Last year, Microsoft announced Universal Print and then rolled out the Windows 10 service in public preview. Earlier this year, the tool become generally available for all Microsoft 365 customers. Microsoft is now making another change to Universal Print by integrating it with its OneDrive application.
According to Microsoft, Universal Print will become a permanent part of OneDrive. In other words, users of the cloud storage and file sharing platform will be able to tap into the printing tool:
“Before Universal Print, an IT admin or device owner had to install a printer on the device so they could use it to print documents. In a large organization where people often have multiple devices and use multiple printers, this experience can range from inconvenient to completely unmanageable.
Universal Print integration with OneDrive on the web will solve this problem by enabling people to print documents hosted in OneDrive directly to a printer in their organization without needing to install any printers on their devices.”
Cloud Printing
Universal Print works through cloud servers provided by Microsoft Azure. It is designed to remove the complexity of organizations handling their own print servers. IT admins can tap into Universal Print to deploy print tools through Windows Server in Microsoft 365.
For IT departments, Universal Print makes time management more efficient. Admins now longer have to worry about handling the updating of drivers, manage print servers, and other obstacles. Organizations can leverage the feature on single printers or across a network. While all resources are in the cloud, on-premises users will still be able to access printers in much the same way they do now.
By integrating with OneDrive, Microsoft is pushing a step closer to its goal of cloud printing. In OneDrive, users can print without needing access to printer drivers. Simply click “Print” and choose a printer that is compatible with Universal Print.
Microsoft is rolling out the new integration to OneDrive customers this week.
Tip of the day: It's a good idea to backup your computer on a regular basis, and the most fool-proof way is to manually create a disk image in Windows 10 and save it to an external hard drive.
Last Updated on February 14, 2022 8:22 pm CET