Learn how to update the firmware on HP Enterprise and HP Managed printers.
Similar to service packs for operating systems, HP provides firmware updates for printers to help address any known issues
and add new features throughout the support life of the printer.
To make sure the printer is up to date, HP recommends updating the firmware for HP Enterprise and HP Managed printers. See
the Applicable printers section.
Update the printer firmware
Learn about the different methods available to update the printer firmware.
There are four supported methods to perform a firmware update on this printer depending on whether the printer is in a ready
state or an error state:
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USB flash drive - Maintenance menu (ready state) (locally)
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Embedded Web Server (EWS) (ready state) (remotely)
-
USB flash drive - Preboot menu (error state) (locally)
-
Web Jetadmin (ready state) (multiple printers at one time)
Before you begin
Before upgrading firmware, make sure that any solutions used with the HP printer(s) will support the new firmware version
and review these requirements:
-
A firmware update requires a network connection or USB flash drive, and internet access.
-
This printer cannot be updated using FTP, LPR, or Port 9100 methods.
-
If you have a third-party solution, contact the vendor to make sure that the latest firmware version is compatible with the
solution.
Note:
If device resets are performed as part of the update process, these solutions might need to be reinstalled or reconfigured.
-
If a solution also needs to be updated to support the new firmware, HP recommends updating the solution first before updating the printer.
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A firmware update can require 10 to 30 minutes or more depending on the computer speed and connection type.
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Remote firmware downgrades are not supported. For more information, see the section About firmware downgrades.
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The steps in this document apply to only HP Enterprise and HP Managed printers. See the section Applicable Printers.
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You might need administrator privileges or a passcode to perform these steps.
Applicable printers
This document applies to the following printer models:
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HP LaserJet Enterprise
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HP LaserJet Managed
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HP Officejet Enterprise
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HP PageWide Enterprise
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HP PageWide Managed
For an older small business HP LaserJet printer, use the WJA method or go to HP LaserJet - Update the firmware.
Use the Maintenance menu to update the firmware
Watch the video or follow these steps to update the firmware directly at the control panel on a single printer using a portable USB flash drive:
Note:
These steps should only be used if the printer is able to boot to a 'Ready' state.
Video demonstrating update from HP FutureSmart 4 to 5:
Video demonstrating update from HP FutureSmart 4 to 4.x:
Video demonstrating update from FutureSmart 3 to 4:
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-
Go to the Latest Firmware Versions
document.
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Determine the latest version of firmware available for the printer, and compare it with the version installed on the printer.
To view the installed version, see the section Print a Configuration Page.
-
Use the links in the Latest Firmware Versions
document to go directly to the printer download page.
-
Download the firmware, and then extract all files.
Note:
The firmware file for HP Futuresmart is in the format "xxxxxxx.bdl" where "xxxxxxxx" indicates the firmware file name and
".bdl" is the file extension.
-
After extracting all files, find the .bdl file.
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Copy the .bdl file to a portable USB flash drive.
Note:
USB flash drives in a format other than Fat32, or with a CD formatted partition, might not be recognized by the printer. You
might need to try a different USB flash drive.
-
Make sure the printer is On and in a ready state.
-
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Depending on the firmware level, open either the Support Tools menu or the Device Maintenance menu.
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HP FutureSmart 4 or 5: From the Home screen on the printer control panel, scroll left and select the Support Tools menu.
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HP FutureSmart 3: From the Home screen on the printer control panel, scroll to and select the Device Maintenance menu.
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Open the Maintenance menu.
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Open the USB Firmware Upgrade menu.
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Insert the USB flash drive or storage device with the .bdl file on it into the USB port on the front of the control panel.
Note:
If the message No USB Thumbdrive Files Found displays on the control panel, make sure that the .bdl file is saved to the main
directory and is not inside a folder. If the message persists, try using a different USB flash drive.
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Select the .bdl file.
Note:
If there is more than one .bdl file on the storage device, make sure to scroll and select the correct file for the printer
and firmware version.
-
Select OK or Install (depending on the firmware level).
