What is Secure Print?

Last Updated on September 28, 2023 by Christian Ralph

Through printer-drivers and software, manufacturers have long held security as a key part of their production but these days Xerox Printers and HP Laser Printers have enterprise security measures built-in by design from day one.

Secure Print is an enhanced security feature which allows users to print documents confidentially using in-person authentication at the point of printing.

In today’s modern workplace, security has never been more important. As the sophistication of cyber threats continues to evolve, so to must security software. When it comes to potential entry points for a malicious attack, printers are often overlooked. It is for this reason that printers have increasingly become the target of data attacks and confidentiality breaches.

Secure Print technology was designed to enhance printer security and help eliminate the possibility of confidential printed documents being made available to unauthorised parties either in person or via an online data breach.

How Does Secure Print Work?

Whilst various printer manufacturers may have different approaches to implementing Secure Print features, the basic methods remain fundamentally similar.

The Secure Print process involves the following core stages.

Firstly, the user chooses the document they wish to print and selects “secure print” from the print properties menu.

Once the print job has been submitted for print, the document is stored within the printer’s onboard memory instead of being automatically printed as with conventional print methods.

With the print job now available for print at the user’s printer of choice, the user needs to make their way to the printer in person order to authenticate themselves in person.

Authentication can be achieved via various methods including a unique personal identification (PIN) number, card access or using biometric validation. Once the user has been authenticated, the user is able to release the print job securely. Now the hardcopy has been retrieved, the encrypted print job is automatically deleted from the printer’s storage, ensuring no other users have potential access to the document file.

What’s the difference between Secure Print & Pull Print?

When it comes to differentiating Secure Print and Pull Print, the differences can be hard to spot initially.

Whilst both Secure Print and Pull Printing are designed to reduce waste and protect sensitive data, the two technologies fundamentally differ.

Pull Printing allows users to send print jobs to multiple printers on an available network for pick up from the printer of the user’s choice, whilst Secure Printing ensures print jobs are released only to a specific, pre-determined printer.

The biggest difference between Secure Printing & Pull Printing becomes apparent during the release stage of the printing job.

Although Pull Printing is designed to hold print jobs at a range of potential printers for pick up at multiple points of printing, Pull Printing does not specifically require in-person user authentication prior to the release of the printing job. Whilst Pull Printing does reduce the likelihood of sensitive documents being left uncollected on a printer’s output tray, the main objectives of Pull Printing is to reduce paper wastage and improve convenience.

In contrast, Secure Printing’s core objective is to boost security and ensure the confidentiality of sensitive information.

By requiring user authentication prior to print release, Secure Printing protects sensitive data making it the perfect solution for work environments where strict data confidentiality is required.

Which Industries can Benefit from Secure Print?

Whilst confidentiality and data protection are important in every work environment, there are several industries in particular that can benefit from the added security that Secure Print offers.

Legal Sector

Throughout the legal sector, ensuring client confidentiality is a critical task. With law firms dealing with a huge number of sensitive documents on a daily basis, ensuring print management solutions remain secure is crucial.

Secure Print can help legal firms protect sensitive data with a range of advanced features including the ability to provide authorisation to document printing on an employee-by-employee basis, allowing law firms to ensure regulatory compliance, maintain client confidentiality and reduce third party print management costs.

Healthcare Sector

With healthcare providers required to meet a range of data security regulations to ensure compliance, secure printing solutions have become increasingly important.

Secure Print can play a vital role in allowing healthcare providers to meet various regulatory requirements including the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA), allowing healthcare trusts such as the NHS to significantly reduce print management costs and improve workflows whilst ensuring patient privacy remains protected.

Educational Sector

Secure Print technology offers a whole host of benefits to a range of educational institutions from primary care up to post graduate studies. With educational environments hosting a range of documents containing sensitive student data, ensuring a secure print management solution is in place is key.

With educational institutions required to adhere to a range of regulations including General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the European Union, Secure Print technology aids educational institutions maintain compliance with a range of security features including user authentication, audit trails and secure print job release capabilities all designed to help protect student and caregiver data.

Secure Print features can also aid users in regard to student examinations with the ability to ensure examination papers remain confidential and reduce or eliminate the possibility of tampering, leakage or unauthorised access to exam materials. With the ability to control access to authorised staff members and print tracking capabilities, Secure Print security ensures exam paper integrity remains strong.

Purchasing a Secure Print Enabled Printer with Printerland

Hopefully this article has helped explain the concept of Secure Print and highlight the potential benefits of adding a Secure Print enabled printer to your work environment. Secure Print is a powerful tool in safeguarding sensitive information and upholding the confidentiality of printed documents. By using a combination of secure printing technologies including user authentication, print release mechanisms and document encryption, your data remains safe and confidentiality intact.

Printerland stocks a broad range of Secure Print enabled printers from leading manufacturers including Xerox, HP, Epson and more. All our Secure Print enabled printers are available for instant purchase online or if you require more information regarding your decision, why not contact a member of our team of printer experts for bespoke advice to help you find a Secure Print solution to best suit your needs.