Bowden Digitec

Print Management Software / uniFLOW

uniFLOW: Secure Print Management, Made by Canon

uniFLOW is the print and scan management platform from Canon. Zero-trust pull-printing so nothing prints until you tap in at the device. AI-powered Filing Assist that names and files scanned documents for you. Proper cost tracking by user, department or project. Microsoft 365 and SharePoint scanning out of the box. We're a Canon-authorised partner installing and supporting uniFLOW across Kent, London and the rest of the UK. Subscription from £10 per user per month.

What Is uniFLOW?

uniFLOW is the print and scan management platform made by Canon (developed by NT-ware, a wholly-owned Canon company). It sits between your users and your printers, and it does three jobs at once: it makes printing secure, it tracks the cost of every page, and it automates what happens to scanned documents. Think of it as the brain that turns a fleet of photocopiers into a properly managed, properly auditable print environment.

There are two editions. uniFLOW Online is the cloud subscription: no on-premise server, Canon handles updates and uptime, you log in through a browser. uniFLOW Suite is the on-premise enterprise version for organisations with strict data-residency rules or very large fleets. Most businesses we install for go with uniFLOW Online. And every modern Canon device ships with uniFLOW Online Express free of charge, which covers basic secure print release and scan-to-cloud out of the box.

uniFLOW works best on Canon hardware (the integration is hardware-level: card readers, embedded interface, firmware integrity verification), but the cloud platform supports a limited range of non-Canon devices too. For mixed fleets we usually steer customers towards PaperCut MF; for Canon-led fleets, uniFLOW wins on depth.

AI Document Workflows & Zero-Trust Print Security

Two things separate uniFLOW from older print-management tools: the AI sitting inside Canon's Filing Assist, and a security model that genuinely follows zero-trust principles. If you're being asked about Cyber Essentials Plus, ISO 27001, or GDPR audit trails, this is the part of the page that matters.

AI-Powered Filing Assist

Canon's Filing Assist runs on the device itself. You drop a stack of mixed documents into the feeder and the AI reads each one, classifies it (invoice, contract, expense receipt, ID document), names it sensibly using its actual content, and files it into the right folder in OneDrive, SharePoint, Google Drive or your document management system.

Finance teams use it for invoice capture. HR teams use it for onboarding paperwork. Legal teams use it for case files. The time-saving compounds: a single user filing twenty documents a day reclaims hours a week.

Zero-Trust Print Security

Print jobs are encrypted in transit, held in a secure cloud queue, and only released when the user authenticates at the device with a card, PIN or phone. Nothing prints until someone is standing there. Add firmware integrity verification on Canon devices, full audit trails of every print and scan job, and SIEM compatibility for the corporate IT team, and you have a print environment that satisfies serious security auditors.

We deploy this for law firms, financial services, schools and healthcare clients across Kent and London where leaving a confidential document on an output tray is not an option.

Canon-Authorised uniFLOW Installer, Kent to Leeds

Canon authorises a network of partners to deploy and support uniFLOW. We're one of them, and we install the platform across the UK with two different teams behind us.

Kent & London

Direct deployment by our in-house engineers. Sam covers Medway and Kent, Harry runs South East London, and the Hatton Garden office handles central, west and north London.

Leeds, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol, Glasgow

Deployed and supported through our UK partner engineer network. Same configuration standards, same SLA, one contract with us.

Multi-site rollouts

Headquarters in Kent, branches anywhere in the UK. We've done it across estate agency networks, healthcare groups and education trusts. One quote, one project plan, one phone number.

If you've already got Canon devices on a lease with someone else, we can still take on the uniFLOW deployment and support side. Lots of customers come to us that way first.

What uniFLOW Does

Secure Pull-Printing

Documents sit in a secure cloud queue until you authenticate at the device. Tap your card, enter your PIN or use your phone. Nothing prints until you are standing at the machine. Confidential documents never sit unattended in a tray.

Cost Tracking & Budgeting

See exactly who is printing what and how much it costs. Break it down by user, department, project or cost centre. Set print budgets and get alerts before they are exceeded. Real data, not estimates.

Mobile & Remote Printing

Print from any device, anywhere. Laptops, phones, tablets. Submit a job from home and release it when you arrive at the office. Works with the uniFLOW Online Print and Scan app on iOS and Android.

Microsoft 365 & Cloud Integration

Scan directly to OneDrive, SharePoint, Google Drive or any cloud storage. Print from Microsoft 365 without installing drivers. The integration is native, not bolted on.

Enterprise Security & Compliance

Encrypted document handling from submission to output. Full audit trails for every print and scan job. GDPR-compliant data retention controls. Firmware integrity verification on Canon devices. SIEM compatibility for corporate IT teams.

Scan Workflows & Filing Assist

Canon's Filing Assist uses AI to automatically name, categorise and file scanned documents into the right folders. Scan to email, scan to cloud, scan to workflow. Reduces manual data entry and filing errors.

uniFLOW vs PaperCut: When Does uniFLOW Make More Sense?

PaperCut MF is excellent and we install it regularly. It works across every brand, which makes it the right choice for mixed fleets. But if your machines are Canon, uniFLOW has advantages that PaperCut cannot match.