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Select Upgrade.
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Wait for the upload to complete. When the upload is complete, the printer will reboot automatically and start the update process.
Important:
Do not interrupt the firmware update process. An update could take up to 30 minutes or more to complete.
-
When the printer returns to a Ready state, print a Configuration Page.
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On the Configuration Page, make sure that the new firmware version is installed.
Use the EWS to update the firmware
Watch the video or follow these steps to update the firmware remotely on a single printer connected to a network.
Note:
These steps should only be used if the printer is able to boot to a 'Ready' state.
Video demonstrating update from HP FutureSmart 4 to 4.x or 5:
Video demonstrating update from HP FutureSmart 3 to 4
-
-
Go to the Latest Firmware Versions
document.
-
Determine the latest version of firmware available for the printer, and compare it with the version installed on the printer.
To view the installed version, see the section Print a Configuration Page.
-
Use the links in the Latest Firmware Versions
document to go directly to the printer download page.
-
Download the firmware, and then extract all files.
Note:
The firmware file for HP Futuresmart is in the format "xxxxxxx.bdl" where "xxxxxxxx" indicates the firmware file name and
".bdl" is the file extension.
-
Make sure the printer is On and in a ready state.
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Open the Embedded Web Server (EWS).
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Open an internet Web browser.
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Type the hostname or IP address of the printer in the URL field.
Note:
To obtain the printer's IP address, click the information icon on the control panel or print a Configuration page. For instructions,
see the section Print a Configuration page.
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Press Enter.
-
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Select the General tab.
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In the left pane, select Firmware Upgrade.
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Select Choose File.
Note:
If an Administrator password must be set warning message displays, select the Security tab, select the General Security option in the left pane, and then under the Set the Local Administrator password section, reset the password.
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Browse to the location where the firmware files were extracted and select the .bdl file.
Note:
If there is more than one .bdl file on the storage device, make sure to scroll and select the correct file for the printer
and firmware version.
-
Select Install, and then wait for the update process to complete.
Note:
Do not close the browser window or interrupt communication until the EWS displays the confirmation page. An update could take
up to 30 minutes or more to complete.
-
On the EWS confirmation page, select Restart Now, or wait for the printer to reboot automatically (varies depending on the firmware version). If the printer does not reboot
automatically, turn the printer Off and then On again.
-
After the printer is back online, check the Configuration Page in the EWS or print a Configuration Page and make sure that the new firmware has been installed.
If when updating the firmware using the EWS, the update process hangs or you receive an incorrect/corrupt file error, the
printer should still function but the firmware update is not complete. Use the Maintenance menu method to try again to update the firmware.
Use the Preboot menu to update the firmware
Follow these steps to update the firmware directly at the control panel on a single printer when the printer is in an error state.
Important:
Only use these steps if the printer will not boot to a 'Ready' state, unless otherwise recommended.
Video on how to update firmware from the Preboot menu when the printer is in an error state (YouTube):
-
-
Go to the Latest Firmware Versions
document.
-
Determine the latest version of firmware available for the printer, and compare it with the version installed on the printer.
To view the installed version, see the section Print a Configuration Page.
-
Use the links in the Latest Firmware Versions
document to go directly to the printer download page.
-
Download the firmware, and then extract all files.
Note:
The firmware file for HP Futuresmart is in the format "xxxxxxx.bdl" where "xxxxxxxx" indicates the firmware file name and
".bdl" is the file extension.
-
After extracting all files, find the .bdl file.
-
Copy the .bdl file to a portable USB flash drive.
Note:
USB flash drives in a format other than Fat32, or with a CD formatted partition, might not be recognized by the printer. You
might need to try a different USB flash drive.
-
Turn the printer Off and then On. If the error persists, continue to the next step.
-
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Open the Preboot menu.
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Turn the On, and when the HP logo displays on the control panel and all three Ready, Data, and Attention LEDs illuminate solid,
press Cancel (X).
OR
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Turn the printer On, and when 1/8 displays under the logo, press the HP logo in the middle of the screen.
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Update the firmware.
