--- title: "Azure Virtual Desktop Printing | Cloud Print for AVD" description: "Reliable cloud printing for Azure Virtual Desktop. No drivers on session hosts, no printer redirection failures." type: article version: 1 version_id: "7b10cb98-5ee6-4009-bed6-2d78a3b948ae" generated_at: "2026-05-19T08:19:01.702Z" language: en reading_time: "11 min" word_count: 2078 keywords: ["Azure Virtual Desktop Printing", "Cloud Print for AVD", "Keep Session Hosts Driver-Free", "One Experience Across Campus", "Frequently Asked Questions"] url: "https://www.ezeep.com/use-cases/azure-virtual-desktop-printing" --- # Azure Virtual Desktop Printing | Cloud Print for AVD > Reliable cloud printing for Azure Virtual Desktop. No drivers on session hosts, no printer redirection failures. ## Key Takeaways - Why Printing in Azure Virtual Desktop Gets Complicated - One Printing Experience Across All AVD Sessions and Devices - Drop the Print Servers Entirely - Keep Session Hosts Driver-Free - Right Printers, Every Session, Automatically # Cloud Printing for Azure Virtual Desktop Without Print Servers Azure Virtual Desktop makes desktops flexible and scalable, but printing shouldn't mean juggling multiple print paths, drivers, or workarounds. ezeep replaces print servers with cloud printing that works across AVD sessions, local printers, and any device. 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Combining them creates more problems than it solves. ### Multiple Print Paths, None of Them Complete Local printer redirection, Universal Print, and GPO-based mapping each solve part of the problem but create their own failure points. Running two or three print paths in parallel means two or three things for IT to troubleshoot when printing breaks. ### Drivers and Redirection Degrade AVD Performance Installing printer drivers on session hosts bloats golden images, causes spooler crashes, and slows logins. Printer redirection competes with display protocols for bandwidth and often drops print properties like tray selection, duplex, and color. #### Remote and Hybrid Users Get the Worst Experience GPO-based printer mapping breaks across locations. VPN-dependent setups fail when users work from home or branches. Device types vary from thin clients to Macs to phones, and each one behaves differently with AVD's built-in printing options. How ezeep Makes It Work ## One Printing Experience Across All AVD Sessions and Devices ## Drop the Print Servers Entirely The ezeep Hub replaces print servers in your AVD environment, removing VPNs and driver management from the equation. It connects your network printers to the cloud securely, so every printer is accessible from any AVD session without hardware costs, licensing, or maintenance windows. [Meet the ezeep Hub Click to Meet the ezeep Hub](https://www.ezeep.com/ezeep-hub?hsLang=en) ## Keep Session Hosts Driver-Free Stop installing and maintaining printer drivers on session hosts and golden images. ezeep handles all rendering in the cloud, so your AVD environment stays clean, performant, and free of driver conflicts. Golden image updates no longer mean testing and repackaging printer drivers. [Explore Driverless Printing Click to Explore Driverless Printing](https://www.ezeep.com/features/driverless-printing?hsLang=en) ## Right Printers, Every Session, Automatically With AnyPrinter, users get a single intelligent printer queue that always routes to the right device, eliminating long printer lists and wrong printer selection entirely. Printer Profiles let IT pre-set defaults like duplex, color, and tray selection per user or group, saving time and reducing errors. No manual configuration, no help desk calls. [See All Features Click to See All Features](https://www.ezeep.com/features?hsLang=en) ## Bridge AVD to Your On-Premises Printers ezeep connects your AVD environment in Azure directly to printers in your offices and branches. Once connected, every printer is available in every AVD session without VPNs or network workarounds, from Windows, Mac, Chromebook, thin client, web client, or mobile devices on iOS, iPadOS, and Android. [Learn About Hybrid Printing Click to Learn About Hybrid Printing](https://www.ezeep.com/use-cases/hybrid-remote-printing?hsLang=en) ## Keep Sensitive Documents Controlled Pull Printing holds jobs until the user authenticates at the device with their smartphone or ID card. Unclaimed pages on a shared tray are a compliance risk. Nothing prints until someone is standing there to collect it. [Discover Secure Pull Printing Click to Discover Secure Pull Printing](https://www.ezeep.com/features/pull-printing?hsLang=en) ## Less Infrastructure. More Calm. Move campus printing to the cloud and reduce the day-to-day maintenance burden. Have fewer patches, fewer queue mysteries, and fewer "it broke overnight" surprises. Server-Free Centralized Less Upkeep ## One Experience Across Campus Support the real education device mix - Chromebooks, MacBooks, Windows laptops, tablets, and phones - across libraries, labs, dorms, and shared