What is Cloud Printing?

Cloud printing refers to printing that occurs over a network and through the cloud. A printer, for example, cannot connect to a smartphone or tablet, but a user may wish to print from these devices. Cloud printing enables any device to print to a printer via a cloud printing solution such as Hewlett-Packard ePrint or Microsoft Universal Print. Unfortunately, there is no universal solution for cloud printing, so it is up to the printer manufacturer or operating system, and not all printer manufacturers support cloud printing.

Note: Cloud printing may also be used commercially to allow users to print to more expensive printers like plotters and 3D printers.

Cloud printing security

When you connect a printer to a network, it, like any other device, introduces additional security risks if not properly secured. Among these dangers are the following.

• A man-in-the-middle attack could see everything printed.
• Someone could hack into the printer and print anything to the printer.
• Any print job queued and stored on a server could be copied if the server storing that information was compromised.