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Scroll to and select Administrator.
Note:
If the Administrator menu is locked, login using administrator credentials.
-
Scroll to and select Download.
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Insert the portable USB flash drive with the .bdl file on it into the USB port on the front of the control panel (remove the seal if necessary).
-
Scroll to and select USB Thumbdrive.
Note:
If the message No USB Thumbdrive Files Found displays on the control panel, make sure that the .bdl file is saved to the main directory and is not inside a folder. If
the message persists, try using a different USB flash drive.
-
Scroll to and select the .bdl file.
Note:
If there is more than one .bdl file on the storage device, make sure to scroll and select the correct file for the printer
and firmware version.
-
Select OK and wait for the upload to complete.
-
When Complete displays on the control panel, select the back arrow until Continue displays.
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Select Continue. The printer will automatically reboot and start the update process.
Note:
Do not interrupt the firmware update process. An update can take up to 30 minutes or more to complete.
-
Wait for the update to complete and when the printer returns to a Ready state, print a Configuration Page.
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On the Configuration Page, make sure that the new firmware version is installed.
If a Disk Full message displays when using this method, contact the HP support center in your country/region to help troubleshoot the issue.
Use Web Jetadmin (WJA) to update the firmware
Learn how to update the firmware remotely for a single printer or multiple printers at one time using HP Web Jetadmin 10.4 SR2 or newer.
The duration of these steps varies depending on the printer firmware file size and server capacity. Even if HP Web Jetadmin
is installed on a high-end server, HP recommends that you keep other HP Web Jetadmin tasks to a minimum while any firmware
upgrades are running because it is a resource-intensive operation.
Update the firmware using WJA
Follow these steps to update the firmware remotely for a single printer or multiple printers at one time using HP Web Jetadmin 10.4 SR2 or newer.
Note:
These steps should only be used if the printer is able to boot to a 'Ready' state.
-
Make sure you have administrator privileges or a passcode available.
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Connect the client machine to the internet and to the network.
Note:
Only the client machine needs web access through a browser.
-
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Select Device Management.
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Select Firmware and select Repository.
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Download the new firmware files.
Note:
If the client PC does not have internet access, the firmware files can also be downloaded from HP.com to a local PC and then
transferred to the client machine. After transferring the files to the client machine, see the section Manually import firmware files into WJA.
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In the upper right side of the screen, click Get images.
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If prompted to check HP.com, click OK. The Get Firmware Images wizard opens.
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Use the Quick Device Discovery section in the lower-left of the screen to search for printers by IP address. This will highlight
the printer in the device list. You can also sort the device list by clicking on a column name at the top such as Models.
-
Press Ctrl+ click to select each printer until all printers are selected and click Next.
Note:
Make sure to select specific printers in this step otherwise all firmware image files for all HP printers will be retrieved
which will take a long time and impact server space.
-
Browse to the location on the client machine where you want to temporarily download the firmware and click Next.
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Make sure the firmware version is correct and click Get images to automatically locate the latest firmware versions on the Web.
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Wait for the firmware images for the selected printers to download from the Web.
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Make sure the Import firmware images checkbox is selected in the Get Firmware Images wizard and click Done.
The Import Firmware Images wizard opens.
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Import the new firmware files into WJA.
Note:
If the client PC does not have internet access, see the section Manually import firmware files into WJA.
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Select the images to import (indicated by a No value in the Repository column) and click Next.
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Confirm the selected images and click Import.
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Wait for the firmware to import into the Web Jetadmin repository.
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After the import completes, click Done to close the Import Firmware Images wizard.
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To check the current version of firmware installed against nsewer versions available, click All Devices, and then check the Printer Firmware - Severity column. A red 'X' indicates that the firmware needs to be updated.
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Update the firmware from Web Jetadmin for multiple printers at one time.
Note:
You can also schedule a firmware update for a later time or setup automated firmware updates. for instructions, see the section
Setup automated firmware updates.
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In the Repository, click Upgrade Firmware. The Upgrade Firmware wizard opens.
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Select the Device Firmware option and click Next.
