How to Set up Secure Print

How to Set up Secure Print

Secure Print is the “don’t print until you show up” option. You send the job with a passcode (or PIN), then you walk up to the printer and release it from the screen. If either side of that two-step setup is wrong, you’ll see jobs that don’t release or that don’t behave the way you expect.

Below is the full workflow—set it in the driver, then release it at the console—with Windows 11, Windows 10, and Mac steps, plus HP and Canon quick checks and troubleshooting for the most common “secure print not working” causes.

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Choose Secure Print as the Job Type (passcode required)

No matter what brand you have, the core idea is the same:

1. In your print screen on the PC (or Mac), pick the right job type.
2. Enter the passcode (or PIN) your printer requires.
3. Send the job.
4. At the printer, choose Secure Print and enter the same code to release it.

Here’s the driver-side path to look for (the wording can vary by app/driver, but the labels are usually close):

• Go to Print Settings
• Then Printing Options
• Find Job Type
• Select Secure Print
• Type the passcode
• Confirm it (if it asks you again)

Think of this as tagging the job. If the job isn’t tagged correctly, the printer won’t treat it like a secure job later.

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Set up Secure Print on Windows 11 (where to click in Print Settings)

On Windows 11, you’ll usually set this from the printer settings inside the print dialog. Follow this checklist while your document is open:

1. Press Ctrl + P (or File → Print).
2. Find your printer, then open Print Settings (sometimes it’s a link, sometimes a button).
3. Look for Printing Options.
4. Find Job Type.
5. Select Secure Print.
6. Enter your passcode.
7. Finish the print and send the job.

Screenshot callout (what to look for)

When you open the printer settings, you’re hunting for the part that says something like:

• Print Settings > Printing Options > Job Type
• and a field to type the passcode

If you see Secure Print listed anywhere, you’re close. If you never see Job Type, look for an Output or Job Handling section—but the key term you want is still Secure Print and a code entry.

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Set up Secure Print on Windows 10 (what to look for in the same flow)

Windows 10 is often very similar, just with a slightly different menu layout. The setup logic is still the same:

1. Open your document.
2. Press Ctrl + P.
3. Choose your printer.
4. Open Print Settings (or Printer Properties, depending on your driver).
5. Go to Printing Options (or a similar tab).
6. Find Job Type.
7. Select Secure Print.
8. Enter the passcode.
9. Click Print.

Screenshot callout (where people miss it)

A common mistake on Windows is setting the passcode once, sending a job, and then printing again without switching Job Type back to Secure Print. When you troubleshoot, don’t assume the next print will “remember” the secure setting.

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Set up Secure Print on Mac (Printers & Scanners and adding the printer)

Mac setups tend to be more about adding or configuring the printer profile, then using the driver options when you print. Your high-level flow is:

1. Open Apple menu → System Settings.
2. Go to Printers & Scanners.
3. Click Add (+).
4. Select your printer and add it.
5. Once added, open the print dialog for your document and look for secure job options (depending on the driver, this can show up as an output method or job type).
6. If your driver asks for it, enter the username and PIN/passcode fields.

Screenshot callout (Mac)

• System Settings → Printers & Scanners
• then press Add (+)

If you added the printer but still don’t see secure options when you print, the printer driver may not be set up for secure printing, or the job settings aren’t set to the secure output method.

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Release/print at the printer console (Secure Print tab / Job Status)

This is the other half of the job. Even if you set everything right on your computer, the printer won’t print until you release it.

At the printer:

1. Press Job Status on the printer screen/panel.
2. Look for a tab or option labeled Secure Print.
3. Select Secure Print.
4. Choose your job (if it lists multiple).
5. Enter the passcode/PIN to release the job.
6. Confirm to print.

Screenshot callout (printer display)

On the display, the starting point is:

• Job Status → then choose the Secure Print tab

If you only see a normal Job Status list and no Secure Print option, that usually means the job wasn’t tagged as secure from the computer side, or secure printing/release isn’t enabled (more on that below).

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Vendor quick steps: HP Secure print

HP setups usually follow the same two steps: job type + console release. Quick checks:

1. On your Windows PC, open the print settings.
2. Go to Print Settings → Printing Options → Job Type.
3. Pick Secure Print.
4. Enter the passcode.
5. Print.

