Microsoft Ushers in the Era of 'Print Anywhere' with Pull Print

Microsoft first introduced Universal Print – a cloud-based print management solution – in 2021. The goal of this service is to eliminate traditional print server infrastructure and cumbersome drivers, helping businesses manage printing needs more flexibly through the power of the cloud.

In November 2024, Microsoft announced that it was developing a pull print feature for Universal Print. Now, this feature is officially available to the general public.

Simply put, pull print allows users to send a print job from anywhere, then go to any printer in the system to pick up the document – all without having to select a printer first. When they reach an available printer, users simply authenticate according to their organization's policy to 'release' the print job and retrieve the document. This approach is what Microsoft calls Universal Print anywhere .

Benefits of Universal Print anywhere

There are 3 typical benefits of Universal Print anywhere including:

• Higher security : Documents are only printed when the user is present at the printer, minimizing the risk of confidential documents being left behind.
• Flexibility : No need to select a printer in advance, can print anywhere, just authenticate according to the organization's policy.
• Environmentally friendly : Reduce paper and ink waste from uncollected print jobs.

Also, Microsoft also emphasizes a simpler experience for both users and administrators:

• Register the printer directly with the Universal Print service or via the Universal Print connector .
• Configure secure print release options.
• Authenticate users according to organizational policies.
• Administrators can preset print options and limit the list of printers that belong to the pull print group.

In the future, Microsoft will work with printer manufacturers (OEMs) to expand integration capabilities.

Universal Print anywhere with pull print is now available to all Microsoft 365 customers with a Universal Print license, at no additional cost . The service is cross-platform, working on both Windows and macOS.