How to download a Ricoh print driver

New Ricoh copiers and printers typically come with a CD-ROM that includes a copy of the print driver as well as other utilities and drivers.  However, this print driver may be outdated, or your device may not have come with the CD, or perhaps you just want to update your driver.  In any case, you can download a print driver for your Ricoh copier or printer for free from Ricoh's website.

First, open your web browser and go to http://www.ricoh-usa.com.  Once the Ricoh website loads, click on the big gray Downloads box.

On the downloads page, type your printer's model name or number (for example, C4000 or C420DN) in the search box.  Below that box, uncheck Brochure and Manuals, so that only Drivers/Software is checked.  Then click the Search button next to the search box.

Below the search bar, all of the search results for that model printer will appear.  Scroll through the results until you come to the appropriate model, and click on the link for that model.  Be sure to pick the correct model for your printer.

In order to download a Ricoh print driver, you'll have to agree to Ricoh's software license agreement.  Read through this agreement and, as long as you don't have any objections, click the I Agree button below the agreement.  Then, in a drop down box toward the top of the page, you can choose which language you want to use.  Click on the arrow next to the box and select the appropriate language.

Below the language box, choose which operating system your computer is running.  The choices will probably include the current and recent versions of Windows and Mac OS.  If your computer has a 64-bit processor, be sure to choose the correct option when selecting the operating system, for example Microsoft Windows 7 x64 rather than Microsoft Windows 7.

Once you select an operating system, you'll be taken to the list of available drivers for that OS.  Select the print driver you want from the list by clicking on the download icon in the right hand column.  (For more information on a particular driver, click on the driver's name, and a pop-up window will appear with a brief description of that driver.)

Depending on your operating system and your web browser, the file might download automatically, or you may be prompted to choose a download location.  For Windows drivers, the file will download as an .EXE file, which means once it has finished downloading, you can double click on the file to extract the individual driver files.

Keep in mind that different types of drivers are better suited for different print jobs, so you may wish to download multiple drivers for your computer.  For example, you may want a PostScript driver for PDF printing (assuming your printer has PostScript capability) and a PCL driver for general text printing.

(originally published on Helium.com, October 2011)