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Print delivery - overview

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What is print delivery?

At its simplest, print delivery refers to how a print system transfers a document from your computer to a specified printer. While there are various methods to accomplish print delivery, the core process involves transmitting print data from one location to another.

Traditionally, print delivery relies on a printer driver being installed on the user’s computer. When a document is printed, the data is sent from the printer driver directly to the printer via the printer’s IP address. Historically, the most common method for delivering print jobs was unencrypted over port 9100, with nearly all printers supporting this port.

However, print delivery has evolved significantly! Today, users can send print jobs that don’t automatically print, and then release the documents on any selected printer at a later time. Additionally, new secure protocols and cloud integration enable printers to pull print data directly from online storage, enhancing both print convenience and security.

Why reliable and secure print delivery is important

First and foremost, print delivery must be reliable. There’s nothing more frustrating for a user than pressing “print,” and nothing prints out! Even experienced IT professionals can find it challenging to troubleshoot unreliable printing.

Security is another critical aspect of print delivery. Historically, printers have been a common target for cyberattacks, with incidents of print data being intercepted during transmission. Additionally, print jobs left unattended at printers can lead to confidential information falling into the wrong hands, posing significant risks to organizations.

For IT administrators, managing print delivery can be cumbersome. Each printer manufacturer has its own unique drivers that must be installed and regularly updated on each computer for the relevant users. Admins must also determine the best, most reliable print protocol to use with the driver for each manufacturer. Some printers even use proprietary languages and protocols, adding further complexity.

Compounding these challenges, Microsoft is phasing out support for traditional printer drivers in favour of a more secure, vendor-neutral approach known as Windows Protected Print Mode. This shift aims to simplify the printing process while enhancing security. You can read more about that in the complete guide to Windows Protected Print Mode (WPP).

Practical examples of print delivery

There are many print delivery options that you can tailor to meet the unique needs of any environment. While we can’t cover every scenario, here are some common setups.

Local, small, and medium-sized businesses (SMB)

In SMBs, a direct-to-printer solution is often the norm. Each user typically has all the printers relevant to them installed on their computer. Many manufacturers offer built-in hold-release features, so users send print jobs directly to the printer and confirm printing at the printer’s screen before the document is released and printed.

Education

Schools of all sizes commonly implement print management solutions like PaperCut MF or PaperCut Hive. These systems often feature a single print queue for all users. The management solution securely holds the user’s print jobs, and the user has to log in to the device to release them. This promotes efficiency and reduces paper waste.

International companies

Organizations with multiple offices around the globe often utilize solutions like PaperCut Hive to facilitate printing across the internet, WANs, and VPNs. This is because while print data might travel to the cloud, maintaining security is paramount. These companies typically employ secure print protocols, such as IPPS, to ensure all data is encrypted during transmission.

Here are some suggestions and best practices for printing in environments with no print management software:

Create secure print environments

As an administrator, it’s crucial to restrict users from installing their own print queues on company computers. Since printer drivers require system access, allowing users to install untrusted drivers can lead to security breaches. Administrators should deploy and maintain all printer drivers to ensure a secure environment.

Run user training

Many end-users are unaware of the extensive functionality that printer drivers offer, such as hold and locked printing or the ability to print directly to a printer’s document storage. While print management software is the optimal solution for managing these features, some functionality can be replicated through manufacturer-specific print drivers. Providing user training on these capabilities can enhance efficiency and minimize printing errors.

Transition to Windows Protected Print Mode

Consider planning a transition to Windows Protected Print Mode in the future. Because this method will become the default for all Windows environments, being familiar with it is beneficial as the Microsoft ecosystem evolves.

Implement access control settings

Many printers come equipped with access control settings that allow you to specify network ranges from which the printers will accept print jobs. Implementing these controls can prevent unauthorized or untrusted devices from sending print jobs to your printer.

How PaperCut Hive and Pocket do print delivery

PaperCut Hive and Pocket provide all the tools necessary to meet your organization’s printing requirements. You can select your desired print protocol, allow PaperCut to find the optimal printing path, or manually input your preferred routing path for print data.

As discussed earlier, for a print job to reach the printer it must be transmitted from a device that can communicate with the printer over the chosen delivery method. For PaperCut Hive and Pocket, the transmission is handled by the print client software installed on all of the organization’s Windows and Mac devices used for printing. PaperCut Hive or Pocket then determines which of the clients is best positioned to deliver the print data to the designated printer.

Here’s an overview of the current print delivery options available with PaperCut Hive and Pocket.

With PaperCut Hive and Pocket, for each individual printer you can choose between 3 protocol options to be used. For example, some printers might not support, or work well with IPP, so you may want to choose one of the other options.

We recommend contacting your PaperCut Partner to determine which protocol(s) is best for your environment.

You can either set a single protocol or create a hierarchy of choices, allowing PaperCut to automatically switch to the next available protocol if the preferred one is unavailable. All the details are covered on the Print Protocol page.

  • IPP (Internet Printing Protocol)
    This modern method secures document data by encrypting it while it’s being transmitted.. With IPP there is more communication between the printer and the submitting print client, so PaperCut can better track, for example, how many pages successfully printed or if the printer is in error. However, some printers might have limited support for IPP, and reliability can vary across devices.
  • RAW 9100
    The tried-and-true printer port, RAW 9100 is the most widely used and supported print protocol. Its broad adoption makes it one of the most reliable and fastest options. The trade-off is that print data is not encrypted during transmission between the client and printer. Additionally, to enable this protocol you must deploy a manufacturer’s native print driver with PaperCut’s Queues and Drivers feature.
  • Local Queue
    PaperCut can utilize print queues installed on users’ devices that directly point to the printer’s IP. This method allows routing print jobs through pre-existing print queues. You’ll need to set up a dedicated client with configured local queues and use a Print Delivery Profile to explicitly link the dedicated client with the chosen printer.

Autopilot

The most critical aspect of print delivery is ensuring that print jobs are successfully completed. To achieve this, PaperCut Hive and Pocket submits print data to the printer through the print client software on the user’s computer. Autopilot is PaperCut’s default intelligent feature that automatically determines which client(s) are best positioned to pass the print data to the printer.

To explore Autopilot in more depth and understand its capabilities, take a look at our Autopilot page.

In complex environments where Autopilot might not perform efficiently, we recommend using Print Delivery Profiles. These profiles allow administrators complete control to define the specific route a print job takes through the network. You can select dedicated clients to handle print-related tasks or assign specific network segments to a printer. .

To learn more, head over to About Print Delivery Profiles .

Cloud Delivery (coming soon)

The most modern form of print delivery is true cloud printing. This method transmits print data directly from the Cloud to the printer, no longer requiring the print client software to perform the task. This feature will be coming to PaperCut Hive and Pocket in 2025. You can learn more about it on the Cloud Delivery page.

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