Hardware-level integration means faster authentication and more reliable secure printing
Canon Filing Assist uses on-device AI to automatically name and categorise scanned documents
Firmware integrity verification protects against tampering at the device level
Cloud-native architecture means no on-premise server to maintain
Free Express tier included with every Canon device, so basic features cost nothing

For a detailed side-by-side breakdown, see our PaperCut vs uniFLOW comparison.

Canon Devices We Supply with uniFLOW

Every Canon device we supply is compatible with uniFLOW Online Express out of the box. The full uniFLOW Online subscription can be added to any of them. Here are some of our most popular Canon machines:

Common Questions About uniFLOW

What is uniFLOW?

uniFLOW is a print and scan management platform made by Canon (specifically NT-ware, a Canon company). It lets you control who prints what, release jobs securely at the device with a card or PIN, track cost by user or department, scan straight into Microsoft 365 or SharePoint, and run AI-driven document workflows. uniFLOW Online is the cloud version, uniFLOW Suite is the on-premise enterprise edition.

Is uniFLOW any good for print security?

Yes. uniFLOW gives you proper zero-trust pull-printing: nothing prints until the user authenticates at the machine, so confidential documents never sit in an output tray. Add encrypted job transmission, firmware integrity checks on Canon devices, full audit trails for every print and scan, and SIEM integration for corporate IT, and you have an enterprise-grade print security setup that satisfies GDPR, ISO 27001 and Cyber Essentials Plus auditors.

Does uniFLOW use AI?

Yes. Canon's Filing Assist (part of uniFLOW Online and uniFLOW Suite on supported Canon devices) uses on-device AI to read scanned documents, classify them, name them sensibly and file them into the right folder in OneDrive, SharePoint or your document management system. It cuts the manual data-entry and renaming that swallows time in finance, HR and legal teams.

How much does uniFLOW cost?

uniFLOW Online is a subscription starting from around £10 per user per month for the base bundle. Pricing depends on number of users, number of devices, and which features you want. We can bundle the subscription into your managed print agreement so it sits alongside your lease and cost-per-page as one monthly invoice.

Does uniFLOW work with non-Canon printers?

uniFLOW Online supports a limited range of non-Canon devices for secure printing. The deepest integration (Filing Assist AI, embedded interface, firmware integrity, device-level cost capture) is on Canon hardware. If your fleet is mostly non-Canon, PaperCut MF is usually a better fit. If your fleet is Canon-led, uniFLOW gives you tighter control. See our PaperCut vs uniFLOW comparison.

What is the difference between uniFLOW Online and uniFLOW Online Express?

uniFLOW Online Express is included free with every modern Canon device and covers basic secure print release and scan-to-cloud. uniFLOW Online (the paid subscription) adds cost accounting, departmental budgeting, mobile printing, Microsoft 365 integration, Filing Assist AI workflows and compliance reporting. For most businesses that care about cost control or security, the paid version pays for itself quickly.

Who installs uniFLOW in the UK?

Canon authorises a network of partners to install and support uniFLOW. We're one of them. We deploy uniFLOW across Kent and London with our own in-house engineers, and across the rest of the UK (Leeds, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol, Glasgow and beyond) through our partner engineer network. Same configuration standards, same support contract, wherever your offices are.

Is uniFLOW GDPR compliant?

Yes. uniFLOW Online provides encrypted document handling, secure pull-printing so documents never sit unattended, full audit trails of every print and scan job, granular data retention controls, and a UK/EU data residency option. It's designed to help businesses meet GDPR, the UK Data Protection Act, ISO 27001 and Cyber Essentials Plus requirements.

What is follow-me printing and does uniFLOW support it?

Follow-me printing (sometimes called pull printing or secure print release) means a job sits in a cloud queue until you walk up to any device in your fleet, authenticate with a card, PIN or phone, and release it there. uniFLOW does this natively across every Canon device on your estate, and across supported third-party printers too. Print upstairs, release downstairs, or release in the Manchester office if you flew up that morning: same queue, same job, no reprints, no documents abandoned in trays.

Is uniFLOW good print management software for UK businesses?

uniFLOW is one of the two print management platforms we recommend most often in the UK, alongside PaperCut MF. Canon-led fleets almost always get more value from uniFLOW because the integration runs at firmware level: faster authentication, AI scanning on the device, native Microsoft 365 scanning, and UK/EU data residency for GDPR. We deploy it across Kent, London and (through our partner engineer network) Leeds, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol and Glasgow.

Can uniFLOW replace our existing pull-printing or secure release system?

Yes, in almost every case. If you're running an older PaperCut, YSoft SafeQ, Equitrac or PrinterLogic setup and your fleet is Canon-led, migrating to uniFLOW Online usually removes a print server, cuts licence cost, and adds the AI scanning and Microsoft 365 features the older platforms don't have. We've done these migrations for legal firms, schools and healthcare groups: typical cutover is a weekend.

Want uniFLOW on Your Canon Devices?

We set it up, configure your workflows, and support it ongoing. Tell us what you need and we will put together a quote. From £10 per month.