If you’re like most businesses, your copiers and printers quietly sit in the corner doing their job—and rarely get a second thought. But here’s the problem: those “boring” devices are often the weakest link in your printer security. They store documents, connect to your network, and can be accessed remotely. That makes them a real target, not just office furniture. In this guide, Carolina Business Technologies, Inc. will walk you through a practical, no-nonsense printer security checklist you can actually stick with.
Why Printer Security Matters More Than You Think
Modern printers are basically specialized computers:
They have hard drives or memory that store documents.
They connect to your Wi-Fi or wired network.
They can be accessed from laptops, phones, and even from outside the building if not configured correctly.
If a printer is left wide open, someone could:
Reprint or view confidential documents
Snoop on print jobs sent over the network
Use the printer as a doorway into the rest of your systems
That’s why securing your printers is just as important as securing your laptops, servers, and Wi-Fi.
Step 1: Change Default Logins and Lock Down Admin Access
This is the low-hanging fruit—and it’s often missed.
Most printers ship with default usernames and passwords like “admin/admin” or “1234.” If those are still in place, anyone who knows the printer’s IP address or can access the panel can change settings, reroute print jobs, or shut it down.
Checklist:
Change the default admin username and password immediately.
Use strong passwords (at least 12 characters, mix of letters, numbers, symbols).
Limit admin access to specific people—typically IT, office manager, or leadership.
If the printer supports role-based access, set different permission levels for regular users vs. admins.
This one step alone eliminates one of the easiest ways an attacker can get in.
Step 2: Place Printers on a Secure Network
Your network layout matters. If your printers share the same open network as guest Wi-Fi or untrusted devices, you’re asking for trouble.
Better approach:
Put printers on a secure internal network segment or VLAN.
Don’t allow direct access from the public internet.
Require remote users to connect via a secure VPN to print.
Talk with your IT provider or managed print partner (like Carolina Business Technologies, Inc.) to make sure your printers are placed correctly on the network and locked down from the outside.
Step 3: Turn On Encryption for Data in Transit
When you hit “Print,” your document travels from your computer to the printer. If that traffic isn’t protected, someone with the right tools could intercept it.
Look for options in your printer’s settings like:
Secure print protocols (e.g., IPPS instead of plain IPP, HTTPS instead of HTTP)
TLS/SSL encryption for web interfaces
Disabling outdated and insecure protocols (like FTP or Telnet)
If this sounds technical, don’t worry—that’s where your IT provider or a trusted office technology partner comes in. The key is simple: make sure data going to and from the printer is encrypted, not sent in the clear.
Step 4: Require User Authentication for Sensitive Printing
One common real-world risk:
You print a confidential document… then get distracted. It sits on the tray, visible to everyone who walks by.
Secure print features solve this by holding documents in a queue until the user walks up to the device and authenticates.
Common options include:
PIN codes
Swipe cards or key fobs
Login with username/password or single sign-on
Benefits:
Prevents sensitive documents from being left unattended
Tracks who printed what and when
Reduces waste from forgotten print jobs
If your office handles HR records, financial reports, legal documents, or healthcare information, this step is huge.
Step 5: Control Who Can Copy, Scan, and Fax
Security isn’t just about printing. Most modern multifunction devices also:
Copy
Scan to email or network folders
Fax
Each of those actions can expose sensitive information.
Best practices:
Restrict color copying or scanning if you handle sensitive paper records.
Limit “scan to email” or “scan to external domain” to approved users.
Log scan and fax activity when possible.
Turn off features your team doesn’t use. (If nobody needs fax, disable it.)
The more tightly you control these functions, the less likely your data is to walk out the door.
Step 6: Keep Printer Firmware and Software Updated
Just like your phone or laptop, printers receive firmware updates that:
Patch security vulnerabilities
Improve stability and performance
Add or improve security features
The problem? Many offices plug in a device and never update it again.
Checklist:
Identify who is responsible for tracking printer firmware (internal IT or your managed print provider).
Set a schedule to check for updates—quarterly is a good starting point.
Apply security patches as part of your normal IT maintenance routine.
For a deeper dive into why firmware patching matters, you can review general device security guidance from organizations like NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology):
Learn more about securing office devices at NIST.
Step 7: Enable Logging and Audit Trails
If something suspicious happens, you’ll want to know:
Who printed a certain document?
Who changed the device settings?
When did a large batch of sensitive files get scanned out?
Many business-class printers allow you to:
Log print, copy, scan, and fax activity
Require users to authenticate
Export or review logs centrally
This helps with:
Internal accountability
Security investigations
Compliance with industry regulations
Work with your IT team or Carolina Business Technologies, Inc. to set up logging that matches the sensitivity of your data.
Step 8: Secure the Physical Device
Not all threats come through the network. Sometimes, it’s as simple as someone walking up and:
Plugging in a USB drive
Reprinting recent jobs from the device history
Accessing system menus from the control panel
Physical security tips:
Place printers in supervised areas, not public lobbies whenever possible.
Disable USB ports if they’re not needed.
Set the device to automatically clear stored jobs after printing.
Lock the room or cabinet where very sensitive devices are placed.
Think of your printers the same way you think of your file cabinets—you wouldn’t leave sensitive files out in a hallway.
Step 9: Protect and Wipe Printer Hard Drives
Many copiers and printers have internal storage that keeps:
Copies of recent print jobs
Address books
Scan destinations
System logs
Over time, that can add up to a lot of sensitive information.
Ongoing practices:
Turn on automatic overwriting or “data erase” features after jobs complete.
Make secure wiping part of your end-of-life procedure when returning leased devices or recycling old ones.
Confirm with your provider exactly how data is destroyed before a device leaves your office.
Carolina Business Technologies, Inc. can help you build a clear, repeatable offboarding process for old machines so your data doesn’t leave with the hardware.
Step 10: Train Your Team on Everyday Printer Security
Even the best security settings won’t help if people don’t use them. Your team doesn’t need a full cybersecurity course, just simple, practical habits:
Teach employees to:
Avoid leaving sensitive documents on trays.
Use secure print for confidential jobs.
Report strange behavior on the printer (error messages, unusual reboots, or unknown print jobs).
Never plug unapproved USB drives into office devices.
Short reminders during onboarding or staff meetings can go a long way toward making printer security part of your culture—not just an IT checkbox.
Make Printer Security a Set-and-Repeat Habit
You don’t have to tackle everything in a single day. Start with the basics:
Change default passwords.
Put printers on a secure network.
Turn on encryption and secure print.
Then schedule time—twice a year—to review the full checklist:
Are firmware updates current?
Are users still trained and following the rules?
Have any new printers been added without the right setup?
When you treat printers like the critical network devices they really are, you dramatically reduce your risk of data leaks, compliance problems, and unwanted surprises.
If you’d like help reviewing your current setup or building a printer security plan that fits your business, Carolina Business Technologies, Inc. can guide you through every step—from device selection to secure configuration and ongoing maintenance.