Print security
Printers secured like the computers they are.
Print security is the work of protecting the documents your printers handle and the devices themselves, delivered by Print Fleet Management across Australia and New Zealand. We encrypt print data, hold jobs until their owner releases them, patch devices and keep audit trails of who printed what.
At a glance
Last updated
- AES-256 (256-bit) encryption, secure release and audit trails
- Essential Eight aligned
- Security patches rolled out in under 24 hours
- Supports Privacy Act 1988 obligations
What print security is
Print security covers two things: the documents that pass through your printers, and the printers themselves. A modern multifunction device has an operating system, a network connection, storage and user accounts. If it is left on default settings and never patched, it is an unmanaged computer on your network holding copies of sensitive documents.
Printers are networked computers that handle some of your most sensitive information. We configure, patch and monitor them like it, and keep the records you need when someone asks who printed what.
What is included
Print security includes the following as standard.
- AES-256 (256-bit) encryption, secure release and audit trails
- Essential Eight aligned
- Security patches rolled out in under 24 hours
- Supports Privacy Act 1988 (and My Health Records Act 2012) obligations through secure release and audit trails
How each control works
Encryption protects print data with 256-bit encryption, so a job cannot be read if it is intercepted on its way to the printer. Secure release, sometimes called pull printing, holds every job until the person who sent it authenticates at the device. Nothing is left in an output tray for someone else to collect.
Audit trails record who printed what, when and on which device. When a question comes up about a document, or you need to show how printed information is handled, the record already exists.
Automatic document purging prevents sensitive information remaining on device storage. Devices keep working copies of the documents they process; purging means those copies do not build up on the device.
Configuration and patching
Every device is configured the same way when it joins the fleet, with secure release enabled and settings that match the rest of your environment. Our approach is Essential Eight aligned, applying the same principles to printers that you apply to the rest of your environment.
Security patches are rolled out in under 24 hours. Because devices are monitored 24/7, we can see which devices have been updated and which still need attention, across every brand in the fleet.
How it is rolled out
Print security is deployed through the same Assess, Plan, Deploy and Optimise process as our other services.
- Assess: we review each device's configuration, firmware, storage and network exposure, and how sensitive documents are printed today
- Plan: we agree secure release, encryption, audit and purging settings with your IT and privacy contacts
- Deploy: settings are applied consistently across every device and site, alongside monitoring
- Optimise: patches, audit trails and configuration are kept current and reported
Who print security matters to
Every organisation prints something it would not want left on a tray, but some carry heavier obligations. Signs print security needs attention:
- Patient, client, student or staff records are printed regularly
- Printers are on default settings or have not been patched in a long time
- Nobody can say who printed a particular document
- Documents are found uncollected at shared devices
- Printers are not included in your security reviews
What changes for IT, finance and staff
For IT and security teams, printers stop being a gap in the environment. Configuration, patching and monitoring are handled for every device, and audit trails are available when you need them.
For privacy and risk owners, secure release and audit trails support Privacy Act 1988 obligations, and My Health Records Act 2012 obligations in healthcare settings.
For staff, the change is small: they release their job at the printer when they are ready to collect it. Secure release also reduces wasted printing, because jobs that are never collected are never printed.
Questions to ask about printer security
Whichever provider manages your printers, these questions are worth asking.
- Is print data encrypted in transit, and with what standard?
- Does every job wait for its owner at the device?
- Can you show who printed a specific document, and when?
- How quickly are security patches applied, and how is that reported?
- What happens to documents stored on the device, including when it is replaced?
- Is the configuration the same across every brand in the fleet?
Brands, sites and industries
Security settings are applied consistently across Xerox-Lexmark, Konica Minolta, Kyocera, HP and Ricoh devices, so a mixed fleet does not mean mixed protection. Print security is especially relevant in healthcare, legal, financial services and government, where printed documents often contain personal or confidential information.
Questions
Print security FAQ
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