Managing a mixed fleet of Canon and non-Canon printers shouldn't require an equally complicated print management strategy. With uniFLOW Online, your business may be able to bring existing printers into a more centralized, secure, and manageable cloud printing environment.
Your business doesn't have to replace every printer in its fleet to take advantage of cloud print management.
If your organization uses a combination of Canon multifunction printers, HP devices, Sharp copiers, or other printer brands, managing those devices can become unnecessarily complicated. Multiple print drivers, separate print queues, and inconsistent user experiences can create headaches for your IT team.
But what if you could bring those devices together under one cloud-based print management solution?
uniFLOW Online makes that possible.
Although designed primarily for Canon devices, uniFLOW Online also supports non-Canon printers, helping businesses simplify printing, improve security, and reduce the administrative burden of managing a mixed printer fleet.
Here's what you need to know about how it works, which features are available, and whether it's the right solution for your organization.
Yes. uniFLOW Online can support compatible printers and multifunction devices from manufacturers other than Canon.
This is particularly valuable for organizations operating a mixed printer fleet, where different departments or locations use equipment from multiple manufacturers. Rather than replacing perfectly functional printers simply to adopt a new print management platform, you may be able to incorporate those devices into your cloud printing environment.
uniFLOW Online generally supports three device categories:
Not every printer connects to uniFLOW Online in the same way. The level of integration determines which printing, scanning, and authentication features are available. Understanding these differences can help your business make better use of existing equipment while planning future technology investments.
One of the biggest advantages of uniFLOW Online is its Universal Output Queue (UOQ).
Traditionally, your IT department might need to maintain separate print queues and drivers for dozens of printers throughout your organization. That's a lot to manage, particularly when your business operates across multiple offices. The Universal Output Queue simplifies this process by providing a common printing workflow for compatible devices, regardless of manufacturer.
Instead of requiring employees to navigate numerous printer-specific queues, the UOQ provides a centralized approach to submitting and directing print jobs.
For your business, this can mean:
Consider a business with 75 printers spread across several Texas locations.
Managing dozens of individual print queues can become time-consuming, especially when employees move between offices or equipment changes. With uniFLOW Online, much of that complexity can be reduced through a centralized printing workflow.
And for IT managers already balancing cybersecurity, network administration, and user support, fewer printing headaches are always welcome.
uniFLOW Online supports different levels of integration depending on your printer type.
Canon multifunction printers provide the most comprehensive printing and scanning capabilities, while licensed non-Canon multifunction printers support select advanced features. Standard network printers primarily provide cloud-managed printing, with additional capabilities depending on their configuration.
Understanding these distinctions helps you determine what functionality your existing equipment can support.
For businesses primarily interested in moving existing printers into a cloud-managed environment, standard network printer connectivity may be sufficient.
According to Canon's product presentation, organizations with an eligible paid uniFLOW Online device license can add standard network printers without purchasing an additional paid license for each printer.
These devices can take advantage of capabilities such as:
This can be a cost-effective approach for organizations that want to modernize printing without replacing their existing equipment. Keep in mind that licensing eligibility and printer compatibility should be verified for your environment.
Certain supported third-party multifunction printers can provide additional integration through a dedicated uniFLOW Online license. These devices can offer functionality beyond basic network printing, including:
Follow-Me Printing allows employees to submit documents to a secure print workflow and release them at a supported device after authentication. This helps reduce the likelihood of confidential documents being left unattended in output trays.
Standard network printers may also support certain secure print release methods, including configured remote or QR-code workflows. However, these methods do not necessarily provide the same embedded Follow-Me Printing experience available on licensed multifunction devices.
Supported licensed non-Canon multifunction printers can provide Scan-to-Self functionality, allowing employees to scan documents directly to themselves through the configured workflow. This can simplify everyday document capture without requiring your business to replace compatible multifunction equipment.
Licensed non-Canon devices can support user authentication methods such as PIN codes and compatible card-based identification. Available authentication methods depend on the manufacturer, model, and integration. Not every supported device offers identical authentication options.
These capabilities make licensed non-Canon multifunction printers particularly useful when your organization needs more than basic cloud printing.
Not all printers connect to uniFLOW Online in the same way. Canon multifunction printers offer the most extensive integration, while licensed non-Canon multifunction printers support select advanced features. Standard network printers from various manufacturers primarily provide cloud-managed printing capabilities.
