Printing is still a daily need in many coworking spaces. Members print contracts, visa documents, invoices, presentations, and onboarding paperwork. When printing works smoothly, no one notices it. When it does not, it quickly becomes an admin problem.
The best printing solutions for coworking spaces balance three things: ease of use for members, cost control for operators, and low maintenance for teams. This article looks at what matters most and which printing solutions work best in shared work environments.
Contents
- What Coworking Spaces Need From a Printing Solution
- ezeep Blue: Cloud Printing Built for Flexible Workspaces
- PaperCut MF: Secure and Scalable Print Management
- Choosing the Right Printing Setup for Your Space
- How Cobot Fits Into Coworking Printing
- Final Thoughts
What Coworking Spaces Need From a Printing Solution
Coworking spaces are different from traditional offices. Members have the choice to bring their own devices, work on different schedules, and expect things to work without asking for help.
A good coworking printing setup should support:
Simple printing from any device: Members use MacBooks, Windows laptops, tablets, and phones. Printing should work without installing drivers or asking staff for support.
Clear usage control: Printing costs add up quickly. Without limits or tracking, one heavy user can create unnecessary expenses for everyone.
Fair cost recovery: Some spaces include printing in memberships. Others charge per page or after a free quota. Both models need reliable tracking.
Secure document handling: Coworking members often print sensitive documents. Jobs should not sit unattended in the printer tray.
Low admin effort: Community managers should not spend time fixing printer issues or managing accounts manually.
Cloud-based print management tools are designed to solve these exact problems. Coworking software like Cobot complements them by handling member access, permissions, and billing rules in one place, so printing does not become a disconnected workflow.
ezeep Blue: Cloud Printing Built for Flexible Workspaces
ezeep Blue is a cloud-based printing solution designed for coworking spaces, serviced offices, and hybrid workplaces. It removes the need for local print servers and manual driver installation.
Members can print from any device and release their print jobs when they arrive at the printer. This makes printing easier for members and reduces support requests for staff.
From an operational perspective, ezeep Blue supports:
Automatic user management: Member accounts can sync with coworking management systems, so access is created and removed automatically.
Flexible print rules: Spaces can set monthly print allowances, limit color printing, or charge per page after a free quota.
Cost transparency: Printing activity is tracked per user, which helps operators understand usage and recover costs fairly.
ezeep has written in detail about why printing is still an important service in coworking spaces and how unmanaged printing often becomes a hidden cost, which is well explained in this article on printing in coworking spaces and member expectations.
For spaces that want a low-maintenance, cloud-first solution, ezeep Blue is often a strong fit.
PaperCut MF: Secure and Scalable Print Management
PaperCut MF is a well-established print management system used in shared offices, education, and enterprise environments. It is a good option for coworking spaces that want strong control, reporting, and security.
PaperCut focuses on:
Secure print release: Documents only print when the user is physically at the printer, reducing privacy risks.
Detailed usage reporting: Operators can see who prints what and how often, which helps with cost planning.
Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) support: Members can print from their own devices without complex setup.
PaperCut also supports different pricing models, including free quotas, pay-per-page printing, or prepaid balances. This makes it easier to adapt printing rules to different membership types.
PaperCut explains common coworking printing challenges and solutions clearly in their guide on solving the printing dilemma in coworking spaces, which is a useful context for operators planning their setup.
Choosing the Right Printing Setup for Your Space
There is no single best solution for every coworking space. The right choice depends on size, member behavior, and how printing fits into your business model.
Small spaces often prioritize simplicity and low setup effort.
Growing spaces usually need better tracking and cost control.
Larger spaces benefit from secure print release and detailed reporting.
What matters most is avoiding unmanaged printing. Even a basic print policy, combined with the right software, can prevent frustration for both members and staff.
How Cobot Fits Into Coworking Printing
Print software alone does not solve the operator problem. The real friction is managing who can print, what they pay, and how charges show up on invoices.
Cobot already integrates with cloud printing tools like ezeep Blue and PaperCut MF, connecting printing directly to the workflows you already run for memberships and billing.
- Assign printing access based on Membership Plans (for example, only active members on selected plans can print).
- Charge printing automatically by adding print costs to the member profile and including them on the next invoice.
- Avoid manual follow-ups because printing fees and invoices stay in one system.
If you want printing to feel like a professional service, not a daily support ticket, the key is making billing and access automatic.
Final Thoughts
Printing may not be the most exciting part of running a coworking space, but it is one of the most practical. When printing is easy, fair, and reliable, it quietly supports members in their day-to-day work.
Cloud-based printing solutions like ezeep Blue and PaperCut MF help coworking spaces offer printing as a professional service instead of an ongoing problem. They reduce admin work, protect costs, and give members the flexibility they expect.
A good printing setup is not about offering unlimited access. It is about offering the right access in a way that works for everyone.
FAQ: Printing in Coworking Spaces With Cobot
How does Cobot help manage printing in a coworking space?
Cobot integrates directly with cloud printing platforms like ezeep Blue and with enterprise print systems like PaperCut MF, so printing access, usage tracking, and billing are tied to your member management workflows. This means printing access is granted based on membership status, and print charges can flow into member invoices automatically.
Do I need a separate system to track and bill printing?
Yes, Cobot integrates with a dedicated printing solution such as ezeep Blue or PaperCut MF, but once connected, it automatically tracks usage and adds print charges to member profiles in Cobot, so you do not have to manage it manually.
Can I assign printing access based on different plans?
Yes. With the ezeep Blue integration, you can sync only members from specified Cobot plans to the printing system, so access and rules follow plan membership.
Can I charge different prices for different types of printing?
Yes. In Cobot you set up printing products (for example, “A4 black and white” or “color page”), and map those to the printing integration so that each type of print job is billed correctly on invoices.
Does printing work from personal devices?
Yes. ezeep Blue allows members to print securely from laptops, tablets, and phones without installing printer drivers, simplifying BYOD printing in coworking spaces.
What happens when a member leaves or changes plans?
Changes in Cobot membership status are reflected in the integrated printing system. If a member’s plan changes or ends, printing access and billing sync accordingly, reducing manual cleanup.
Is PaperCut MF supported by Cobot?
Yes. Cobot supports integration with PaperCut MF via a connector (such as the Cilantro tool). This lets you track printing usage, enforce quotas, and push charges back to Cobot so they appear on member invoices without manual intervention.
Can I offer free printing or include it in membership plans?
Yes. You can include free print allowances in selected membership plans by configuring printing products in Cobot and integrating them with your chosen print system. Usage beyond the allowance is then tracked and billed automatically.