Universal Print is revolutionizing office printing by eliminating the need for print servers, much like OneDrive transformed file storage by removing file servers. This cloud-based print solution is designed to accelerate digital transformation and democratize cloud computing adoption, leveraging the same secure and dependable cloud infrastructure trusted by millions for essential services like Teams and SharePoint.
In today’s dynamic business landscape, your organization faces numerous priorities. Universal Print streamlines print management, reduces operational costs, and seamlessly integrates printing into your background operations, enabling your team to concentrate on core business objectives.
Understanding Cloud Print Solutions
Modern businesses demand enhanced employee mobility, operational flexibility, and seamless integration across their digital toolsets. Simultaneously, robust cybersecurity measures are paramount. To thrive in this environment, organizations require a printing solution that is inherently secure, effortlessly manageable, and infinitely scalable. The ideal solution should align with their current infrastructure and facilitate a smooth transition to cloud-based operations.
While server rooms filled with racks are increasingly becoming relics of the past, replaced by cloud platforms, print infrastructure has presented a more complex migration challenge. The core issue lies in securely and reliably connecting physical printers within your office spaces to the cloud.
Cloud print solutions, such as Universal Print, are designed to simplify cloud migration by replacing complex on-site server configurations and intricate scripting with centralized print management, a highly available distributed infrastructure, and intuitive user experiences. This transition not only liberates IT administrators from tedious maintenance tasks, allowing them to focus on strategic initiatives, but also significantly curtails the expenses, complexities, and inherent problems associated with traditional on-premises print infrastructure.
Why Universal Print is the Right Choice
Universal Print provides compelling advantages if your organization is grappling with:
- Concerns about print data security in a cloud environment.
- Excessive time spent troubleshooting print issues after server or driver updates.
- Difficulties in aggregating data from disparate sources to generate comprehensive cost or usage reports.
- A high volume of support requests from users struggling to identify and connect to nearby printers.
Built upon decades of Microsoft’s expertise in print technology, Universal Print delivers a streamlined and efficient printing experience for both IT administrators and end-users. The fundamental requirements are simply a printer with an internet connection and a device from which to print.
Universal Print effectively reduces costs by simplifying administrative overhead and eliminating print server infrastructure. Simultaneously, it enhances security and reliability by leveraging the robust Microsoft 365 infrastructure that your organization already depends on.
| Benefits for IT Admins | Benefits for Print Users |
|---|---|
| ✅ Centralized Management | ✅ Effortless Printing |
| Manage your entire print environment from a unified interface within the Azure Portal, regardless of your company’s global footprint. | Users experience seamless printing from any location, with deep integrations across Windows, macOS, Intune, OneDrive, and Excel. The intuitive design ensures a zero learning curve, allowing users to remain focused on their tasks. |
| ✅ Reduced Operational Worries | ✅ Easy Printer Discovery |
| Rely on a highly dependable infrastructure and robust data security, built upon the same hardened foundation that supports mission-critical services like Teams and OneDrive. Implement a comprehensive zero-trust security model by leveraging our zero-trust guide (coming soon). | Employees moving between locations no longer need to spend valuable time configuring new printers. Universal Print simplifies printer discovery, enabling users to quickly locate and connect to printers in their vicinity. |
| ✅ Elimination of Print Servers | ✅ Universal Access: Print Anywhere, from Any Device, Any App |
| Bid farewell to the burdens of maintaining, upgrading, and troubleshooting print servers. Universal Print-ready printers require only a network connection and users to operate. No intermediary middleware is necessary. | Universal Print operates over the internet, empowering users to print from any location without the complexities and costs associated with VPNs. Broad platform support for Windows, macOS, and web-based applications ensures printing capabilities from virtually any device and application. |
| ✅ Driverless Printing | |
| Print drivers are notorious for maintenance headaches, system crashes, and security vulnerabilities. Universal Print eliminates the need for print drivers altogether. | |
| ✅ Cloud-Based Identity Management | |
| Leverage Microsoft Entra ID for unified identity management across your entire organization, including print services. Eliminate complex hybrid identity setups. | |
| ✅ Compatibility with Existing Infrastructure | |
| Universal Print seamlessly integrates with your existing printer fleet and supports printing from diverse endpoints, including macOS devices. | |
| ✅ Simplified Regulatory Compliance | |
| Benefit from Microsoft’s extensive portfolio of compliance certifications, which extend to Universal Print, including SOC, ISO 27001/2 and 27018, FedRAMP, and more, streamlining your regulatory obligations. |
Robust Partner Integrations in Universal Print
âž¡ï¸ Explore Universal Print’s Partner Integrations
Universal Print Ready Printers
Leading hardware partners providing Universal Print ready printers, ensuring seamless integration and optimal performance.
Expanding the Universal Print Ecosystem
A diverse ecosystem of Universal Print solution partners, offering enhanced functionalities and customized printing solutions.
Universal Print vs. Traditional On-Premises Print Solutions
As a cloud-native print solution, Universal Print operates with key distinctions compared to traditional on-premises printing systems:
- Internet-Centric Operation: All print jobs and print management activities are conducted over the internet. This architecture liberates users from network constraints, enabling printing from anywhere, while centralizing printer management within the Azure Portal. Microsoft’s dedicated security and operations teams manage the service infrastructure, adhering to stringent security and reliability protocols, resulting in a more secure print environment than self-managed, firewall-protected infrastructures.
- Centralized Printer Reporting: Every printer is registered with Universal Print in the cloud, providing instant access to comprehensive management, status monitoring, and reporting. Gain a holistic overview of your entire print infrastructure or delve into specific printer details with ease, all from a single pane of glass.
- Driverless Architecture: Universal Print leverages industry-standard IPP and Mopria protocols, enabling direct communication between printers and the Universal Print service, eliminating the complexities of deploying, maintaining, and troubleshooting printer drivers.
- Automatic Updates: Universal Print employs a continuous delivery model, ensuring your organization consistently benefits from the latest security enhancements, quality improvements, reliability upgrades, and feature additions. These updates are seamlessly applied in the background, allowing you to focus on strategic business priorities.
Tip
Learn more about Universal Print’s architecture and operational mechanics
Universal Print vs. Other Cloud Print Solutions
While sharing similarities with other cloud print solutions, Universal Print offers distinct advantages:
- Native Integration within the Microsoft Ecosystem: Universal Print is seamlessly integrated into core Microsoft products, including Windows, OneDrive, Excel, and macOS, ensuring a truly plug-and-play experience. No complex configurations or deployments are required – users intuitively discover printers within their familiar applications and operating systems.
- Unparalleled Security, Privacy, and Scalability: Built upon the same robust platform as Microsoft’s most trusted mission-critical services, such as Teams, Exchange, OneDrive, and Office, Universal Print inherits the same industry-leading levels of quality, availability, and security rigor, setting it apart from other cloud print solutions.
- Advanced Print Functionality with Print Support Apps (PSAs): While driverless printing enhances security and simplifies management, it may initially limit access to certain advanced printer functionalities not universally supported by standards like Mopria. To bridge this gap, both Windows and Universal Print support Print Support Apps (PSAs), enabling printer manufacturers to deliver their unique and advanced features in a secure and performant manner.
- Customizable Functionality via Microsoft Graph API: For organizations with custom applications requiring print integration, the Universal Print Microsoft Graph API provides a straightforward path to extend Universal Print’s capabilities and seamlessly incorporate printing into bespoke workflows.
What’s Next?
Universal Print is poised to redefine printing for modern organizations. Explore how it can transform your print infrastructure and contribute to your digital transformation journey.