printers without special steps per department or "this printer only works on that OS." Campus-Wide Cross-Platform User-Friendly ## Permissions That Actually Make Sense Tie printer visibility and access to identity and groups, so students, staff, faculty, and researchers see the right printers by role, building, and department - all without constant manual adjustments. Role-Based Location-Aware Consistent ## Temporary Access, Without Temporary Chaos Support guest lecturers, visiting scholars, events, and short-term programs with controlled access that doesn't create recurring IT work or one-off setups. Temporary Access Controlled Low Effort ## Confidential Pages Stay With The Right Person Reduce tray exposure in busy shared spaces. Pull Printing helps ensure jobs only release when the user authenticates at the printer with their school ID, helping protect exams, registrar documents, and sensitive student records. Private Release Less Mix-Ups Auditable ## Visibility Finance Can Actually Use Understand usage across departments and locations, support quotas and accountability, and make it easier for busier and finance teams to track print spend without turning IT into the print police.  Measurable Accountable Budget-Friendly ## Cost Recovery Without The Busywork For campuses that charge students to print, ezeepCampus adds Self-Join onboarding and credit-based printing, so students and staff can self-serve while your institution keeps pricing and access under control. Self-Join Credit-Based Accountable - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Azure Printing Compared ## How AVD Printing Options Compare Azure offers multiple ways to print, but mixing them creates more complexity than clarity. Here's how the three most common approaches stack up. **Default Azure Printing** **Universal Print** **ezeep** **Requires** VPN connectivity and network proximity to printers Print server or UP-ready printers, Entra ID-joined endpoints, additional licenses, internet-accessible printers ezeep Hub or ezeep Connector **Print Properties** Limited to portrait/landscape through local redirection Limited by printer compatibility Full print properties and finishing options with every printer **Printer Compatibility** Only printers reachable via VPN Requires UP-compatible hardware or a connector Works with virtually any network or USB printer **Remote/Hybrid Support** Requires VPN, breaks across locations No local printer redirection or automatic mapping Users print from home, office, or branch with no VPN **Infrastructure** Ongoing VPN costs and GPO-based mapping Local servers with maintenance and power costs No print servers **Print Paths** One path, VPN-dependent Creates a second path alongside default setup One consistent path for all printers and locations One platform. One printing experience. No parallel setups to explain or maintain. ## Identity-Based Printing with Microsoft Entra ID ezeep integrates directly with [Microsoft Entra ID](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/security/business/identity-access/microsoft-entra-id), allowing IT to [sync users and groups with a single click](https://support.ezeep.com/en/support/solutions/articles/43000686911-microsoft-entra-id-group-import) and assign printers without recreating organizational structures or managing GPO-based policies. Once users sign in with their Entra ID account, corporate printers appear instantly in every AVD session, no network connection to the office required. [Microsoft 365](/integrations/microsoft-365?hsLang=en) users can also print directly from Outlook, Word, and Excel without local drivers or printer setup. Security, Visibility & Control ## Enterprise Security Without Extra Complexity AVD environments need printing controls that fit modern security models, plus the visibility to back up decisions with data. #### Zero Trust Aligned No print data is stored locally. All jobs are encrypted, rendered in isolated tenant environments, and deleted after delivery. Zero Trust Aligned #### Authenticated Print Release Pull Printing holds jobs until the user authenticates at the device, reducing unattended documents and unnecessary printing costs. Authenticated Print Release #### Identity-Driven Access Printer access follows Entra ID and directory groups automatically. The right printers appear based on role and location. No manual assignments. Identity-Driven Access #### Reporting and Sustainability Get visibility into printing behavior, resource usage, and carbon emissions across all AVD sessions. Export data as CSV to support cost optimization and sustainability initiatives. Reporting and Sustainability [See All Our Security Features](https://www.ezeep.com/security-compliance?hsLang=en) Meet ezeep Hub ## Faster for Users. Simpler for IT. Print data compression delivers up to 5x faster speeds compared to standard AVD printer redirection. A self-service portal lets users add printers themselves without IT tickets. The ezeep Hub typically pays for itself within just a few months