What a printer driver actually does
A driver is a translation layer between your computer and your printer. When you press Print in Word or a PDF viewer, your operating system converts the document into instructions the printer understands — page size, colour data, resolution, paper type. Without a driver, Windows or macOS has no idea how to speak to the Smart Tank 580 at all.
This is why installing only the basic driver often leaves people confused: printing works, but scanning is missing entirely. The full-feature package is what restores the scanner, the ink level readouts and the HP Smart interface.
Which driver package should you choose?
HP offers three different packages. For most people the first one is the right answer:
- Full Feature Driver — printing, scanning, copying, ink levels and HP Smart. This is the recommended choice.
- Basic Driver (INF) — printing only. Choose this if you never scan, or you want a lightweight install on an office PC.
- HP Easy Start — a small setup assistant that detects your printer and fetches the correct driver for you. This is the standard route on Mac.
Check these before you download
- Whether your Windows is 32-bit or 64-bit — open Settings › System › About and read "System type".
- That the printer is switched on and sitting near your router if you plan to set it up wirelessly.
- That any older HP printer software is uninstalled first, since leftover drivers are a common cause of install failures.