Celiveo 365 stands out as a highly effective solution for adding follow-me printing, also known as pull printing, to Microsoft Universal Print due to its seamless integration, advanced security features, and robust functionality tailored to enterprise needs. Celiveo is not another print solution on the side of Universal Print, it is directly injecting advanced features inside the outstanding Cloud Print architecture developed by Microsoft.
The Exact Definition of Follow-me Print AKA Pull Print for Universal Print
“Follow-Me Print” (sometimes called “Follow-You” or “Pull Printing”) is a widely used print management solution in modern office environments. It allows users to send a print job to a centralized queue rather than directly to a specific printer. The job is held securely on a server or in the cloud until the user authenticates at any compatible networked printer—typically using a badge, PIN, or login credentials—to release and print the document. This system enhances security, reduces waste from uncollected prints, and offers flexibility, as users can print from any enabled device, regardless of location.
Here’s a detailed breakdown of why Celiveo 365 excels in Follow-Me Print for Universal Print:
Native Integration with Microsoft Universal Print, Entra ID and Azure
Celiveo 365 is designed as a native Azure Elastic SaaS application that extends Microsoft Universal Print without running parallel to it or requiring additional on-premises infrastructure. It leverages Universal Print’s cloud-based architecture and integrates deeply with Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure Active Directory) for authentication and access control. This tight integration ensures a streamlined experience, allowing users to send print jobs to a secure cloud queue and release them at any supported printer, embodying the essence of follow-me printing.
Configuring Universal Print queues becomes very easy and powerful, this increase the productivity gains and reduces the administration cost.
Adding thousands of printers takes a few minutes and managing them is as fast thanks to the friendly and powerful admin portal that supersedes the native Azure screen to manage Universal Print queues and printers.
Advanced Secure Pull Printing without server and without any printer agent on PC
Follow-me printing requires jobs to be held securely until the user authenticates at the printer. Celiveo 365 enhances this by offering serverless and agent-less pull print, It is not a print solution running side by side with Microsoft Universal Print, it is extending Universal Print with advanced Follow-me features that don’t require any software on PC or any server.
High security is provided through strong dual encryption (dual PKI and AES256-GCM) based on Entra ID user record for print jobs from submission to release, ensuring document confidentiality. That encrypted file gets an additional encryption during motion, using TLS 1.3. Users can authenticate using contactless cards on card reader, PIN codes, smartphones, or Microsoft Entra ID credentials, providing flexibility and security. This prevents unauthorized access and ensures sensitive documents don’t sit unattended at the printer.
Print release happens on a printer upon user authentication on card reader for Universal Print, PIN code, NFC iOS or Android mobile. The printer can be a corporate printer directly communicating with the Internet, a printer communicating to Internet through a proxy or even a home office printer with AirPrint or Mopria cireless print protocols.
Fast printing and support for stapling and punching in Universal Print
Celiveo 365 provides its own high performance and high security communication mechanism direct from Azure to the printer, without requiring any open port and providing dual data encryption (once for the document and once with the TLS 1.3 flow). The result is a fast printing from Microsoft Universal Print with no latency. Celiveo 365 also manages directly most printers options such as stapling and punching, ensuring the output is matching what is expected, all that without using any printer driver on PC.
Easy Mobile print from PC, iOS, Android, Chromebook
Celiveo 365 enables users to print through the Cloud from iOS, Android, Chromebooks, Linux, Windows x86, Windows ARM64, and other devices, regardless of their location. 
This supports remote and hybrid work by allowing employees to send print jobs from laptops, smartphones, or tablets to any compatible printer managed by Celiveo 365, boosting productivity outside traditional office settings. It is even possible to print safely on home office printers without requiring any equipment or software to be installed or maintained, reducing IT complexity and cost, increasing productivity and user satisfaction.
Elimination of On-Premises Infrastructure with Microsoft Universal Print
Unlike some competing solutions that rely on local print servers or gateways, or even printer agent on every PC, Celiveo 365 operates entirely in the cloud, extending Microsoft Universal Print’s, keeping its fully serverless vision. Its intelligent agent runs directly on supported printers (e.g., HP FutureSmart, Lexmark eSF, Ricoh SOP, Xerox VersaLink and Xerox Altalink), enabling direct communication with Azure and Universal Print. This eliminates the need for additional hardware, reducing costs and complexity while maintaining follow-me functionality across the printer fleet.