through reduced support and infrastructure costs. As your AVD environment scales to thousands of sessions, ezeep grows with it without reintroducing print servers. [AVD Printing Guide](https://www.ezeep.com/guides/azure-virtual-desktop-printing?hsLang=en) Who Solution is For ## Who Benefits Most from Cloud Printing with AVD Built for organizations running Azure Virtual Desktop as part of their virtual desktop or cloud workspace strategy. ### Healthcare and Clinical Teams Clinicians using AVD to access EHR systems need reliable printing for prescriptions, lab results, and patient documents without redirection failures or driver conflicts on session hosts. [Healthcare and Clinical Teams](https://www.ezeep.com/industries/healthcare?hsLang=en) ### Financial Services Compliance-driven firms running AVD for security and centralized control. Encrypted printing, audit trails, and secure release support PCI-DSS and privilege protections without adding infrastructure. [Financial Services](https://www.ezeep.com/industries/enterprise?hsLang=en) ### Professional Services Law firms, accounting practices, and consultancies running AVD for mobile workforces. Contracts, filings, and client documents print reliably from any session, location, or device with zero driver management. [Professional Services](https://www.ezeep.com/industries/enterprise?hsLang=en) ### Education and Research Universities and research institutions running AVD for labs and faculty workspaces. Have reliable printing across libraries, labs, and shared workstations without managing drivers on every session host. [Education and Research](https://www.ezeep.com/industries/education?hsLang=en) [Talk to Sales Today](https://www.ezeep.com/contact?hsLang=en) How It Works ## How AVD Printing Works with ezeep No print servers. No driver pools. No location dependency. 1 #### Users Print from Azure Virtual Desktop Users work in their AVD session and send print jobs to the ezeep Cloud. No local drivers or print servers needed. [Virtual desktops](/use-cases/virtual-desktop-printing?hsLang=en) stay clean and performant. 2 #### Cloud Rendering and Routing ezeep handles all [driver management and rendering centrally](/learn/how-cloud-printing-works?hsLang=en), then routes jobs to the correct printer based on user identity and location. Everything happens automatically. 3 #### Secure Release at the Device Documents arrive at the assigned printer instantly, or users authenticate via smartphone or ID card for [Pull Printing](/features/pull-printing?hsLang=en). Confidential documents never sit unattended. [See How It Works](https://www.ezeep.com/demo?hsLang=en) ## Frequently Asked Questions ##### How does ezeep handle printing in Azure Virtual Desktop? ezeep replaces print servers and local drivers with [cloud-based printing built for AVD](/guides/azure-virtual-desktop?hsLang=en). Print jobs are rendered centrally and routed to the correct printer automatically, giving users one consistent experience across sessions, locations, and devices. ##### Can AVD users print to local printers at home? Yes. Users can print from their AVD session to locally connected printers with full print properties, even when working remotely. This includes thin client and web client access. [Mobile printing from iOS and Android](/use-cases/mobile-byod-printing?hsLang=en) is also supported through the ezeep app. ##### How does ezeep compare to Universal Print for AVD? Universal Print requires compatible printers or a local print server, Entra ID-joined endpoints, and additional licensing. ezeep works with virtually any printer through the ezeep Hub, provides one consistent print path across all environments, and doesn't require printers to be internet-accessible. ##### Do I need drivers on session hosts or golden images? No. ezeep handles all rendering and driver management in the cloud, so session hosts and golden images stay completely driver-free. This eliminates driver conflicts, reduces image size, speeds up logins, and removes the primary cause of print spooler crashes in AVD environments. ##### Does ezeep replace GPO-based printer mapping? Yes. ezeep replaces GPO and Intune-based printer policies with cloud-based assignment rules managed from a single web console. Printers are mapped automatically based on user identity, location, or group, eliminating complex [policy management](/features/policies?hsLang=en) and the troubleshooting it creates. Back to top ## Ready to Simplify Printing in Azure Virtual Desktop? Replace fragmented print paths with one cloud platform that works across every AVD session, device, and location. [Start Free Trial Today](https://www.ezeep.com/free-trial?hsLang=en) [Talk to Sales Today](https://www.ezeep.com/contact?hsLang=en) --- ## About This Content **Source:** [Azure Virtual Desktop Printing | Cloud Print for AVD](https://www.ezeep.com/use-cases/azure-virtual-desktop-printing) *This content is provided for informational purposes. Please visit the original source for the most up-to-date information.*