The traditional “castle-and-moat” security model is officially retired. With hybrid workplaces becoming the norm, we can no longer assume that a device is safe just because it’s on your office network.
Users used to only press print onsite, at their desks, but now users print from different locations and devices every day, meaning your print security needs to evolve and adapt.
This is where Zero Trust Architecture (ZTA) becomes the essential framework for your print infrastructure.
Zero Trust shifts focus from a secured perimeter to individual access requests. It operates on a simple but powerful principle: never trust, always verify.
The core tenets of Zero Trust printing
Zero Trust is not a single product you can buy, but a design framework to secure your print environment. You must treat every print job as a unique resource request requiring independent verification.
1. Everything is a resource
In a Zero Trust world, every printer, application, and data element is a resource. Access to a network printer is treated with the same level of scrutiny as access to a sensitive database, ensuring even minor endpoints are not left as open backdoors.
2. Per-session access control
Permissions are granted for each session based on the requester’s identity and context. If a person leaves a secure zone and tries to re-enter, the system requires a new verification process. This stops attackers from riding on a single successful login to move laterally across your network.
3. Least Privilege and micro-segmentation
You should only grant the minimum level of access required to complete a task. By using micro-segmentation, you isolate your printer networks from the main business network. This limits the potential fallout if a single device is compromised.
Protecting your printing is a crucial part of protecting your data, systems, and physical information from cyberattacks and security leaks.
Implementing Zero Trust in a hybrid world
The rise of the hybrid office means staff print from different locations and devices every day. Your security needs to adapt to this “work from anywhere” reality without relying on VPNs or old-school workarounds.
Business printers store, process, and transmit highly sensitive data and convert them into physical objects – invoices, orders, contracts, and agreements. These contain sensitive information like financial and personal data, which are appealing targets to cybercriminals.
Printers can be hacked and used to access your network, data, and systems, or to launch malware or ransomware attacks. It can also be an issue in the physical realm, something like a misplaced or forgotten document can create huge security risks.
MFA and Secure Print Release
Multi-factor authentication (MFA) is no longer optional for remote access. You should combine this with Secure Print Release to ensure jobs are only printed when the person is physically at the machine. It stops sensitive documents from sitting unguarded in an output tray.
Architecture-aware deployment
With the rise of ARM64 devices and AI-equipped PCs in 2026, IT teams must manage mixed-architecture fleets. Native support for ARM64 and tools like Print Deploy ensure that security policies remain consistent, regardless of the hardware architecture being used.
Print devices
Updating firmware, disabling unused ports and protocols, enforcing authentication (e.g. 2FA or MFA) and encryption, and applying patches and updates.
Print documents
Implementing secure printing features, watermarking or digital signatures, and deleting print jobs after completion.
Print network
Securing your print infrastructure, segmenting your network, using firewalls and VPNs, and monitoring and auditing print activity.
Developing a print security policy
To address these vulnerabilities and implement a zero-trust printing policy, you need to develop a comprehensive print security policy:
- Device security: Apply firmware updates, disable unused ports and protocols, enforce authentication and encryption, and apply patches and updates.
- Data security: Implement secure printing features like PIN codes or pull printing, watermarking/digital signatures , and deleting print jobs after completion.
- Network security: Segment your network, use firewalls and VPNs, monitor and audit print activity.
- User security: Verify every user and device before allowing print data access.
Training employees
The weakest link in the security chain is human error. That’s not being judgmental. We’re all capable of mistakes, but sometimes those slip-ups are significant security risks.
The best way to reduce security issues is by training and teaching your workforce in the nuances of print security.
Once secure printing features are implemented, users need to be taught how to use them effectively. Organizations should also communicate why secure printing features are being used, especially when some secure printing practices can be seen as inconvenient and inefficient.
Monitoring and auditing
A prerequisite of Zero Trust is the ability to monitor your assets. This requires the ability to detect anomalies and behavioral shifts in real time – if a device starts acting strangely, the system should automatically adjust access policies.
Taking a Zero Trust approach is about governing access based on the task, the user, and the current status of the requester. It is a proactive way to protect your student or patient data from evolving cyberattacks and ensures your infrastructure remains as agile as your workforce.
The future of print security
Print security is not a one-time event. It’s an ongoing process that requires constant vigilance and adaptation. As the hybrid working reality and modern working world mutates and shifts, print security evolves alongside it.
Adopting zero-trust principles for your print environment can help you secure your printing regardless of where your users are printing from or what devices they are using.
However, zero-trust isn’t a magic security cure-all that means you’ll never have any security leaks and never have to mitigate a security risk ever again.
Zero-trust means your business technologies follow a design framework where access to resources is constantly scrutinized. Access is always verified, no matter who is printing, or how frequently.
Let us help you make sure your printing is secure
Our team of experts can help you choose the right print management solution to simplify how you print – chat to us today to learn more about how PaperCut can help you print simply and securely.
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