High Availability and Offline Capability for walkup MFP functions
Celiveo 365 ensures that multi-function printers remains partly operational even during internet outages. Its embedded agent on supported multifunction printers (MFPs) allows users to authenticate and access walk-up functions such as copy, a critical feature for businesses requiring uninterrupted access even during a global communication outage. This high-availability design also guarantees usage tracking and granular rights access and sets it apart from solutions dependent on constant cloud or server connectivity.
Broader Printer Compatibility for Microsoft Universal Print
Celiveo 365 extends the range of printer brands and models that can be used with Universal Print, including HP, Lexmark, Ricoh, Fujifilm, Xerox, and any IPP 2.0-compatible device from Sharp, Kyocera, Epson, Canon, Brother etc. For legacy or passive printers without embedded agents, the Celiveo 365 Universal Printer Endpoint provides a scalable solution with authentication and high security pull-print capabilities. This vendor-agnostic that uses mobile device screens and Entra ID authentication ensures organizations can implement follow-me printing across diverse fleets without hardware upgrades and without any app on mobile.
Zero Trust Security Architecture
Security is a cornerstone of Celiveo 365, built on a Zero Trust Access model. Every print job document is encrypted with a unique AES256-GCM key, and all communications use TLS with ECC certificates mutual handshake. This exceeds the baseline security of Universal Print, adding an extra layer of protection for follow-me printing workflows where documents traverse public cloud infrastructure. No user information is stored in Celiveo 365 databases to limit the vulnerability risk to the minimum and documents are unreadable even in the unprobable case unauthorized users would access the Azure PaaS databases and file blobs.
AI-DLP for advanced Data Loss Prevention on pull-print documents for Universal Print
Celiveo 365 AI-powered Data Loss Prevention (AI-DLP) is a solution designed to enhance security within Microsoft 365 environments by preventing the unauthorized sharing, transfer, or loss of sensitive data on pages. Artificial Intelligence reads and understands pages to detect types of information designated as sensitive by the administrator for follow-me pull print documents flowing through a specific print queue. Multiple pull print queues can be defined with distinct configuration and settings.
Simplified Fleet Management and High Scalability for Microsoft Universal Print
Managing a follow-me printing system with a heavy fleet or across multiple locations can be challenging, but Celiveo 365 offers a user-friendly web portal that replaces Universal Print’s native interface and adds many advanced features. Administrators can easily configure print queues, add hundreds of printers in a few clicks, manage large printer fleets, and set policies (e.g., paper format rules) in user-friendly screens. Its elastic Azure-based architecture scales effortlessly, making it ideal for organizations of any size.
Overall Cost Efficiency and Power BI Reporting
Celiveo 365 enhances follow-me printing with detailed usage tracking and Power BI reporting, covering all print jobs, copy, scan, and fax activities when Univeral Print only covers print jobs originated from Universal Print. This allows businesses to monitor costs, enforce accountability, and optimize their printer fleet—features not natively robust in Universal Print. By reducing wasted prints (common with unattended jobs), it further lowers operational expenses.
Support for Modern Workflows within Universal Print and Azure
With the rise of remote work and virtual desktops (e.g., Windows 365, Azure Virtual Desktop), Celiveo 365 ensures follow-me printing works seamlessly across devices and locations. Its driverless printing support aligns with Universal Print’s Windows Protected Print (WPP) mode, simplifying deployment and enhancing user experience in hybrid environments.
In summary, Celiveo 365 is a top-tier solution for adding follow-me printing to Microsoft Universal Print because it combines deep integration, enterprise-grade security, broad compatibility, and operational efficiency in a fully cloud-native package. It addresses the limitations of Universal Print’s basic functionality by providing the advanced features enterprises demand—such as secure pull printing, offline resilience, and comprehensive management—without compromising on simplicity or scalability.
