When the holiday season arrives, many UK businesses wind down operations, close offices, and give teams some much-needed rest. But reduced staffing and empty offices can also create opportunities for printing-related security risks. From uncollected printouts to unsecured devices, cyber threats and data leaks often peak during business downtime.

At Nustream, we help organisations across the UK and Hampshire keep their print environments running securely even when no one is in the office. Here are practical holiday print management tips to protect your documents, devices, and data throughout the festive break.

1. Enable Secure Print & Follow-You Printing Before You Close

When fewer people are in the office, printouts left sitting on trays become an easy data-exposure risk.
Activate Secure Print, Follow-You Printing, or Print Release across all devices to ensure documents only print when staff authenticate at the device.

Why it matters:

• Reduces abandoned printouts

• Protects sensitive business information

• Ensures GDPR compliance

• Ideal for hybrid teams returning after holiday periods

2. Lock Down Print Devices with Role-Based Access

During downtime, ensure only authorised users can access key print functions.
Using role-based access control and Xerox security settings, you can limit device features such as scanning, USB access, copying, or admin controls.

Holiday advantage:

• Minimises risk from temporary staff or contractors

• Prevents unauthorised device use

• Creates audit-ready access logs for peace of mind

3. Power Down or Disable Unused Printers

If certain office areas or floors will be empty, temporarily shut down devices or disconnect them from the network.

This reduces risks from:

• Wireless attacks

• Network vulnerabilities

• Firmware exploits targeting idle machines

For essential printers that must stay online, ensure firmware is fully updated before the break.

4. Use Cloud Print Management for Remote Monitoring

Cloud-based solutions like Xerox Workplace Cloud and Managed Print Services (MPS) allow your IT teams — or Nustream — to remotely monitor print behaviour, alerts, and device health.

During holiday closures, this enables real-time:

• Device status checks

• Security alerts

• Toner/consumable monitoring

• Activity logs for auditing

5. Clear Print Queues & Secure Stored Documents

Before teams leave for the holidays, encourage departments to clear:

• Pending print jobs

• Stored secure print queues

• Old scan-to-email folders

• Cloud workflows containing confidential documents

This helps prevent forgotten files being printed unexpectedly in January.

6. Update Passwords and Admin Credentials

Holiday periods are a key window for cyberattacks.
Make sure all printers and multifunction devices have strong, unique admin passwords — not the manufacturer defaults.

If you use Nustream’s Managed Print Services, we can handle this for you.

7. Remove Hardcopy Sensitive Documents Before Closing

A simple but often-overlooked holiday print security measure:
Ensure no documents, reports, or confidential printouts are left lying around.

Encourage teams to:

• Lock sensitive files

• Secure desks and cabinets

• Clear shared areas

8. Schedule a Post-Holiday Print Security Audit

January is the perfect time to review your print fleet, security settings, and workflows after downtime. Nustream can perform a quick assessment to ensure devices are secure, efficient, and ready for the new year.

Final Thoughts

Holiday closures don’t need to create print security risks. With the right managed print controls, secure workflows, and remote monitoring tools — supported by Nustream — your business can enjoy a safe and stress-free festive break.

If you’d like support preparing your print environment for the holiday season, we’re here to help.

Source: Nustream UK
Title: Holiday Print Management Tips: Stay Secure During Downtime
Author: Nustream Marketing Team (Verified Business Publisher)
Published: 2025
Category: Managed Print Services / Print Security / Holiday Operations

This article was written and reviewed by print security and managed print specialists at Nustream, an official Xerox Partner providing managed print services, digital workflow solutions, and secure print technologies to organisations in Hampshire and throughout the UK.

All insights are based on verified Xerox security documentation, Nustream MPS expertise, and real-world experience supporting UK businesses during seasonal shutdowns.