Printer sending data even when idle — telemetry opt-out & privacy settings

Joe B.

Reviewed for technical accuracy

Specialities: Windows 11/10, macOS (Sonoma/Ventura/Monterey), Network privacy, CUPS, SNMP, HP/Epson/Canon/Brother firmware

Stop a printer from sending telemetry when idle — HP, Epson, Canon, Brother (Windows/macOS)

Technician

Hey! Let’s track down why your printer sends data while idle. Tell me your brand/model (HP, Epson, Canon, or Brother), if it’s on Wi-Fi or Ethernet, and what you’re seeing — e.g., firewall logs to hp.com/epson.net, DNS queries, or cloud print traffic. We’ll opt-out of telemetry, turn off web services, and keep only essential protocols (DHCP/DNS/NTP).

Customer

HP OfficeJet on Wi-Fi. Even when no one prints, my router shows periodic connections to HP domains and telemetry endpoints. We don’t use HP cloud features. How do we stop background data?

Technician

Understood. Most modern printers phone home for several reasons:
• Telemetry / product improvement (usage stats, error logs).
• Cloud services (HP ePrint/HP Smart, Epson Connect, Canon PRINT, Brother Web Connect).
• Supplies programs (Instant Ink / cartridges authentication / page counts).
• Firmware updates & time sync (NTP) and local discovery (mDNS/Bonjour, LLMNR, SSDP).
We’ll opt out of data collection, disable cloud print features, and keep only minimal LAN protocols so the device is quiet when idle.

Customer

Where do I turn off data sharing on the printer itself? I can open the web page for the printer.

Technician

Great. In the printer’s Embedded Web Server (EWS):
1) Go to Web Services / HP ePrint and click Disable or Remove Web Services (this stops cloud printing and remote scan).
2) Open Privacy / Preferences / Web Services Settings and opt-out of usage statistics, device data collection, and Share anonymized metrics.
3) In Network, disable Wi-Fi Direct and Remote Management if not needed. Keep DHCP and local services only.
4) Under Firmware, set Update mode to Notify (not auto-download). You can still update manually.
5) If enrolled in Instant Ink, telemetry for page counts is required; to eliminate that traffic you must cancel the plan and use standard cartridges.

Customer

Do we also need to change anything in Windows and HP Smart? I see “Product Improvement Study”.

Technician

Yes — driver and app telemetry should be disabled too.
• Windows 10/11: In HP Smart → Settings → Privacy turn off Send usage data, Cloud printing, Supply status via Internet, and sign out if you don’t need account features. In Printer properties → Advanced → Printing Defaults uncheck Collect usage information (where offered).
• macOS: In the HP/Epson/Canon/Brother utility, disable Customer Experience Improvement Program, Anonymous Data, and Remote Services. Remove unneeded background agents (e.g., update helpers) from Login Items.
• For Epson, uncheck Customer Research and Epson Connect auto sign-in. Canon: turn off PIXMA/Business Print cloud and Extended Survey. Brother: disable Web Connect accounts and Share Usage Data.

Customer

My firewall still sees traffic like mDNS and SSDP. Is that telemetry or normal? What can I safely block?

Technician

Good question. Not all chatter is telemetry.
• mDNS/Bonjour (224.0.0.251:5353) and SSDP/UPnP (239.255.255.250:1900) announce AirPrint/scan services on the LAN.
• SNMP broadcasts share status (toner, trays).
• NTP (123) syncs time; DNS (53) resolves names.
You can limit these to LAN only. Block outbound HTTPS to vendor domains if you’ve disabled web services. On many models you can also turn off AirPrint/AirScan and SNMP in EWS if you don’t use them.

Customer

Any way to verify the printer is quiet now? I can use a PC or Mac to test.

Technician

Verify with lightweight tools:
• Windows: open Resource Monitor → Network and filter by the printer’s IP; you should only see local ARP/mDNS/SNMP with no periodic HTTPS to vendor hosts.
• macOS: use Little Snitch or tcpdump on your Mac when the printer is idle; set a rule to log the printer IP.
• Router/pi-hole: watch for blocked queries to hp.com, epson.net, canon.com, brother.com. After opt-out, there should be no recurring hits except manual checks you initiate (e.g., firmware).

Customer

What about firmware updates and security? I don’t want telemetry but I do want security patches.

Technician

Smart approach. Leave auto-update on Notify, then apply firmware manually from a clean PC when convenient. This avoids background downloads but keeps you patched. Also:
• Set a static IP for the printer and restrict it to your LAN VLAN.
• Disable remote admin from WAN, use a strong EWS password, and turn off any cloud account linking.

Customer

We also have an Epson and a Canon at other desks. Any brand-specific privacy settings to check?

Technician

HP / Epson / Canon / Brother — telemetry opt-out:
• HP: EWS → Web Services off; HP Smart → Privacy disable usage data; optional Instant Ink cancellation if you want zero page-count reporting.
• Epson: EWS/Web Config → disable Epson Connect & Remote Print; in utility uncheck Customer Research and Data Collection.
• Canon: EWS → Cloud and IJ/Business PRINT services off; Extended Survey Program → Do Not Participate.
• Brother: EWS → disable Web Connect, Remote Services; in software turn off Share Usage Data. Brother’s Secure Function Lock can also restrict scanning to cloud apps.

Customer

After an update some privacy toggles re-enabled themselves. How do we make settings stick?

Technician

Firmware or app updates can revert privacy settings. Do this:
• Save a configuration backup in EWS (if supported) and restore after updates.
• Block known vendor telemetry hosts at the router or Pi-hole (domain allowlist for updates only).
• On Windows/macOS, disable auto-start for vendor helper apps that re-enable cloud features.

Customer

All set — background connections stopped, printing still works locally. Thanks for the telemetry opt-out help!

Technician

Summary: If your printer sends data when idle, disable cloud print/web services, opt-out of usage statistics in EWS and apps, restrict protocols to LAN, and keep firmware on Notify. Optional router/Pi-hole blocks ensure no background telemetry while you keep local printing. Need hands-on help? Open the chat.

Quick answer: the accepted fix

Accepted fix for printer sending data when idle: turn off Web Services/Cloud Print in the device’s EWS, opt-out of telemetry and usage data in HP/Epson/Canon/Brother utilities, restrict to LAN-only protocols (mDNS/SNMP as needed), and set Firmware Update to Notify. Use router or Pi-hole rules to block remaining vendor telemetry endpoints.

FAQ

Step-by-step (Windows 10/11)

1. Open HP Smart/Epson/Canon/Brother utility → Settings → Privacy; turn off Usage data / Product improvement and sign out of cloud features.
2. Go to Printer properties → Advanced → Printing Defaults; uncheck any Share data / Internet supply status options.
3. Open the printer’s EWS; disable Web Services/Cloud Print, Wi-Fi Direct, and set Firmware Update to Notify.
4. Optional: Add router/Pi-hole rules to block telemetry domains while allowing manual firmware downloads.

Step-by-step (macOS)

1. In vendor utility, disable Customer Experience / Data Collection and cloud sign-ins.
2. Remove vendor helpers from System Settings → Login Items if they re-enable cloud features.
3. In the printer’s EWS, turn off cloud services and opt-out of telemetry; keep LAN protocols only.
4. Use Little Snitch to confirm the printer is quiet when idle.

Sources

• HP — Embedded Web Server & HP Smart privacy options
• Epson — Web Config & Epson Connect settings
• Canon — Cloud/Survey preference guides
• Brother — Web Connect & privacy preferences
• CUPS — Administration Guide (service discovery & logs)

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