Moving from on-premises print servers to the cloud should simplify your print jobs, but not all cloud printing solutions are built the same. Compatibility issues and potential security risks are frustrating for IT staff and users. Microsoft Universal print enables centralized management for IT administrators without servers or print drivers to maintain. Cutting down on potential issues that interrupt workflows and create delays helps organizations keep processes moving forward smoothly.
To make the process even easier, these best practices will take you from Universal print licensing to deploy Universal print through Microsoft Intune, even if you have noncompatible printers.
Microsoft Universal Print License
Your first order of business is obtaining a Universal print license. This feature is built into Microsoft 365 E3, E5 and Business Premium. Be aware that it uses a pooled licensing model, meaning that each license adds jobs to a pool shared by your entire tenant. M365 E3, E5 and Business Premium all add 100 jobs to the pool whereas standalone or F3 licenses add five jobs to the pool. Choose the right license based on your workload and cost appetite.
What is a job? A “job” counts each time Universal print sends a print job to a printer. The number of pages or copies in the job doesn’t matter. Your pool will only count the jobs, no matter if they’re for 100 copies or one. However, if you click the print button 100 times on the same document, that will count as 100 jobs. You can add extra jobs to your pool: 500 jobs cost $25 per month. You can also add 10,000 jobs for an additional $300 a month.
Prerequisites for Universal Print
Once you’ve selected your licenses, it’s time to examine your technological environment to make sure it’s ready to accommodate your new cloud printing solution. Are your printers capable of supporting Universal print? Microsoft has a list of Universal print ready printers for your reference. If your printer does support Universal print, the manufacturer’s documentation for that particular model will instruct you on what you’ll need to do to get started.
Newer printers are more likely to natively support Universal print, but even if you have an older printer, there’s a solution available through another Microsoft app, the Universal Print Connector. Connector is an app you’ll install on a machine that’s on the same network as the printer. It serves as the go-between communicator for Entra ID and your printer. Make sure that the PC where the Connector is installed stays on: if it’s turned off, no one will be able to print on any printers it handles.
While this may sound like a print server, there are some key differences. One major benefit of the Connector app is it gives you more time to update your printing equipment to a newer model that’s capable of natively connecting to Universal print.
Managing Printers with Universal Print
Once you’re able to verify that your printers will work with Universal print and connect them, you’ll be able to manage your printers via the Azure portal. From here, you can see any printers you’ve set up and share printers or manage existing printer shares. You’ll also be able to configure tenant-wide settings, such as document conversion and macOS support.
Combining Universal Print with Microsoft Intune
If you’re planning on using Intune to automatically deploy printers, which is highly recommended, make sure your users are also licensed for Intune and using an Intune-enrolled device. With Intune, you can push printers out to groups of users and deploy them without ever touching an endpoint.
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