Mobility Print (available on it’s own) and Print Deploy (bundled with PaperCut NG & MF) are two PaperCut solutions that can be used by administrators to help get users printing.
So which one do you need? Have a look at the table below to decide which best suits the situation. The great news is that these aren’t mutually exclusive choices, you can have both. Print Deploy and Mobility Print each work on their own, but also go together like peanut butter and jelly.
| Mobility Print | Print Deploy | |
| What is it | A free solution that enables admins to quickly and simply share printers with basic features to BYOD users and mobile devices. For quick, basic BYOD printing. | An advanced solution included with PaperCut NG and MF that enables admins to create policies to share or push printers and drivers to users. For full-featured printing with granular controls for schools and workplaces. |
| Tagline | “Free BYOD Solution and Google Cloud Print alternative.” | “Get the right print driver and right print queue to the right person in the right location, every single time.” |
| Typical Environment | Any BYOD setting where users bring personal devices, including... - Higher Education - Coffee shops - Internet Cafes - Libraries - Coworking spaces | Any BYOD setting, plus any environment with managed devices, including… - K-12 - Education - Healthcare - Manufacturing - Finance - Legal |
| Driver options | Generic driver: - Color - Duplex Windows - PaperCut MF support basic printing with Windows Protected Print Mode (WPP) driverless printing when Mobility Print queues are deployed by Print Deploy. | Just about any Windows or macOS driver: - Color - Duplex - Tray selection - Hole punch - Stapling - Printer defaults Windows - PaperCut MF support basic printing with Windows Protected Print Mode (WPP) driverless printing when Mobility Print queues are deployed by Print Deploy. |
| Supported clients | - Windows - macOS - Chrome - iOS - Android | - Windows - macOS - Chrome - Linux - VDI |
| Deployment to users | Self-help setup page for BYOD users, as well as... - Google Workspace - iOS (using Apple Profile) | Self-help setup page for BYOD users, as well as... - Google Workspace - Jamf - Intune - Group Policy - Kandji - VMware WorkspaceOne |
| Selective printer sharing | DIY config file editing for IT-folk to restrict printer access based on network. (Not Mobility Print’s strong suit, we admit.) | Handy, easy-to-use interface for creating ‘zones’ to manage printer access based on network, group membership, or hostname. Printers can also be deployed to specific client computers. (What Print Deploy was made for.) |
| Single Sign-On (SSO) | "Sign-in with Google" for Chrome and Android devices enrolled in Google Workspace. | "Sign-in with Google" for Chrome devices in Google Workspace. "Sign-in with Microsoft" for Windows, macOS, and Linux devices enrolled in Entra ID (formerly Azure). |
| Cloud Printing | For certain devices: - Windows - macOS - Chrome | Not with Print Deploy software by itself, but you can allow users to print directly to your server over the internet. With Print Deploy, all data is encrypted and you can enforce strict CA-signed certificate checking. |
| Compatibility with PaperCut NG and MF | Yes! | Also yes! |
| Cost | Completely Free | Included with NG/MF. Add-on costs for additional ‘zones’ or VDI support. |
| How to get it | Download it here. | Bundled with our award-winning print management software PaperCut NG & MF. PaperCut NG is available with a free trial to download. PaperCut MF is available through our partner network. Click here to get started. |
| Summary | Set up Mobility Print if... - Users can install their own software - You only need basic print driver options - You need to print from iOS or Android - You don't need an easy way to manage printer access selectively - You need cloud printing | Set up Print Deploy if... - Users cannot install their own software - You need advanced print driver options - You need to print from Linux or VDI - You do need an easy way to manage printer access selectively - You don't need cloud printing |
Can I really use both?
Yes! These two pieces of software can safely run alongside each other on the same servers.
For example, many customers use Print Deploy to deploy printers to managed macOS and Windows workstations but also have Mobility Print set up in their waiting room or public wi-fi as a courtesy to guests.
Another way that these two solutions work together is to use Print Deploy to deploy Mobility Print print queues . The features of both combine so you get the benefits of pushing manufacturer drivers to users based on who they are and where they are, plus Mobility Print’s authentication and print job transmission. This is great for environments where user computers are not joined to a local domain (Azure or Google Workspace), users don’t have permissions for point-and-print or some users are using Macs and you are sick of trying to get SMB printing to work.
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