Note:
To schedule the update for a later time, click the Schedule firmware upgrade check box.
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Click the Device Model header to sort the printer list alphabetically and then use the arrow button to add the printer(s) you want to update to
the right pane. When all printers are selected, click Next.
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Select the firmware version from the New Version drop-down list and click Next.
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Click Upgrade.
-
Wait for the updates to complete and the printer(s) to reboot.
Important:
Do NOT interrupt or turn the printer off during the update process. When the update is complete, the printer will automatically
reboot. If the firmware update process fails or is interrupted for reasons such as a power outage, it can be completely recovered
by running the firmware download again and reinitiating the download. Web JetAdmin will display a notification with information
about the failure and a link to retry the process.
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When the printer returns to a Ready state, make sure that the new firmware version is installed.
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Click All Devices.
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Under the Printer Firmware - Severity column, a green checkmark indicates that the firmware is up to date.
Note:
If you did not retrieve and import images or forgot to check the Import firmware images check box, this might not be the latest version available. Click the Import button to import files already on the client machine.
Note:
Item count listed under the Printer Firmware - Available in repository column only indicates whether or not firmware has been downloaded for that printer. It might still need to be imported into
the repository.
Manually import firmware files into WJA
To manually import firmware files into WJA, follow these steps.
Note:
The following steps are typically used to import firmware files in WJA when the client PC does not have internet access (for
example).
-
-
-
Click Firmware and click Repository.
-
-
Browse to the location where you saved the firmware, select the images to add to the repository, and then click Next.
Note:
The firmware file for HP FutureSmart is in the format "xxxxxxx.bdl" where "xxxxxxxx" indicates the firmware file name and
".bdl" is the file extension.
-
Select the images to import (indicated by a No value in the Repository column) and click Next.
-
Confirm the selected images and click Import.
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After the import completes, click Done.
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Wait for the firmware to import into the Web Jetadmin repository and click Done.
Setup automated firmware updates from WJA
Learn how to setup automated firmware updates from WJA.
To setup automated firmware updates, set a tag for either the qualified version or the latest version of firmware, and then
assign a policy to a group of printers for which you want to automatically update firmware.
-
Select Edit properties, type a Description such as FutureSmart FW version 3.
Note:
If you do not want to use the latest version of firmware and only want to use a known version that has been tested with the
fleet, select the Qualify image check box and click OK.
-
Click All Devices.
-
Use Ctrl+ click to select a group of printers, right-click and select Add devices to new group.
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Type a group name and click Next.
-
Right-click the group name and select Edit group policies....
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Click Add.
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Select the policy option Upgrade Printer firmware, select the trigger option Devices added to group, select the policy action Update to latest version or Update to qualified version, and then click Close.
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Click Next and click Save Policies.
Print a Configuration page
Learn how to print a printer Configuration page.
The control panel display and steps to print a configuration page will vary according to the installed firmware level.
Print a Configuration page from the control panel
Follow the steps below to print a configuration page from the printer control panel.
HP FutureSmart 4 and 5
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From the Home screen on the printer control panel, scroll to and select Reports.
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Select Configuration/Status Pages option.
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Select the Configuration Page option.
-
Select Print to print the configuration page.
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On the Configuration Page, look in the Device Information section for the Firmware Revision and Firmware Datecode similar to the following example:
HP FutureSmart 3
-
From the Home screen on the printer control panel, scroll to and select Administration.
-
Open the following menus:
-
Select the Configuration Page option.
-
Select Print to print the configuration page.
-
On the Configuration Page, look in the Device Information section for the Firmware Revision and Firmware Datecode similar to the following example:
Print a Configuration page from the EWS
Follow the steps below to print a configuration page from the printer's Embedded Web Server (EWS).
-
From the EWS home page, select the Information tab.
-
Select Printable Reports and Pages from the left navigation pane.
Note:
If the Printable Reports and Pages menu is locked, login using administrator credentials.
-
Select Configuration page and select Print.
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On the Configuration Page in the Device Information section, locate the Firmware Revision and Firmware Datecode similar to the following example:
