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Package-Aware Print Drivers that Share Files

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Important

We recommend that you use Microsoft's IPP inbox class driver, along with Print Support Apps (PSA), to customize the print experience in Windows 10 and 11 for printer device development.

For more information, see the Print support app design guide.

When more than one print driver package shares driver files, the shared files must be isolated into a core driver. For example, Unidrv is a collection of files that many print drivers use, so Unidrv is a core driver.

Unidrv print drivers use the Needs and Include INF-file directives, as shown in the following section of an INF file for Windows XP:

[UniDrvInstall]
CopyFiles=@OEMRES.DLL,@OEMABC.GPD
DataFile=OEMABC.GPD
DataSection=UNIDRV_DATA
Include=NTPRINT.INF
Needs=UNIDRV.OEM,TTFSUB.OEM

In Windows Vista, package-aware drivers should use the new CoreDriverSections keyword when referring to Unidrv files, as shown in the following section of an INF file for Windows Vista:

[UniDrvInstall_Vista]
CopyFiles=@OEMRES.DLL,@OEMABC.GPD
DataFile=OEMABC.GPD
CoreDriverSections="{D20EA372-DD35-4950-9ED8-A6335AFE79F0}, 
 UNIDRV.OEM, UNIDRV_DATA, TTFSUB.OEM"

As of Windows Vista, do not include Ntprint.inf because Unidrv is packaged as a core driver and is referred to by its globally unique identifier (GUID). When using core drivers, do not use the DataSection keyword, but instead refer to this section from the CoreDriverSections keyword.

Core print package files are listed in the following table.

Core File GUID
UNIDRV {D20EA372-DD35-4950-9ED8-A6335AFE79F0}
PSCRIPT {D20EA372-DD35-4950-9ED8-A6335AFE79F1}
PCLXL {D20EA372-DD35-4950-9ED8-A6335AFE79F2}
PLOTTER {D20EA372-DD35-4950-9ED8-A6335AFE79F4}
XPSDRV {D20EA372-DD35-4950-9ED8-A6335AFE79F5}

More than one core driver section can be referenced; for example:

CoreDriverSections="{GUID1}, SectionName1, SectionName2", "{GUID2}, SectionName3"

When installing a driver that depends on a core driver, the print installer will look for the latest version of that core driver in the driver store and will install the newest version.

This section includes the following topics:

Writing Core Drivers

Using Core Drivers

Core Driver Sample