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Universal Print

info

TYPE: TS/PVFA Operated Service
STATUS: Limited Deployment, January 2026
CLEAR: NOT CLEARed
BCP/DRP: N/A

Universal Print allows centralized cloud-managed printing through Microsoft 365 without requiring traditional on-prem print deployment methods such as Group Policy printer mapping or VPN connectivity.

Management RACI​

PVFATSPVFATSSAS
Operating System/Infrastructure Management
Patching/UpgradesIIR/A
Security MonitoringIIR/A
Baseline ConfigurationIIR/A
Backups/RecoveryIIR/A
Access ControlIIR/A
Application Management
Patching/UpgradesIIR/A
Security MonitoringIIR/A
Baseline ConfigurationIR/AR/A
Backups/RecoveryIIR/A
Access ControlIR/AI

Prerequisites​

Before configuring Universal Print, ensure the following are in place:

Licensing​

  • Role Security Group (RSG) with:
    • Microsoft A5 Student License
    • Universal Print licensing assigned
note

The RSG group creation is currently handled by the IT Enterprise Architect.
Submit a ticket to helpdesk@tamu.edu.

Required Roles​

Administrators should have:

  • Printer Administrator
    • AU-UEM
    • Directory permissions
  • Cloud Device Administrator
    • Required for device and connector management
note

Recommended Administrative Unit:

AU-<Department>-Devices
Example: AU-PVFA-Devices

Infrastructure Access​

  • Access to Microsoft Entra ID
  • Eligible PIM roles assigned:
    • Printer Administrator
    • Cloud Device Administrator (recommended)
  • Ability to activate roles in Azure Privileged Identity Management (PIM)
important

You must activate required PIM roles before signing into the Universal Print Connector.
If roles are not activated, authentication into the connector will fail.

Connector Setup​

Step 1. Activate PIM Roles

Before installing or signing into the connector:

  1. Go to Azure Privileged Identity Management (PIM)
  2. Activate required roles:
    • Printer Administrator
    • Cloud Device Administrator
  3. Wait for activation to complete

Step 2. Install the Universal Print Connector

Install the connector on the print server: Universal Print Connector installation guide

Step 3. Sign in to the Connector

After installation:

  • Launch the Universal Print Connector
  • Sign in using an account with activated PIM roles

Sign In Print Connect

  • In the Connector name field, enter a connector name

Recommended naming format:

UP-Connector-<Department>

  • Click Register

Register

After registration completes, the connector displays a list of available printers ready to be registered with Universal Print.

Configure Your Connector​

There are two connector settings that should be reviewed during setup:

Connector Config

tip

The Universal Print Connector can automatically collect and send diagnostic data to Microsoft when errors occur to help troubleshoot issues and improve product security. This setting can be disabled if you prefer to manually send diagnostic data only when needed.

Enable Hybrid AD Configuration​

When enabled, the connector uses Active Directory information to submit print jobs using the identity of the user who initiated the print job.

If disabled, print jobs are sent using the local system account on the connector machine instead.

This setting requires additional Active Directory prerequisites.

Registering Printers​

After signing into the connector:

  1. Under Available Printers, select the desired printers
  2. Click Register

Available Printers

The printers will then appear in:

  • Azure Portal
  • Universal Print Connector Registered printers list

Registered Printer

Sharing Printers​

Share a Printer​

To share a single printer:

  1. Navigate to the Printer Shares list
  2. Click Add

Printer Share Add Button

  1. Specify:
    • Share name
    • Printer to share
    • Users and groups that should have access

Recommended standard group:

  • 02 - College Staff/Faculty <College Name>

Create Printer Share

  1. Click Share Printer

Share Multiple Printers Simultaneously​

If multiple printers need to be shared with the same users or groups:

  1. Navigate to the Printers list
  2. Select two or more printers
  3. Click Share
  4. Select users and groups to assign access

The same access settings will be applied to all selected printer shares.

Sharing Multiple Printers

Additional Printer Share Management​

For advanced printer sharing tasks, including:

  • Adding or removing printer shares
  • Managing user and group access
  • Bulk printer sharing
  • Deleting printer shares

Refer to Microsoft documentation:

Share printers using Azure Portal

End User Experience​

Adding the Printer​

Once shared, users can add the printer directly from Windows without VPN or traditional print server mappings.

Users can:

  • Search for printers in Windows
  • Install directly from available devices
  • Print through Microsoft cloud services

Internal documentation:

Printing documentation

Operational Notes / Common Issues​

Connector Login Failure​

Common causes include:

  • PIM roles not activated before login
  • No license assigned to the RSG group

Printers Not Visible to Users​

Verify the following:

  • Printer is shared
  • Correct security groups are assigned
  • User licensing is valid