Move to Microsoft Universal Print or keep a print server?
Universal Print makes sense if you're fully in Microsoft 365, people work from home, and you don't run complex finishing units. A local print server stays strong if you rely on finishing, accounting (PaperCut) or secure pull-printing.
Try this first
- 1Check licensing. Universal Print is included in Microsoft 365 E3, E5, A3, A5, and Business Premium with a per-user pages allowance per month. Below that you buy capacity packs.
- 2List which printers support Universal Print natively (HP, Canon, Lexmark, Brother, Ricoh, Xerox, Konica Minolta have models that speak it). For the rest you need a Universal Print connector on a Windows machine.
- 3Note what you lose: PaperCut/Equitrac features work differently, finishing options are more limited, older MFPs need a connector.
- 4Pilot one department, not the whole company. Three weeks catches driver edge cases and the mobile-print flow.
- 5If you migrate, retire the old print server in stages. Keep it 4 to 6 weeks as fallback for printers still needing vendor drivers.
When to bring us in
We've made this call for several clients. A 30-minute talk usually tells us whether your setup fits Universal Print or whether a print server is fine for another two years.
See also
- Printer suddenly not foundFor everyone at once: print server or network. For one person: local Windows driver or expired authorisation.
- Print job stuck in queue, nothing happensA stuck queue blocks all subsequent prints. Cleaning takes two minutes.
- Scanner no longer sends emails (scan-to-email)Almost always: the account the scanner uses had its password expire, or the mail provider blocks old protocols.
None of the above fits?
Describe your situation below. We pass your input plus the steps you already saw to our AI and return tailored next-step advice. If it's too risky to DIY, we'll say so.
Or skip the DIY entirely
Our Managed IT clients do not look these things up. One point of contact, a fixed monthly price, resolved within working hours.