TL;DR
Microsoft is fundamentally changing how printing works through the recent announcement of Windows Ready Print, a new architecture designed to reduce long-standing print security vulnerabilities and modernize printing for a Zero Trust world. Windows Protected Print (WPP), announced in 2024, will enforce the use of Windows Ready Print for all Windows printing. While the change improves security and reduces the reliance on high-privilege drivers, it also introduces significant operational challenges for organizations that are unprepared.
When WPP is enabled, traditional printer drivers and queues are removed from the operating system, causing current print workflows to fail. Organizations will need to rebuild significant parts of their print infrastructure to introduce Windows Ready Print IPP-based printing. Planning and visibility are critical. IT leaders should begin evaluating their environments now, start introducing IPP-based printing where possible, and treat WPP as a broader infrastructure and change management initiative rather than a simple driver update.
Microsoft Is Fundamentally Changing Enterprise Printing
Microsoft’s move to Windows Ready Print represents one of the most significant changes to enterprise printing in decades. While the shift has received relatively little mainstream attention, its impact on IT operations, security, and print infrastructure will be substantial.
At its core, Microsoft is modernizing how printing works inside Windows by:
- Removing traditional third-party print drivers
- Standardizing around Internet Printing Protocol (IPP)
- Replacing legacy spoolers and print queues
- Aligning print architecture with Zero Trust principles
- Reducing high-privilege driver and spooler attack surfaces inside the operating system
WPP brings printing into alignment with the broader evolution of enterprise computing. As applications have shifted toward isolated, controlled, and least-privileged access, printing has not kept pace, leaving printing as one of the last Windows subsystems heavily dependent on vendor-managed code deep in the operating system.
Today, WPP exists as an optional Windows configuration. Over time, Microsoft plans to make it the preferred and eventually default printing model.
This is not a temporary feature change; it is a fundamental architectural shift in how Windows printing operates.
Why Microsoft Is Making This Change
For decades, print drivers and print spoolers have operated with elevated privileges inside Windows. That architecture made sense when printing systems were first designed, but it has become increasingly incompatible with modern security models.
Traditional printing relies on:
- High-privilege driver execution
- Large, hard-to-monitor attack surfaces inside the Windows spooler
- Vendor- and printer-specific third-party drivers
- Limited visibility into print activity
- Trusted lateral communication between printers, servers, and computing devices
The 2021 “PrintNightmare” vulnerability exposed how legacy design elements can be exploited by attackers to gain broader access to systems and networks.
Microsoft’s broader security strategy has increasingly focused on pushing applications and services farther away from the operating system kernel and into more isolated, sandboxed environments. WPP extends that philosophy to printing.
By standardizing around IPP and limiting third-party driver access, Microsoft aims to reduce risk and modernize print security to align with Zero Trust principles.
What Changes with Windows Protected Print?
By enforcing the use of Windows Ready Print, WPP eliminates the traditional driver-heavy print model with a more standardized, OS-controlled architecture based on Internet Printing Protocol (“IPP”).
Under this model:
- Traditional third-party print drivers are disabled and removed
- IPP becomes the core print communication protocol
- Print support applications (“PSAs”) replace legacy driver functions
- The operating system controls the print process more directly
- Printing becomes more compatible with Zero Trust security architectures
Although IPP itself is not new, this marks a major shift for Windows environments, where vendor-managed print drivers have dominated for decades.
Other ecosystems, including Apple AirPrint, Android, iOS, and Linux environments have already moved toward IPP-based printing models.
What Happens If Organizations Are Not Prepared?
Implementation is where the WPP introduction will impact operations.
Enabling WPP does not simply modernize an existing print environment; it forces a redesign and rebuild. Organizations need to understand what WPP will do once they enable it because the actions taken by WPP are one-way. Toggling it on and then back off does not undo the steps it takes.
When WPP is enabled:
- Traditional print drivers are removed from enabled endpoints
- Existing print queues disappear
- Printers may vanish from user desktops
- Legacy workflows can fail when enabled on print servers
- Infrastructure may need to be rebuilt around IPP
Printing can stop entirely if organizations have not planned for the transition.
This is particularly challenging because printing is often misunderstood as a simple desktop function when it is actually a deeply integrated enterprise process.
Many organizations rely on:
- Thousands of unique driver configurations
- User-specific printer mappings
- Legacy printers
- Enterprise applications such as SAP and EMR systems
- Complex workflow dependencies
The result is that what appears to be a driver update is in reality a broad infrastructure modernization initiative.
The Biggest Challenges Organizations Will Face
1. Limited Visibility
Many organizations do not fully understand:
- What printers exist
- Where they are located
- Which drivers are in use
- How print workflows operate
Without visibility, planning becomes difficult.
2. Legacy Hardware Constraints
Printers often remain in production far longer than traditional IT hardware refresh cycles. Some older devices may not fully support modern IPP standards.
3. Complex Workflows
Advanced print functions such as:
- Stapling
- Tray selection
- Mixed orientation jobs
- Custom paper sizes
- Advanced color management
May not behave identically under IPP today. Organizations will need to validate workflows carefully.
4. Organizational Coordination
This transition impacts:
- Infrastructure teams
- End-user services
- Help desks
- Security teams
- Operations groups
Success requires cross-functional planning and change management.
The Timeline Is Already Underway
Microsoft introduced WPP in 2024.
Key milestones include:
- 2025: Microsoft stopped enabling new third-party drivers
- 2026: Windows introduces Windows Ready Print, prioritizing IPP printing over traditional drivers
- 2027: WPP is expected to become the default printing setting in Windows
The impact of the re-architecture will be increasingly felt within organizations. This has already started as newly released printers will not have manufacturer driver support beyond legacy drivers. The introduction of Arm-based Windows devices are beginning to encounter print compatibility issues tied to this architectural shift as Microsoft has not carried legacy designs into the Arm platform.
Microsoft’s rollout is underway. The planning window is now.
How Organizations Should Prepare
Make Print Visible
First, understand what you have and how it is being used.
Take inventory:
- Printers
- Drivers
- User behavior
- Usage patterns
- Workflow dependencies
- Device age and compatibility
You cannot modernize what you cannot see.
Introduce IPP Early
Organizations do not need to wait for enforcement deadlines.
Introducing IPP-based printing now allows teams to:
- Identify compatibility gaps
- Test workflows
- Reduce future migration risk
Adopt a Modern Print Management Strategy
Modern print management goes beyond maintaining printer uptime.
Organizations need visibility into:
- Print flows
- User behavior
- Queue management
- Security posture
- Workflow dependencies
Treat This as Change Management
This is not simply an infrastructure upgrade.
End users, help desks, IT operations, and security teams all need to be involved in planning and communication.
The Long-Term Benefits of WPP
Although the transition introduces short-term disruption, the long-term benefits are significant.
Organizations that modernize early can:
- Improve security posture
- Reduce driver complexity
- Standardize print environments
- Better support cloud architectures
- Reduce reliance on on-premises print servers
WPP also aligns printing with broader Zero Trust and cloud modernization strategies.
How Pharos Can Help
Pharos has been helping organizations modernize and simplify complex print environments for years. We have a strong focus on IPP-based, cloud-ready, and Zero Trust security-aligned print architectures. As organizations prepare for WPP, the challenge is not simply replacing drivers, but building a knowledgeable and cohesive plan that charts a path forward without disrupting users and operations.
Pharos helps organizations:
- Bring visibility to existing print environments
- Identify legacy risks and dependencies
- Infroduce phased IPP-based print adoption
- Simplify complex hybrid print environments
- Align print infrastructure with broader Zero Trust security initiatives
- Modernize print operations for cloud and hybrid, distributed work environments
The transition to WPP creates an opportunity for organizations to rethink how printing fits into modern IT operations. With some forethought, this can be an opportunity for organizations to finally create a simple, secure, monitored, and well-managed print environment—one that asks less of in-demand IT resources, but delivers more.
