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Photocopier Security: How To Protect Data On Office Copiers

Illustration of an office photocopier with the heading Photocopier Security: How To Protect Data On Office Copiers

Think about what went through your office copier last month. Payslips, perhaps. Passport copies for right to work checks. Signed contracts, bank statements, a customer's medical letter, the board pack. Now think about where that copier will be in three years' time, when the lease ends and a van takes it away.

Modern copiers are networked computers with a print engine attached. Most of them store data, and that makes them a security and data protection issue, not just an office equipment one. This guide explains the risks and what to do about them.

Hard drive risk

Most office multifunction devices have internal storage: a hard drive or solid state memory. It's there to manage jobs, hold scans before they're sent, store address books and keep documents for features like "print later" or mailbox printing.

The US Federal Trade Commission's guide on copier security puts it plainly: the hard drive in a digital copier "stores data about the documents it copies, prints, scans, faxes or emails", and if you don't protect that data, "it can be stolen from the hard drive, either by remote access or by extracting the data once the drive has been removed" (checked October 2026).

Deleting a file or reformatting the drive isn't enough. The FTC explains that deleting or reformatting "doesn't actually alter or remove the data", it only changes how the drive finds it, and the data can often be recovered with widely available software. The UK's National Cyber Security Centre makes the same point in its guidance on sanitising storage media: if media isn't properly sanitised, sensitive data may remain on it, and personal information could leak in breach of GDPR (NCSC, checked October 2026).

There are three main moments of risk:

  1. While the copier is in use, if someone on your network or the internet can reach it.
  2. When documents are left on the output tray, which is low tech but very common.
  3. When the copier leaves, at the end of a lease, when it's sold, or when it's swapped for a repair.

GDPR

Under UK GDPR, if your copier processes personal data, and almost every office copier does, you're responsible for keeping that data secure. Article 32 of UK GDPR requires "appropriate technical and organisational measures" to protect personal data, which for a copier includes how it's configured, who can use it and what happens to its storage at the end.

The Information Commissioner's Office asset management guidance for organisations sets out practical expectations for hardware that holds personal information (checked October 2026). It suggests you:

  • wipe, degauss or securely destroy hardware that contains personal information
  • document your procedure for secure disposal
  • keep evidence of management approval before disposing of assets
  • store hardware awaiting destruction in a locked area
  • keep a destruction log
  • get certificates from third parties who destroy hardware for you
  • carry out due diligence on those third parties

Copiers fit squarely into that. If a leased copier goes back to the finance company with your data still on it, that's your problem, not theirs.

Secure print

Secure print, also called pull printing or follow me printing, is the simplest fix for the output tray problem. Instead of printing straight away, the job waits on a server or on the device until the person who sent it releases it with a PIN, an ID card or a phone app.

Benefits:

  • confidential documents aren't left on the tray
  • forgotten jobs are deleted automatically, saving paper
  • you can track who prints what

Most major manufacturers offer secure print release, either built in or through software. Canon's uniFLOW is one well known example. Ask your dealer what's included and what costs extra.

Other features to ask about:

  • Drive encryption. The FTC explains that encryption means data "cannot be retrieved even if the hard drive is removed from the machine". Many current machines encrypt as standard; on others it's an option.
  • Automatic overwriting. The machine overwrites data after each job or on a schedule.
  • User authentication. Staff log in with a card or PIN before copying, scanning or printing.
  • Firmware updates. Copiers need security updates like any other computer. Ask who's responsible for applying them.
  • Network security. Disable services you don't use, change default admin passwords and keep the copier behind your firewall.
  • Security certifications. Some manufacturers cite standards. Kyocera, for example, states FIPS 140-3 compliance for its TASKalfa MZ series (checked October 2026). Ask what each machine supports.

Disposal and wiping

This is the part most often missed. When a leased copier is collected, it usually goes back to the finance company or dealer, then to a refurbisher or a new customer.

Before that happens, you need confidence that your data has gone. Options include:

  1. Built in data erase. Many machines have an end of life "initialise" or data erase function that overwrites the storage. Ask for a printed report or certificate from the machine.
  2. Drive removal. You keep the drive and destroy it yourself or through a certified destruction company. The FTC suggests checking that your lease or purchase agreement says you'll keep ownership of the drives, or that the supplier will overwrite them.
  3. Supplier wiping with certification. The supplier wipes the drive and gives you a certificate with the machine's serial number.

Whatever route you choose, get it in writing in your contract, not just as a promise at collection. Our lease cancellation guide covers the end of a lease in more detail.

Checklist

Use this before you sign a new lease or buy a machine:

  • Does the device encrypt its storage? Is encryption on by default?
  • Does it overwrite data automatically after each job?
  • Is secure print release included, and at what cost?
  • Can users be required to log in to copy, scan and print?
  • Who applies firmware and security updates, and how often?
  • Have default admin passwords been changed at installation?
  • What happens to the storage at the end of the lease? Is it in the contract?
  • Will you get a certificate of data erasure or destruction with the serial number?
  • Is the copier included in your asset register and data protection records?

Our data processing policy explains how we handle the information you send us. For more on choosing machines, see our office photocopiers guide.

FAQs

Do photocopiers store data?

Most modern multifunction copiers have internal storage that can hold images of documents copied, printed, scanned or faxed.

Is deleting files from a copier enough?

No. Deleting or reformatting doesn't remove the data. Use overwriting, encryption or physical destruction.

Does GDPR apply to photocopiers?

Yes, if they process personal data. You need appropriate security measures, including secure disposal.

What should happen to the hard drive at the end of a lease?

It should be securely wiped or destroyed, with a certificate. Make sure your contract says so.

What's secure print?

A feature that holds print jobs until the user releases them at the device with a PIN or card.

Get secure copier quotes

When you compare quotes, ask every supplier about encryption, secure print and end of lease wiping. Use the form on this page to get quotes from suppliers.