Windows Print server alternatives

Superduck · 2021-11-05T16:28:18+00:00

Our on prem Windows infrastructure is getting very minimal, but the one area I haven't been able to find a good solution for is our print server. We are currently in a hybrid AD/ Azure AD environment, using Windows print queues. We are looking at moving our workstations from AD joined to Azure AD joined, and ideally I don't really want to keep our domain running just to manage print queues. We have a total of approximately 20 print devices spread across 15 locations with minimum 100 Mb/s connections and generate hundreds of print jobs per day, but most at the location with the print server. Hoping the Hive Mind can suggest alternatives. Requirements Must have Network printing for Windows endpoints Nice to have Support for a handful of Macs IT management and visibility across all devices/queues Support for mobile devices (low, low priority) Support for users moving between physical sites to easily add printers (or automatically add) for the location Minimize WAN and Internet traffic (lower priority) Items I have looked at include 1. Keeping Windows print queues 2. Moving to direct IP printing. This is the best alternative so far. Driver management becomes more work, but can probably be handled with Intune. Biggest downside is we lose some visibility and management of our devices. 3. Microsoft Universal Print. Seems like a good solution, but gets expensive, so much so that the effort to maintain an on-prem domain and print server is worth it. 4. Papercut Pocket. A early looks, might be a good fit, but have not fully investigated it yet. ARE there any other good options that are worth investigating? Thanks.

Thread starter Superduck
Start date Nov 5, 2021

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Nov 5, 2021

Nov 5, 2021

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#2

There are other client based solutions out there that would be similar to papercut and I think would make the most sense if you planning on moving to Azure AD and not keep AD around.

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Windows Print server alternatives

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