ARM64 Cloud Printing: How to Support Modern Endpoint Fleets
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Enterprise devices are changing faster than many print environments can keep up.
IT teams are no longer managing a uniform fleet of Windows desktops connected to local print servers. Today’s endpoint environment may include Windows 11 laptops, ARM64 devices, Apple Silicon Macs, cloud-managed endpoints, shared workstations, remote employees, contractors, and users moving between multiple offices.
Printing, however, is often still built around older assumptions: domain-joined computers, Group Policy printer mappings, manufacturer-specific drivers, local print servers, and predictable corporate networks.
As organizations modernize their endpoints, those assumptions can quickly turn printing into a compatibility problem.
Modern device fleets need print infrastructure that reduces legacy driver dependency, supports standardized protocols such as IPP, centralizes management, secures print traffic, and works consistently across devices and locations.
Why ARM64 Devices Create Printing Problems
ARM64 devices use ARM-based processors rather than the traditional x86 or x64 architecture found in most older Windows computers.
These devices are becoming more common because they can offer longer battery life, improved mobility, and strong performance. However, they can expose weaknesses in traditional print environments.
Many enterprise printers still depend on manufacturer-specific drivers developed for x64 Windows systems. If an ARM64-compatible version is unavailable, users may experience:
Drivers that will not install
Shared printers that fail to connect
Missing finishing or tray options
Limited multifunction printer capabilities
Inconsistent printing after a device refresh
Workarounds for basic print tasks
To the user, the problem is simple: “I can’t print.”
For IT, it may reveal a much larger infrastructure issue. The printer fleet may depend on outdated drivers, the print server may not support newer architectures, or the organization may not know which devices support modern driverless printing.
ARM64 printing problems are rarely limited to one laptop. They are often evidence that the underlying print architecture needs to be modernized.
Modern Endpoint Printing Is Bigger Than ARM64
ARM64 is only one part of the shift.
Many organizations must now support a mixed fleet that includes Windows 11 devices, Apple Silicon Macs, mobile devices, remote users, cloud-managed computers, shared workstations, and bring-your-own-device environments.
Traditional print infrastructure was not designed for this level of variation.
A legacy environment may assume that users are connected to the corporate network, their devices are domain joined, printers are mapped through Group Policy, and drivers can be installed locally or delivered through a print server.
That approach becomes harder to maintain when users work remotely, move between locations, or use devices with different processor architectures and operating systems.
Modern endpoint printing should support mixed fleets by design rather than treating Mac, ARM64, and remote users as exceptions.
Windows Protected Print Mode Changes the Equation
Windows Protected Print Mode, or WPP, is another reason organizations need to reconsider driver-heavy printing.
WPP uses the modern Windows print stack and reduces reliance on traditional third-party printer drivers. It is part of a broader move toward more secure and standardized printing through technologies such as IPP.
For organizations introducing ARM64 devices, WPP is not a separate challenge. Both changes point toward the same need:
Fewer manufacturer-specific drivers
Greater use of IPP-compatible printers
Better support across endpoint architectures
Secure print communication
Centralized cloud-based management
A clear plan for legacy printers and workflows
A print environment that depends heavily on older drivers may become increasingly difficult to support as both Windows and endpoint hardware evolve.
Why IPP Matters for Modern Devices
IPP, or Internet Printing Protocol, gives devices and printers a standardized way to communicate.
Instead of installing a separate architecture-specific driver for every printer model, compatible endpoints can use a modern print path based on common standards.
For ARM64 devices, this can reduce dependence on printer manufacturers releasing and maintaining separate ARM64 drivers. For Windows Protected Print Mode, IPP aligns with the modern Windows print stack. For mixed-device fleets, it provides a more consistent foundation across Windows and Mac endpoints.
Before an endpoint refresh, IT teams should identify:
Which printers support IPP or IPPS
Which printers still require legacy drivers
Which queues depend on print-server drivers
Which devices use Windows x64, Windows ARM64, or macOS
Which workflows require advanced finishing features
Which printers support business-critical operations
This assessment helps identify devices that can be modernized, printers that require reconfiguration, and hardware that may need to be replaced.
How Cloud Printing Supports Mixed Endpoint Fleets
Cloud print management moves printer deployment, access, policies, and administration away from individual offices and local print servers.
For modern device fleets, this can help IT teams:
Support Windows, Mac, and ARM64 endpoints more consistently
Reduce manual driver installation
Deploy printers without Group Policy
Support users across offices and locations
Reduce VPN-dependent printing
Centralize printer access and policies
Prepare for Windows Protected Print Mode
Retire aging print servers gradually
Improve visibility into print activity
Driverless printing simplifies the endpoint connection, but organizations still need to manage authentication, access, secure release, reporting, certificates, specialized workflows, and continuity.
Cloud print management provides the administrative layer needed to make modern printing manageable at scale.
Make Printing Part of Every Device Refresh
Printing is often considered too late in an endpoint modernization project.
A rollout may be well underway before IT discovers that new ARM64 laptops cannot use a critical printer driver or that Mac users require a separate setup process.
Printing should be tested before new devices reach production.
Testing should include more than printing a basic test page. IT teams should validate:
Printer discovery and deployment
IPP and IPPS connectivity
Secure-release workflows
Duplex, tray, and finishing options
ARM64 and Apple Silicon compatibility
Label and specialty printers
Business-critical applications
Cloud-managed and remote endpoints
Printing during an internet outage
Testing actual department workflows helps prevent a device refresh from creating a sudden increase in help desk tickets.
How PF360 Print Supports Modern Endpoints
PF360 Print helps organizations modernize printing across mixed endpoint environments.
ARM64 Support
PF360 Print supports ARM64 devices across cloud and on-premises deployments. This allows organizations to introduce newer Windows hardware without maintaining a separate print management process for ARM64 users.
IPP Support for WPP Readiness
PF360 Print supports IPP printers for Windows Protected Print Mode readiness. This helps organizations reduce reliance on legacy drivers and move toward the modern Windows print stack.
Secure IPPS Certificate Management
PF360 Print supports IPPS certificate management, making it easier to deploy and maintain certificates for encrypted print communication.
Backup Printing
PF360 Print’s Backup Printer feature allows users to continue printing locally if internet connectivity is disrupted. This is especially important for healthcare, government, finance, education, and other environments with operationally critical printing.
Flexible Deployment
Organizations can use PF360 Print in cloud or on-premises environments, allowing them to modernize in phases while retaining support for specialized workflows and local requirements.
Prepare Before Modern Devices Expose Legacy Problems
ARM64 devices, Apple Silicon Macs, Windows 11, cloud-based endpoint management, and Windows Protected Print Mode are changing what organizations need from print infrastructure.
A print environment built around legacy drivers and local print servers will become increasingly difficult to support across new devices and distributed users.
A modern endpoint cloud printing strategy can help organizations reduce driver dependency, support mixed device fleets, secure print communication, centralize administration, and maintain local continuity during outages.
PF360 Print supports that transition with ARM64 compatibility, IPP support for WPP readiness, IPPS certificate management, backup printing, and flexible cloud or on-premises deployment.
Organizations planning a device refresh, Windows 11 migration, or print server replacement should assess print readiness before new endpoints reach users.
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