ARM64 support in PaperCut MF Print Deploy
Overview
The printer driver landscape is changing — traditional manufacturer drivers are incompatible with the new ARM64 architecture, and Microsoft is moving to a modern driverless print stack that eliminates the complexity of proprietary drivers.
At the core, x64 and ARM64 are completely different processor designs. Although you can use emulation software (Prism) to enable most x64-based applications to run successfully on ARM64 computers, it doesn’t enable printer drivers to work.
System administrators need to be aware that with the rollout of ARM64 computers and a mixture of available ARM64-compatible and non-compatible printer drivers, printing for end-users could be a problem. This can be solved with PaperCut MF’s Print Deploy support for ARM64.
Key benefits
- Manage a single queue: System administrators can manage a single queue for a mixture of architectures, all within the PaperCut MF admin web interface.
- Keep your existing fleet: Select the built-in PaperCut Global Print Driver when you have ARM64 computers, but your existing fleet of printers doesn’t have Manufacturer ARM64 drivers available.
- Seamless user experience: Users don’t need to know details about their computer in order to print. They simply receive the right print queue that enables printing on their computer, regardless of architecture.
- No more manual workarounds: Eliminates manual processes across the IT department to make printing work on ARM64 computers.
The details
Here’s what our enhanced ARM64 support in Print Deploy looks like:
2 drivers, 1 print queue: The main change we’ve made is that now in Windows, you can clone two drivers for one print queue: an x64 architecture driver and an ARM architecture driver. This enables printing for end-users who previously couldn’t.
Architecture-based deployment: We’ve altered how Print Deploy deploys printer drivers based on the client machine’s CPU architecture.
The cloner reports the architecture into the Print Deploy server: Previously, when Print Deploy deployed drivers to a client, it didn’t take the architecture into consideration. This meant that a printer driver cloned from a reference machine would be deployed to both x64 and ARM clients, regardless of what architectures the driver supported.
Now, when Print Deploy clones a driver, it checks the reference machine’s architecture and includes that information in the driver’s details. So, when a client checks in with the Print Deploy server to fetch the appropriate drivers, the server can check if there is a driver that supports the client’s architecture. If one is available, it will send it to the client to install. Otherwise, no print queue will be installed on the client machine.
Users can still print when no manufacturer driver is available: If there’s no driver for a given architecture for a given printer, we have introduced the flexibility to select the built-in PaperCut Global Print Driver within the admin interface, allowing users to still print with the finishing options they would typically use.
Clear control over which queues to deploy: Now that the cloner is more intelligent, PaperCut MF uses the reported architecture to create clearer distinctions between ARM64 and x64 print queues. This makes it easier for System Administrators to deploy the right print queue to end-users’ computers with fewer errors.
Getting started — we’re almost there!
We’re currently in alpha testing with a few customers to get ready for beta testing with you in 2026.
Register your interest with this form, and we’ll be in touch in the New Year with a beta build for you to run through.