Stop Printing Chaos: Moving Your Brisbane Office from Local Print Servers to Microsoft Universal Print

Summary

This guide helps you troubleshoot and resolve: Stop Printing Chaos: Moving Your Brisbane Office from Local Print Servers to Microsoft Universal Print. Follow the steps below to fix the issue.

Common Causes

Moving away from a local print server removes the need to manage physical hardware, install drivers on every workstation, and troubleshoot network connectivity issues within the office. Microsoft Universal Print allows your Brisbane-based business to move printing to the cloud, letting employees print from any device without relying on a server sitting in a cupboard. This guide walks you through retiring your local print server and transitioning to a modern, serverless printing environment.

Why retire your local print server?

Maintaining a physical print server comes with hidden running costs that often go unnoticed until something fails. Beyond the initial hardware purchase, you are paying for ongoing electricity, air conditioning to keep the server cool, UPS battery replacements, warranty renewals, and replacement parts. When the hardware fails, your entire office loses printing capability until the server is repaired or replaced. By moving to Microsoft Universal Print, you eliminate these hardware headaches and reduce the administrative burden on your IT support.

Quick Fix Steps

1. Verify that your printers are compatible with Microsoft Universal Print or connect them via a Universal Print connector.
2. Register your printers in the Microsoft Endpoint Manager admin centre.
3. Assign printers to users or groups through Microsoft Intune.
4. Install the Universal Print client on Windows workstations.
5. Decommission and disconnect the local print server once cloud printing is confirmed working.

Detailed Instructions

1. Check printer compatibility

Not all printers support Universal Print natively. Review the Microsoft Universal Print compatible printer list to see if your hardware is supported. If your printer is not on the list, you will need to set up a Universal Print connector using a Windows Server or Windows 10/11 machine that remains on the network to act as a bridge between the printer and the cloud.

2. Register printers in Microsoft Endpoint Manager

1. Sign in to the Microsoft Endpoint Manager admin centre.
2. Navigate to Devices > Universal Print > Printers.
3. Select Add and follow the prompts to register your printer or connector.
4. Give the printer a clear name that matches its physical location, such as Brisbane-Office-Main-Floor.

3. Assign printers to users

1. In the Endpoint Manager admin centre, go to Devices > Universal Print > Printers.
2. Select the printer you want to share.
3. Choose Assignments and add the Azure AD groups or individual users who should have access.
4. Save the configuration.

4. Configure Windows workstations

1. Ensure each workstation is joined to Azure AD or hybrid Azure AD.
2. Install the Universal Print client from the Microsoft Store or deploy it via Intune.
3. Open Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners.
4. Select Add device and choose the cloud-registered printer from the list.
5. Print a test page to confirm connectivity.

5. Retire the local print server

1. Notify all staff of the migration date and advise them to remove old printer mappings.
2. On each workstation, go to Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners and remove printers that were connected to the local server.
3. Disable the print server role on the local server or power down the physical machine.
4. Monitor print jobs for one week to ensure no users are still relying on the old server.
5. Once confirmed, decommission the hardware and arrange for responsible e-waste recycling.

Troubleshooting

Printer does not appear in the cloud list

• Ensure the Universal Print connector is running and connected to the internet.
• Check that the printer is powered on and connected to the same network as the connector.
• Verify that the printer was successfully registered in the Endpoint Manager admin centre.

Users cannot find the printer on their workstation

• Confirm the user is signed in with their work or school account.
• Check that the user or their group has been assigned to the printer in Universal Print.
• Restart the Universal Print client service on the workstation.

Print jobs fail or get stuck

• Run the Windows Printer troubleshooter via Settings > System > Troubleshoot > Other troubleshooters.
• Ensure the workstation has an active internet connection.
• Remove and re-add the printer from Printers & scanners in Settings.

Retiring your local print server removes a single point of failure from your office and reduces ongoing infrastructure costs. If you encounter issues during the migration or need assistance configuring Universal Print for your organisation, Open a Ticket.

If you host with us, you don't need to do this yourself — just Open a Ticket and our Brisbane team will get it sorted.

Still Having Issues?