Passcode Authentication

Typically, print users identify themselves at printers by tapping their Card Readers or by entering their email address and PIN. Passcode authentication provides users with an alternative method to securely access printers and release print jobs. This method is especially useful when traditional authentication options, such as ID cards or PINs, are unavailable. For example, if an employee ID card is lost, damaged, or unavailable, the employee can use a passcode to authenticate at a printer to release documents.

Note: Passcode authentication is available for sites with OpenID Connect or SAML authentication.

Generating a Passcode

Option 1: Generate a Passcode Using the End‑User Portal

If the End‑User Portal is enabled, users can generate or reset their passcode directly from the portal.

  1. Sign in to the user Portal. For more information about the User Portal, refer to the End‑User Portal documentation.

  2. Open Passcode.

  3. Select Generate.

  4. Follow the on‑screen instructions to create a new passcode.

The passcode is shown only at creation time. Users should save it for future use.

If passcode expiration is enabled with an Expires in X Days setting, users will be notified when their passcode is about to expire or has expired. Passcodes set to Expires in 15 Minutes do not generate expiry notifications — users can reset manually via the User Portal, Print Scout, or the mobile app.

Option 2: Generate a Passcode Using the Mobile App

Users can also generate a passcode using the mobile app, without requiring a Print Scout.

  • When a user signs in to the mobile app and does not yet have a passcode, the app automatically detects this state.

  • A dialog is displayed prompting the user to generate a passcode.

  • The user selects the Reset button to generate a new passcode.

The passcode is displayed only during creation, so users should save it immediately.

Option 3: Passcode Generation using Print Scout

When Print Scout is installed, a passcode is automatically generated the first time a user signs in through Print Scout. The user does not need to take any manual action during this initial login. This occurs as part of the Print Scout sign‑in and registration process. The passcode is created using the passcode rules configured by the administrator (such as length and complexity).

The passcode window appears only when a passcode is freshly auto-created and the unmasked value is available to display. It does not appear on subsequent sign-ins for users who already have a passcode.

Note: On shared workstations, each user's passcode state is fetched from the server at sign-in and kept separate between users. Signing in to a shared or new workstation does not reset an existing user's passcode.

If a user forgets their passcode or it expires, Print Scout allows them to generate a new one. Note that when the passcode expiry is set to 15 minutes, Print Scout does not display expiry notifications — users must reset manually if needed.

How to enable and configure the Passcode feature

For information on how to enable Passcode, refer to the Passcode Settings document.

How to reset a passcode

For information on how to reset a passcode, refer to the How to reset your passcode document.

How to release a document using a passcode

For information on how to release documents using a passcode, refer to the Releasing print jobs with a passcode document.

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