*Feature availability depends on printer model, software version, licensing, and configuration. This comparison reflects the capabilities described in the supplied Canon webinar and should be verified against current product documentation.
**Standard network printers may support secure print release through configured remote or QR-code workflows, but not necessarily the same embedded Follow-Me Printing experience as licensed multifunction devices.
The key takeaway: You can extend many of uniFLOW Online's benefits to non-Canon equipment, but Canon multifunction printers offer the deepest integration and broadest range of supported capabilities.
For many organizations, the biggest challenge with printing isn't the equipment itself. It's everything required to keep that equipment working.
Installing drivers, configuring printers, supporting new employees, and troubleshooting connectivity problems can consume a surprising amount of IT time. uniFLOW Online SmartClient helps simplify these responsibilities.
SmartClient is a software component that manages printing workflows between users and the uniFLOW Online environment. One particularly useful capability is silent installation. Instead of requiring IT technicians to visit individual workstations, administrators can distribute SmartClient through tools such as:
With the appropriate configuration, much of the installation and setup process can happen without employees manually configuring printers.
This can be especially helpful when onboarding new employees, deploying printers across multiple offices, or managing a large workforce.
Imagine an employee who normally works in Dallas traveling to your Fort Worth office.
With traditional printing infrastructure, that employee might need to locate an available printer, install the appropriate driver, or request assistance from IT. Location-Aware Printing helps eliminate much of that inconvenience.
When properly configured, SmartClient can recognize the user's network location and display printers associated with that office. Employees can access the appropriate printing options without searching through devices located across your entire organization. For businesses with multiple offices or employees who frequently travel between locations, this creates a more convenient printing experience.
Moving printing to the cloud naturally raises questions about document security, accountability, and reliability.
These are important considerations, especially if your business handles confidential customer information, financial records, or sensitive employee documents. uniFLOW Online provides several capabilities worth evaluating.
With supported Secure Print Release workflows, documents can be held for authorized release rather than immediately appearing in an unattended output tray. Licensed non-Canon multifunction printers can also support authentication options such as PIN codes and compatible card-based identification.
The available release and authentication methods depend on the device and integration, so your business should confirm which capabilities are supported before deployment. These features can help your organization establish more consistent document security practices across supported devices.
uniFLOW Online also supports Print Cost Center Tracking for jobs processed through SmartClient.
According to the Canon webinar, cost center functionality can apply to print jobs using the Universal Output Queue, regardless of printer manufacturer. Certain directly monitored printing configurations can also use cost centers.
Depending on your setup, print activity can be associated with departments, projects, or business units. This can help your organization gain greater visibility into printing activity, improve expense allocation, and identify opportunities to refine print policies. For businesses looking to control printing costs, that visibility can support a broader managed print services strategy.
What happens if your internet connection goes down?
The Canon presentation describes emergency printing capabilities that allow appropriately configured devices to continue certain local printing operations during connectivity interruptions. Reporting information may then be synchronized after connectivity is restored.
However, available emergency functions depend on the device and configuration. Your IT team should verify which workflows remain operational during an outage. The important point is that cloud-managed printing doesn't necessarily mean all printing must stop when internet connectivity is interrupted.
If your organization already operates printers from several manufacturers, uniFLOW Online may offer a practical path toward centralized print management without requiring an immediate fleet-wide replacement.
It may be particularly beneficial if your business wants to:
Of course, compatibility and functionality matter.
Before implementing uniFLOW Online, it's important to evaluate your existing devices, required workflows, and licensing options. A standard network printer may meet your needs if basic cloud printing is the priority.
If your organization requires embedded authentication, secure Follow-Me Printing, or Scan-to-Self, a supported licensed multifunction printer may be the better fit. The right solution depends on how your employees actually print, scan, and manage documents.
Managing a mixed fleet of Canon and non-Canon printers shouldn't require an equally complicated print management strategy. With uniFLOW Online, your business may be able to bring existing printers into a more centralized, secure, and manageable cloud printing environment.
At Datamax, we understand that every business has different equipment, workflows, and technology priorities. Whether you're evaluating cloud print management, looking to improve document security, or trying to reduce the IT burden of managing multiple printer brands, our team can help you explore your options.