macOS: Secure Print (PIN) missing — map driver capabilities

Joe B.

Expert ★★★★★ 27,853 satisfied customers

Specialities: macOS printing, CUPS, AirPrint & IPP Everywhere, Vendor PPD/PostScript, Secure/Locked Print, Accounting

Secure Print (PIN) not showing on macOS — AirPrint vs vendor driver, CUPS options, Locked Print & Department ID

Technician

Hi! Let’s get Secure Print (PIN) to appear in your macOS print dialog. What brand/model is the printer or MFP (Canon / Ricoh / Konica Minolta / Kyocera / Xerox / HP)? In System Settings → Printers & Scanners, does the queue show Use: AirPrint / IPP Everywhere or a Vendor driver (PPD/PostScript)?

Customer

It’s a Ricoh IM C3000. macOS added it as AirPrint. Printing works but there’s no place to enter a PIN or user code.

Technician

That’s the reason. AirPrint/IPP Everywhere is a class driver: fast, but it usually hides Secure/Locked Print, PIN release, and Department ID / Job Accounting. Those features live in the vendor’s capability map (PPD). We’ll add the printer again with the Ricoh PS driver so macOS and CUPS expose the correct options.

Customer

How do I switch drivers without breaking printing? We prefer IPP.

Technician

Step 1 — Add a vendor-driver queue (keep IPP)
• Download the latest Ricoh macOS PPD/PostScript package.
• Printers & Scanners → Add Printer… → select the device → in Use: choose Select Software… and pick the exact model.
• Connection can remain IPP/IPPS; the key is the PPD so the UI shows Locked Print / User Code / PIN and Job Accounting controls.

Customer

Added it with the Ricoh driver. Where exactly is the Secure Print setting in the dialog?

Technician

Step 2 — Enable Secure/Locked Print & PIN
In any app go to File → Print. Open the dropdown that says Layout and switch to your driver’s pane (e.g., Job Type, Job Handling, or Security). For Ricoh choose Locked Print, enter your User Name and PIN. For Canon it’s Secure Print / Department ID, for Konica Secure Print, for Kyocera Job Accounting, for Xerox/HP Secure Print.

Customer

I still don’t see it. Can I verify the capabilities via CUPS?

Technician

Absolutely.
• Enable the CUPS UI: cupsctl WebInterface=Yes, then open http://localhost:631/printers.
• Click your queue → Administration → Set Default Options. Look for items like LockedPrint, JobHoldUntil, UserCode, DeptID.
• Or run lpoptions -p YourPrinter -l. If secure/hold options are missing, install the full vendor package (many brands ship an “accounting plugin” separate from the base driver).

Customer

We need Department ID / Job Accounting too. Can AirPrint support that?

Technician

AirPrint usually doesn’t expose Department ID, User Code, or Job Accounting. Best practice: keep your AirPrint queue for basic printing and add a second queue with the vendor PPD for Secure Print, PIN, authentication, and accounting codes. If you use a release server like PaperCut/uniFLOW/Equitrac, print to that queue instead.

Customer

Once we configure PIN, how do we make it easy for staff so they don’t forget to choose it?

Technician

Create a macOS Preset named “Secure Print (PIN)”. Set Job Type = Secure/Locked Print, enter the PIN/User Code, and include duplex/color defaults. On managed Macs deploy the printer and preset via MDM using lpadmin/lpoptions or a configuration profile, so users pick one preset and the PIN release just works.

Customer

Any protocol tips? We’ve seen some drivers behave differently with LPD vs IPP.

Technician

Good call. Keep both protocols available during testing:
• IPP/IPPS is modern and supports color/finisher discovery, but some brands expose PIN/Accounting features only when the queue uses LPD.
• If Secure Print is shown but jobs don’t hold, switch the queue to LPD (or vice versa) and retest. Also turn off “Toner Save” and confirm your user name matches the device policy.

Customer

Done — with the vendor PPD and a preset, Secure Print works and accounting prompts show up. Anything else?

Technician

Final checks: make the vendor queue your Default, keep the AirPrint queue as a fallback, and document the PIN/Department ID policy. Summary: if Secure Print (PIN) is missing on macOS, install the vendor PPD, confirm capabilities in CUPS (lpoptions -l), choose the right protocol (IPP or LPD), and save a Secure Print preset. Need help mapping your exact driver? Open the chat.

Quick answer: the accepted fix

Accepted fix when Secure Print / PIN is missing on macOS: add a new queue with the vendor driver (PPD/PostScript) instead of AirPrint, verify options in CUPS (lpoptions -l), pick the protocol that holds jobs (IPP or LPD), then save a Secure Print preset with PIN and, if needed, Department ID / Job Accounting.

FAQ

Step-by-step (macOS)

1. Install the latest vendor driver (PPD/PostScript) for your exact model and macOS version.
2. Add the printer with Select Software… and pick the model-specific PPD (avoid AirPrint).
3. Open CUPS or run lpoptions -l to confirm Secure/Locked Print, Job Hold, and Dept/Account options.
4. In the print dialog set Secure/Locked Print, enter PIN/User Code, and save a Preset.
5. For teams, deploy the queue and preset via MDM (lpadmin/lpoptions or a configuration profile).

Notes for mixed environments (Windows/macOS)

1. Align user names and accounting codes across platforms so secure release works consistently.
2. If you use a release server (PaperCut/uniFLOW/Equitrac), print to that queue from both macOS and Windows.

Sources

• Apple — Print on Mac & CUPS basics
• CUPS — Options and driver mappings
• Ricoh — macOS drivers & Locked Print

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