› How to › How to use Printix with Windows protected print mode

How to use Printix with Windows protected print mode

To use Printix with Windows protected print mode, make sure the computers and printers on the network meet the following requirements:

  • Printix Client version 2026.1 or newer must be installed on computers that use Windows protected print mode.

  • Printers that do not support PDF printing can only be used if Windows protected print mode is disabled on at least one computer that is online on the printer's network.

    Printers that support PDF printing can be used even if Windows protected print mode is enabled on all computers.

Limitations

  • Printix print queues always use the IPPS port and the built-in Microsoft IPP Class Driver, even if the print queue is configured differently in the Printix Cloud.

  • Print driver configurations are not applied, and the print queue is created with the default settings.

  • For Print Anywhere print queues:

  • For normal print queues:

  • After updating to version 2026.1, the PDF page description language is temporarily disabled on Xerox printers. It must be manually enabled on the Printer properties page for each Xerox printer.

Behavior

  • When Windows protected print mode is enabled or disabled on a computer where the Printix Client is already installed:

    • When Windows protected print mode is enabled, the Printix Client needs up to 10 minutes to recognize the change and reconfigure the Printix print queues.

      To force the Printix Client to immediately configure the print queues, restart the Printix Service.

    • When Windows protected print mode is disabled, the already installed Printix print queues remain compatible with Windows protected print mode (using the IPPS port and the built-in print driver) and are not automatically converted back.

      To convert a print queue back (to use settings that Windows protected print mode does not permit), update the print queue manually in Printix Administrator.

    • In both cases, all print jobs stored on the computer are maintained and can be released.

  • If the Printix Client is uninstalled from a computer where Windows protected print mode is enabled, all the Printix print queues are removed.

  • Printer discovery works differently:

    • If you attempt to discover printers on a computer where Windows protected print mode is enabled, all local print queues are added with the IPPS port and the built-in print driver.

    • If you attempt to discover printers on a network, to avoid the above limitation, Printix prioritizes using a Printix Client that runs on a computer where Windows protected print mode is disabled.

Troubleshooting

What happens if an older version of the Printix Client is used on a computer with Windows protected print mode?

Some Printix print queues are deleted, because Windows cannot convert them be compatible with Windows protected print mode. The remaining Printix print queues are converted, but they are no longer compatible with the older version of the Printix Client, so these print queues do not function correctly.

Because none of the Printix print queues work, the Printix Client cannot be used for starting a print or relaying printing requests from other computers or the Printix Cloud. However, documents that are already queued can be printed before their expiration time.

Resolution: Update the version of the Printix Client to 2026.1 or newer.

What happens if the printer does not support PDF printing and all computers have Windows protected print mode?

If the network does not have any computer with Windows protected print mode disabled, printing will always fail.

Resolution: Disable Windows protected print mode on at least one computer on the network.