choose Restart. If jobs are still stuck, stop the service, delete the files in C:\Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERS, and start it again.

The printer shows as “Offline”

For a network printer, print a configuration report and check that its IP address is the same as the one in the printer port on your PC. If the address changes often, reserve it in your router or set a fixed address on the printer. For USB, try another cable and a USB port directly on the computer, not on a hub.

An old driver is still installed and gets in the way

Remove the printer in Settings, then open Print server properties → Drivers (Settings → Printers & scanners → Print server properties), remove the old Samsung driver, restart the computer and install again.

The printer prints garbled characters

The driver uses a printer language the printer does not understand. Remove the printer and install it again with the model’s own driver or the matching generic driver (see section 3).

Scanning does not work

Scanning needs a separate scan driver. For many old models, no scan driver exists for Windows 10 or 11. On Windows, try Windows Fax and Scan after the printer is installed; on Linux, the SANE scanner tools support some Samsung models.

About this guide: Written by Günay V. from the official instructions of Microsoft, HP and OpenPrinting and from long experience compiling Samsung driver updates. The steps describe Windows 10/11, current macOS and common Linux distributions. If a step looks different on your system, tell us and we will update the guide. How we check driver pages.