Printing is the physical process of placing ink, toner, or another marking material onto a surface to create text or images. In computing, the word is also used for the action of sending a document to a printer, but the security meaning still starts with a real-world output device that turns a digital file into a physical page.
In cyber security, printing matters because printers and print servers are networked systems that handle sensitive data and sometimes run complex software. Attackers may target print services to capture documents, abuse misconfigurations, or use vulnerable spooler components as an entry point into a network. Defenders reduce risk with patching, access control, secure release printing, logging, and limiting what print infrastructure can reach. Unlike e-ink or other displays, true printing creates a permanent physical artifact, so leaked jobs can become data exposure even after the original file is deleted.