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Printing and scanning problems at law firms
Scans of client ID and trust documents stopped arriving on Monday morning
Scan to email stops. An update breaks printing. The copier nobody patches sits on the same network as the file server. It is a small thing until it takes up a whole morning.
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What you can count on
- HuntressManaged EDR on every computer we manage
- 24/7a person answers (604) 813-7881
- $55 to $110per PC per month for law firms
What happens
Illustrative, not a client story. This is a made-up sketch, built from Microsoft’s own guidance. It is not about a Benson Hunt client.
On a Monday, scans from the copier stop arriving. Nothing changed on the copier. Behind the scenes, the email service it uses to send mail changed how it accepts older sign-in methods, and the copier never learned the new way.
A week later a Windows update leaves one printer showing offline. Paralegals walk documents to another floor while someone hunts for the right driver.
Meanwhile, the copier itself is a small computer that has not been updated in years, and it can reach the file server. It is easy to forget, because it is just the copier.
The public sources behind this sketch
- Microsoft publishes a guide for fixing printers, scanners and business apps that send email through Microsoft 365. Microsoft guide
- A 2021 Law Society of BC advisory lists misdirected correspondence among the top four kinds of reported breach, which is one reason scans should land in the right place. Read the advisory
Everything side by side
The copier can see the file server, and nobody has updated it in years.
Its own lane
The copier reaches the print server and the scan destination, and little else.
Why it happens
In plain words, and with nobody to blame.
Copiers send email the old way
Many use older sign-in methods that cloud email services keep tightening. When the service changes, the copier stops, often without warning.
Drivers and updates disagree
A Windows update or a new driver can break a printer that worked yesterday, and the fix is rarely obvious from the printer’s screen.
A copier is a small computer
It rarely gets updates, often sits near the file server, and may keep copies of scanned pages on an internal drive.
What fixes it
Printing and scanning are a daily job in a law firm. They deserve a plan, not a patch.
- Copiers and printers in their own lane. We recommend Layer 3 PoE switches and VLANs, and we can set them up. They give copiers a separate network that can reach the print server and the scan destination, and not much else.
- Print services on the app server. With Hyper-V and at least 2 virtual servers, printing belongs on the app server, never on the domain controller. Hyper-V for law firms
- Scan to the right place. Where it suits your document system and copier, scans can go straight to a matter folder instead of travelling as email attachments. We check with your vendors.
- Scan to email set up the way Microsoft recommends. For mail sent through Microsoft 365, we follow Microsoft’s guidance for printers and scanners.
- Patching that reaches printers where it can. We recommend a weekly patching schedule, with firmware updates included where the maker allows them.
- A plan for the copier’s hard drive. Many copiers keep copies of scanned pages on an internal drive. Ask the lessor how the drive is wiped when the lease ends. We can add it to your equipment checklist.
Questions we help you answer
Ask us which of these matter most for your firm.
- Which devices scan to email, which scan to a folder, and who set up each one?
- Can the copier reach your file server, and does it need to?
- When was the copier’s firmware last updated, and by whom?
- What happens to the copier’s hard drive when the lease ends?
- Do client documents scan straight to the right matter?
Why it matters, in plain words
The tech behind this page, and why it’s there. See all the plain guides.
Business firewall
Why the internet company’s router isn’t a firewall
It connects you. A business firewall inspects traffic, stops known attacks and keeps guests off the firm’s network.
RAID 10
Why two healthy drives still aren’t a backup
RAID 10 keeps the server running when a drive dies. It also copies a mistake or ransomware to every drive instantly.
Multi-factor sign in
Why a stolen password shouldn’t open a lawyer’s inbox
Passwords leak. A second check on a phone or a security key stops most stolen passwords from working.
Printing and scanning questions we hear
Why did scan to email suddenly stop?
Most often, the email service changed how it accepts the copier’s sign-in. Microsoft publishes guidance for this. Ask us and we will check which method your copier uses and what your email service now expects.
Should the copier be on the same network as the file server?
We would usually keep it in its own lane with narrow rules, so it can reach the print server and the scan destinations and little else.
Can you look after our leased copiers?
We look after the IT side: the network, scan settings, print server and security. The copier company still looks after the machine itself, so we work alongside them.
Can we scan straight into our document system?
Often, depending on your document system and your copier. Ask us and we will check with your vendors.