Whenever you need to print, you have two different options that you may not know about. The first is our Mobility Print server, and the second is our local print server. Both connect to the same physical printers, but have different options and capabilities. You can tell which is which by looking for (Mobility) at the end of the printer name, which signifies the Mobility Print version of the printer.

Mobility Printing:

Print from anywhere on any device
- Can print from WiFi or mobile devices
Can only use standard options
- No booklets, stapling, special paper, etc.

Standard Printing:

Must be on staff wired network
Must be on Pure Heart computer
Requires Admin setup
Can use all print features

Backstory

Why the change you may ask? Microsoft. About half of the computers on the Pure Heart campus are Windows computers and in mid-2021 researchers discovered a major vulnerability in the Windows print system(see here). The way Microsoft made solutions has required us to change the way that we do printing. The drivers that allow full feature printing are no longer secure, and the drivers that are secure don't allow all features. To mitigate this risk, we split up printing between the secure (Mobility Print) with limited features and insecure (Standard printing) with all features. This split is happening for both Mac and Windows computers because the vulnerability exists on both the client and the server, and our servers run on Windows, which means changes will apply to everyone. Thankfully, Mobility Print (the secure option) also will give us some new features in the long run, such as easier guest printing, print from anywhere, printing from mobile devices, and other features that we are still in the process of testing. To bridge the gap for occasional printers, we have setup a kiosk in the Glendale print room for users who need to print, but don't have the standard printing drivers setup.

A Tale of Two Print Servers Print

Mobility Printing:

Standard Printing:

Backstory

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