Then at the printer:

• Press Job Status
• Select the Secure Print tab
• Enter the passcode
• Release/print

If you’re trying to figure out why “secure print login” isn’t working (or your job won’t show), first confirm the job was actually sent as Secure Print with the required code.

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Vendor quick steps: Canon Secure Print

Canon can add an extra driver step that other setups sometimes hide: Output Method plus login details.

On Canon (typical driver-side setup):

1. Open your print settings from the computer.
2. Find Output Method.
3. Set Output Method to Secured Print.
4. Enter a user name and PIN.
5. Print.

Then release at the printer console:

• Use Job Status
• Open the Secure Print tab
• Select your job
• Enter the code/PIN to release

Why Canon feels different

Canon secure printing often shows up as Output Method: Secured Print with user name + PIN fields. If you only set Secure Print on the job type but don’t set the Canon Secured Print output method (or don’t enter the PIN), the printer may not handle it as a secure job the way you expect.

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Enable secure release / pull printing (workstation pull printing / secure printing setting)

Even perfect driver settings can fail if the system side isn’t letting secure jobs be held for release.

Look for the admin/system toggle that enables secure pull release. The key setting is:

• Tools > Settings > Printing
• Check Enable Workstation Pull Printing / Secure Printing.

Screenshot callout (admin-side setting)

If you’re an admin and you have access to the printer/system settings, go straight to:

• Tools → Settings → Printing
• then find the checkbox for Enable Workstation Pull Printing / Secure Printing

If that’s off, users can send secure jobs all day long and nothing will work like a real hold-and-release flow.

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Why is my secure print not working? (common checks based on the setup steps)

If your secure print not working question usually means nothing prints, or the printer won’t show your job, check these in order. This list matches the same two-part flow you set up earlier.

1) Your job wasn’t sent as Secure Print

On the computer, confirm you did both:

• Job Type is set to Secure Print
• You entered the required passcode (or PIN)

If the job type/output method isn’t secure, the printer may treat it like a normal job and either print immediately or not show up where you’re looking for secure jobs.

2) The passcode/PIN doesn’t match

At release time, the code you type into the printer must match what you entered in the print job.

Quick check:

• Did you mistype the passcode in the driver?
• Are you entering a different code at the printer screen?
• Are you trying to release a job from another user/account?

3) Secure release/pull printing isn’t enabled

Even with the right job type, release can fail if the system toggle is off.

Check:

• Tools > Settings > Printing
• enable Enable Workstation Pull Printing / Secure Printing.

4) Wrong output method (common with Canon)

For Canon, confirm:

• Output Method is set to Secured Print
• you entered the user name and PIN

If you only set a generic secure job option but not Canon’s Secured Print output method fields, the printer may not treat it as a secure/release job.

5) You’re releasing in the wrong place on the printer

At the printer, make sure you start with:

• Job Status
• then select the Secure Print tab

If you’re releasing from a normal jobs view, you may never see the secure job list at all.

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How to set secure print as default (so jobs don’t print normally)

You can reduce mistakes by making secure printing the default job type so people don’t accidentally send regular print jobs.

Because settings vary by driver and app, the practical approach is:

1. In your printer driver (or default print preferences), find the setting tied to:

• Job Type → Secure Print
• or (for Canon) Output Method → Secured Print

1. Make sure the secure option is selected by default.
2. Confirm the driver still prompts for the passcode/PIN when users send jobs (that’s expected).
3. If your org uses accounts, ensure the default template requires the right secure print login details (like Canon’s user name/PIN fields).

Parent-friendly reminder

Even with defaults, you still have to release at the printer console. Secure Print isn’t automatic release. It’s held until you log in/release.

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Secure print login & releasing the job (what users should do at the printer)

If you’re dealing with secure print login, here’s the simple reality: the “login” part usually happens at the printer, not in your web browser.

Use this flow:

1. Go to the printer you sent the job to.
2. Press Job Status.
3. Choose the Secure Print tab.
4. Pick your job (if needed).
5. Enter your passcode/PIN (and any username prompt if your printer requires it).
6. Confirm release.

If you don’t see your job in the Secure Print tab, go back and re-check the driver-side job type/output method. Most “login” issues are actually secure-job tagging issues.

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If you tell me your printer brand/model (like HP LaserJet 4xxx, Canon imageCLASS, etc.) and your OS (Windows 10/11 or macOS version), I’ll suggest the exact Secure Print steps to follow for your setup.