Today marked a major milestone for Microsoft with the release of the much anticipated sequel to Vista, Windows 7. As with any new operating system, there are bound to be questions about which printers or other hardware/accessories will work. Here is a rundown of what the top printer companies are saying about their compatibility, according to PrinterComparison.com.
Brother
As far back as April, Brother announced a product called Windows 7 Device Stage that provides a standardized interface for Windows 7 users to have easy access to a multitude of features from supported Brother printers. They will also be offering a set of Windows 7 drivers on their website, beginning with newer models now, and eventually containing drivers for all current Brother models.
Here is a link to Brother’s release schedule.
Canon
As they classified themselves as a “proud partner” of today’s release, many of their latest offerings are already compatible with Windows 7. For the rest of the Canon printers, drivers are available on Canon’s website.
Here is a link to Canon’s list of compatible products.
Dell
Due to the fact that Dell is primarily a PC company first, they have not been as forward about the compatibility of their devices. Dell lacks any formal documentation like Canon or Brother, but you can visit there drivers and downloads page to find updates if needed.
Here is a link to Dell’s page.
Epson
They announced in May 2009 that they were “proud partner” of today’s release. Following that, as newer models have come out, Epson has included support for Windows 7 on each machine’s installation/driver CD. For older Epson models, they created a support page to find drivers for them.
Here is a link to Epson’s list of compatible products.
HP
HP meets its users head on with their Windows 7 pages and documentation. Their landing site offers a software and driver search on the first page as well as support forums, FAQs, and so on. Another nice feature is being able to get to a page which will let you check for compatibility.
Here is a link to HP’s landing site.
Kodak
Kodak is a bit of a disappointment; even their latest offerings the 5250 and 3250 do not seem to be Windows 7 compatible. They would appear to be more focused on lowering costs of ink, than in compatibility at this point.
Konica Minolta
They are another company that does not appear to offer any compatibility or upgradeable drivers for Windows 7. Check back with them for further updates by all means.
Lexmark
Lexmark is another example of a company that makes compatibility information easy to find. On the front page of their site, there is a link to Windows 7 compatibility under the Drivers and Downloads heading.
Here is a link to a page which allows users to search for the Windows 7 driver for a particular product already owned.
Oki Printing Solutions
While they are a “Gold Partner” with Microsoft which means there products will be compatible, there were no drivers to download. Check back with them for further updates by all means.
Ricoh
It does not appear that any Ricoh products are compatible with Windows 7 as of yet. Check back with them for further updates by all means.
Samsung
Samsung does offer some readily available drivers, but there is no blanket support page for any problems with Windows 7. They do have a more general support page for Samsung inquiries
Here is a link to Samsung’s support site.
Xerox
Xerox offers some direction with Windows 7. It offers a both a PDF discussing compatibility and a driver search for Xerox products.
Here is a link to Xerox’s compatibility page.
Here is a link to Xerox’s driver page.
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