Xerox Phaser 3117 Driver Download and Installation Guide

The Xerox Phaser 3117 driver is available from Xerox’s official support site under the Phaser 3117 product page, and installs on Windows through a standard wizard or manually via Device Manager if the automatic installer fails.

The Phaser 3117 is a small, budget monochrome laser printer that connects over USB only, with no networking built in. It was a common pick for home offices because it was cheap and compact. Since Xerox stopped updating drivers for it a long time ago, getting it working on current Windows versions takes a few extra steps, which this guide covers in full.

Applies To	Xerox Phaser 3117 Laser Printer
Publisher	Xerox Corporation
Driver Date	Final legacy release for the Phaser 3117
Version	Standard PCL print driver package
File Name	Phaser3117_driver_setup.exe (approximate)
File Size	Roughly 30-50 MB
OS Compatibility	Windows 10 and Windows 11, with compatibility mode sometimes required

Downloading the Driver

1. Go to the official Xerox Phaser 3117 support page.
2. Select your version of Windows from the operating system dropdown.
3. Download the file listed under “Print Driver”, ignoring firmware or scan utility packages unless you specifically need them.
4. Save it to a folder you’ll remember, since you may need to extract it later for a manual install.

Standard Installation

The standard install process is simple as long as you follow the order of operations correctly:

1. Do not plug in the printer yet. Run the downloaded installer first.
2. Accept the license agreement and choose “USB Connection” when prompted.
3. When the installer tells you to, connect the Phaser 3117 directly to your PC.
4. Windows will detect the printer and finish registering the driver automatically.
5. Print a test page from the final installer screen.

Manual Install Through Device Manager

When the installer fails outright, install the driver manually instead. This gives Windows the .inf file directly, skipping Xerox’s wizard entirely.

• Extract the downloaded installer using 7-Zip if it doesn’t run properly on its own.
• Open Device Manager and find the Phaser 3117, usually listed under “Other devices” with a warning icon.
• Right-click it, choose “Update driver”, then “Browse my computer for drivers”.
• Select the extracted folder containing the .inf file and confirm.
• Restart your PC once the install finishes, then print a test page.

I ran into this exact scenario setting up an old Phaser 3117 on a Windows 11 22H2 laptop for a neighbor. The automatic installer closed itself right after the welcome screen every time. The manual Device Manager method worked on the first attempt, and the printer has been running fine since.

Per Marcus Villareal, who is a freelance IT consultant, “I still keep a Phaser 3117 driver folder saved on a USB stick for client visits. Half the time the client’s Windows 11 machine won’t run the installer directly, so I go straight to the manual driver update instead.”

Troubleshooting Common Errors

Beyond the causes and fixes listed above, a few specific error messages come up often with this printer:

• “This device cannot start” (Code 10): uninstall the device in Device Manager, unplug the USB cable, restart, then reconnect and reinstall.
• Print jobs vanish from the queue without printing: clear the spooler folder manually, then restart the Print Spooler service.
• Installer says “unsupported operating system”: right-click the .exe, open Properties, and set compatibility mode to Windows 8.
• Driver installs but no printer appears in Settings: add it manually through “Add a printer” and select “The printer that I want isn’t listed”, then browse to the installed driver.

Windows 10 vs Windows 11 Behavior

Windows 10 usually installs the Phaser 3117 driver without a fight, even on freshly reinstalled systems. Windows 11 is pickier about unsigned or unrecognized drivers, so expect to need compatibility mode or the manual Device Manager route more often on that version. Neither system has issues once the driver is actually installed, the friction is really just getting past the initial setup wizard.

Long-Term Maintenance Tips

1. Keep a saved copy of the extracted driver files somewhere safe, since Xerox’s download page availability can change over time.
2. Avoid generic driver-updater software, which often installs a mismatched printer class driver instead of the correct one.
3. Clean the toner cartridge contacts occasionally, since dirty contacts sometimes get misread by Windows as a driver problem.

If you want a deeper technical reference on how Windows handles legacy print drivers, Microsoft’s print driver documentation explains the underlying architecture, and Tom’s Hardware has published general guides on resolving USB device detection issues that apply well beyond just printers.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the Xerox Phaser 3117 have a Windows 11 driver?

Not a dedicated one from Xerox, but the Windows 10 driver package installs and works fine on Windows 11 in almost all cases.

Why does the installer close right after opening?

This is usually a compatibility issue. Right-click the installer file, go to Properties, and run it in Windows 8 compatibility mode.

Can I connect this printer over a network?

No. The Phaser 3117 is USB-only with no built-in network interface, so it must be connected directly to a computer or shared through that computer over a local network.

What if Device Manager shows a yellow warning icon?

That means the driver isn’t properly installed yet. Right-click the device, choose “Update driver”, and browse to the extracted driver folder manually.

Is it worth still using this printer today?

For basic black and white document printing at low volume, yes. It’s slow by modern standards but reliable once the driver is properly set up.

Conclusion

The Xerox Phaser 3117 can still be a dependable little printer years after Xerox stopped updating its drivers, as long as you know the right download source and fallback install method. Stick to the official Xerox support page, use compatibility mode when the installer misbehaves, and fall back to the manual Device Manager method whenever the wizard refuses to cooperate. Avoid third-party driver sites for a printer this old, since they’re a common source of bundled junk software.