WPP, ARM64, zero trust networking, and partner intelligence were among the key themes shaping PaperCut’s roadmap for MF and Hive
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At its June 2026 Partner Summit, PaperCut examined how a series of industry shifts are fundamentally changing print management. The conversation was framed around three questions:
PaperCut suggested that the industry is experiencing the effects of rapid IT modernization, where improvements in security, device management, and platform architecture often introduce new layers of complexity for print environments. PaperCut described the current environment as a perfect storm of modernization initiatives. Windows Protected Print (WPP), ARM64 devices, Windows 10 end-of-life, cloud-based device management, zero trust security models, and increasingly segmented networks are collectively disrupting many of the assumptions on which traditional print environments were built.
The company referred to this convergence as a potential “printing blackout”—a scenario where organizations that fail to adapt their print infrastructure risk increasing deployment complexity, compatibility issues, and support costs. At the same time, PaperCut sees these changes creating significant opportunities for partners to help customers modernize their print environments.
Avoiding the Printing Blackout
The first session focused on what PaperCut called “Who Broke the Print Driver?” and explored how WPP, ARM64 devices, and evolving print architectures are reshaping client printing.
According to the company, WPP has become a major catalyst for change. While adoption remains low today, WPP fundamentally alters how Windows handles printing and removes reliance on traditional print drivers. At the same time, ARM64-based Windows devices powered by Snapdragon processors are gaining momentum, creating new compatibility challenges as most existing print environments were designed around x64 architectures.
Additional pressure comes from Windows 10 end-of-life and the broader shift toward modern endpoint platforms. PaperCut noted that many organizations are evaluating how to support a growing mix of ARM64 Windows devices, Apple Silicon Macs, Chromebooks, and traditional Windows PCs without increasing support overhead.
To address these challenges, PaperCut highlighted its Print Deploy solution for PaperCut MF and Print Queue Deployment for Hive. Both solutions utilize the PaperCut Global PostScript Driver and ARM64-compatible drivers to help maintain compatibility across multiple architectures.
One practical challenge discussed during the session was WPP’s impact on existing print environments. Enabling WPP can remove existing print queues, potentially creating disruption for end users. PaperCut demonstrated how Print Deploy can automatically re-deploy those queues, helping organizations transition to modern print environments with minimal user impact.
Looking further ahead, the company outlined its vision for reducing dependency on traditional print drivers altogether. Future developments will focus on automatically discovering printer capabilities through IPP, dynamically building print queues, and exposing advanced finishing options regardless of operating system. PaperCut also discussed plans to automatically convert print jobs into supported formats when devices lack native IPP or PDF support.
Rethinking Print Deployment
PaperCut then turned its attention to deployment with “Who Broke the Silent Install?”, focusing on how cloud identity, modern endpoint management, and increasingly diverse client platforms are changing the way print environments are deployed and managed.
Historically, print deployments relied heavily on active directory, group policy, and centralized Windows management. Today, organizations are increasingly adopting Microsoft Intune, Jamf, cloud identity providers, and a growing mix of ARM64 and x64 devices—making traditional deployment methods harder to maintain and scale. The result is increased complexity for administrators, greater demands on support teams, and a growing need for more automated approaches to print deployment.
PaperCut positioned its deployment technologies as a bridge between traditional print environments and modern device management platforms. By leveraging Print Deploy and Print Queue Deployment, organizations can automate queue delivery, simplify administration, and reduce the burden on helpdesk teams.
Printing in a Zero Trust World
The final discussion “Who Broke the Network?” focused on security and network architecture. PaperCut co-founder and CEO Chris Dance described security as one of the biggest disruptors to the traditional ease of printing. He noted that hybrid work, network segmentation, and Zero Trust principles have fundamentally changed how print environments operate. As a result, the traditional expectation that printing “just works”—a long-standing hallmark of PaperCut deployments can no longer be taken for granted.
PaperCut positioned Pull Delivery as a response to these evolving requirements, enabling printers to securely retrieve jobs from the cloud while aligning more closely with modern security architectures.
The company also addressed concerns around cloud printing performance. As print workflows move away from local infrastructure, maintaining speed and responsiveness becomes increasingly important. PaperCut outlined ongoing efforts to optimize job delivery and improve responsiveness while preserving the flexibility benefits of cloud printing.
The AI-Accelerated Partner
PaperCut then shifted its focus from infrastructure challenges to what it described as the AI-Accelerated Partner, beginning with a demonstration of its AI-powered Intelligent Assistant. Unlike a generic ChatGPT-style tool, the assistant leverages PaperCut’s own knowledge base, print telemetry, and operational data to provide customer-specific insights and recommendations.
PaperCut also provided an exclusive preview of Partner Intelligence, an upcoming capability within the PaperCut Multiverse platform designed to help sales, technical, and service teams identify opportunities across their customer base. The platform continuously analyses customer environments and surfaces actionable insights through weekly email briefings, customer overviews, fleet analysis, health checks, and security assessments. Examples include identifying upcoming renewals, potential upsell opportunities, fleet changes, security concerns, and other operational issues requiring attention.
The Intelligent Assistant acts as a conversational layer across these capabilities, enabling partners to quickly obtain tailored recommendations based on customer-specific data. Security Briefings, for example, focus on deployment choices and configuration settings rather than product vulnerabilities, helping customers improve their overall security posture.
Roadmap Highlights
The summit concluded with roadmap updates for PaperCut Hive and PaperCut MF 26, reinforcing the company’s broader focus on modernization, cloud identity, and simplified administration.
For PaperCut Hive, the roadmap continues to expand enterprise capabilities. Upcoming enhancements include groups management, broader group synchronization capabilities with future Okta integration, and expanded pull delivery support for additional manufacturers, including Fujifilm, Toshiba, and HP. PaperCut also highlighted plans for a Hive Single Installer, alongside enhancements to shared accounts and payment gateway functionality aimed at simplifying deployment and administration.
On the PaperCut MF side, the upcoming MF 26 release places a strong emphasis on authentication and platform modernization. The release introduces a centralized authentication hub and expanded SAML 2.0 support for identity providers such as Microsoft Entra ID, Google, Okta, JumpCloud, and PingFederate. Additional updates include ARM64 support reaching general availability, a refreshed embedded user interface, a new Ricoh embedded application, and a broader supportability initiative designed to improve the overall customer and partner experience.
Looking further ahead, PaperCut also discussed several initiatives planned for the second half of 2026, including native Apple Silicon clients, modernization of payment services, accessibility enhancements, and continued investment in core platform capabilities.
Keypoint Intelligence Opinion
The most significant takeaway from PaperCut’s June 2026 Partner Summit was not a single product announcement, but the company’s recognition that print management is entering a period of rapid change.
Whether driven by WPP, ARM64 adoption, cloud-based identity, or zero trust networking, many of the assumptions underpinning traditional print environments are being challenged. PaperCut’s roadmap for MF and Hive reflects an effort to help organizations navigate that transition while avoiding what the company described as a potential “printing blackout.”
At the same time, Partner Intelligence signals a broader ambition beyond print infrastructure alone. By combining print telemetry, operational data, and AI-driven analysis, PaperCut aims to help partners proactively identify opportunities, strengthen customer relationships, and deliver greater business value.
Taken together, the company’s technology roadmap and AI initiatives suggest a future where print management is not only easier to deploy and secure, but also more intelligent, proactive, and aligned with the evolving needs of modern IT environments.
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