This September, the Mopria Alliance marks its 12th anniversary—and what a remarkable journey it has been. From our founding in 2013 with a bold vision of printing from mobile phones to becoming the industry standard that has transformed how people print and scan across devices, brands, and platforms, powering over 5 billion installations worldwide.
2013: Four Visionaries Launch a Print Revolution
In September 2013, Canon, HP, Samsung, and Xerox came together with a shared vision: mobile printing needed an overhaul. Despite the explosive growth of smartphones and tablets—mobile-connected devices were set to exceed the number of people on Earth by year’s end—printing from these devices remained cumbersome, requiring multiple apps, drivers, and complex setups.
Their solution was revolutionary in its simplicity: create universal standards that would make printing “intuitively simple,” regardless of device or printer brand. The Mopria Alliance was born with a mission to eliminate vendor lock-in, remove setup friction, and deliver the same seamless experience users expected from their mobile devices.
2014: From Vision to Reality
Less than six months after launch, momentum was building fast. By February 2014, the Alliance had expanded from four members to sixteen, representing over 86% of the worldwide printer business. New members included industry giants like Adobe, Brother, Epson, Konica Minolta, Lexmark, and Ricoh—proving that the entire industry recognized the need for standardization.
More importantly, we moved from concept to concrete delivery. The Alliance launched its certification program and began testing prototypes. When Google integrated print capabilities into Android 4.4 (KitKat), Mopria was ready with complementary technology, including NFC tap-to-print and enhanced PDF support.
By October 2014, we had launched the Mopria Print Service app for Android—our first consumer-facing application, which would become the foundation for billions of future installations.
2017: Hitting Our Stride with Half a Billion Users
By February 2017, Mopria technology had reached 500 million installations—a testament to growing demand for mobile printing solutions. This milestone coincided with important workplace trends: 65% of millennial respondents were printing very frequently in office environments, and mobile printing was essential for the increasingly mobile workforce.
The year brought major Android integration milestones. In August, Mopria technology became part of Android 8.0 Oreo’s core printing functionality through our collaboration with Google’s Android team. This wasn’t an app—it was fundamental OS-level integration that would reach hundreds of millions of devices automatically.
September saw another leap forward with Share-to-Print functionality, allowing users to print photos, text, and web pages directly from their favorite apps through Android’s native sharing interface. Mobile printing was becoming as natural as sharing a photo or sending a message.
2018: The Billion-Device Breakthrough
By 2018, Mopria technology was embedded in over one billion devices—a staggering scale that included pre-installation on Amazon Fire, Huawei, and ZTE devices, integration in Samsung’s Print Service, and core functionality in Android’s Default Print Service reaching hundreds of millions of Android 8 and 9 users.
The year was marked by significant platform expansion. Android 9 (Pie) users gained Wi-Fi Direct printing to Mopria certified printers as a built-in feature, while Microsoft implemented IPP printing solutions based on Mopria standards in Windows 10. We weren’t just a mobile printing solution anymore—we were becoming the universal printing standard.
December 2018 marked our expansion beyond printing with the launch of Mopria Scan, offering universal scanning standards that worked across manufacturer devices. The vision of unified print and scan experiences was becoming a reality.
2020: Two Billion Strong
The milestone of 2 billion total installations across Android, Samsung devices, and Windows 10 demonstrated Mopria’s evolution from mobile-first to a truly universal platform. This wasn’t just about consumer adoption—it reflected enterprise acceptance as businesses embraced BYOD policies and needed reliable cross-platform printing solutions.
Android 11’s new Share-to-Print feature, developed in collaboration between Mopria and Google’s Android team, enabled direct printing from thousands of social media and productivity apps. Users could now print JPEG, BMP, PNG, GIF, and PDF files from virtually any Android app that supported sharing—making printing as ubiquitous as sharing itself.
2023: A Decade of Excellence, Three Billion Installations
Our 10th anniversary celebration in November 2023 marked more than just time—it represented fundamental industry transformation. With over 8,000 certified product models and 120 million actively deployed devices, Mopria has become the de facto industry standard.
The year’s most significant validation came from Microsoft’s decision to discontinue support for third-party printer drivers in Windows 11, relying instead on Mopria standards. This represented a monumental industry shift—one of the world’s largest technology companies was betting its printing future on Mopria’s universal approach.
2024–2025: Universally Adopted Print and Scan Ecosystem
Today, Mopria has evolved beyond its mobile printing origins to become a comprehensive print and scan ecosystem. Our standards power the Android Default Print Service and Windows IPP Class Driver, reaching billions of users who may never know they’re using Mopria technology—which is exactly how universal standards should work.
The Alliance now includes 22 member companies representing the global spectrum of printing, scanning, and mobile technology industries. From founding giants Canon, HP, Samsung, and Xerox to innovative companies like Adobe, Microsoft, Qualcomm, and dozens of others, the industry has united around our universal vision.
Why This Milestone Matters
Twelve years represent more than organizational longevity—it demonstrates the enduring value of our core mission:
Seamless User Experience: We’ve eliminated the complexity that once plagued mobile printing. Users don’t download drivers, configure settings, or worry about brand compatibility. They simply print, scan, and go.
Deep OS Integration: Our collaboration with Google and Microsoft has embedded Mopria standards into the world’s dominant operating systems, reaching billions of users automatically and ensuring print capabilities evolve with platform innovations.
Industry Collaboration: What began with four companies has evolved into an industry-wide alliance, demonstrating that collaboration surpasses competition in addressing universal user needs.
Cross-Platform Innovation: From smartphones to tablets, home PCs to enterprise environments, Mopria continues expanding print and scan capabilities across every computing ecosystem.
Looking Forward: Year 13 and Beyond
As we enter our thirteenth year, we’re proud of our foundation while remaining focused on the future:
Enhanced Platform Integration: Continuing deep collaboration with Google, Microsoft, and other platform partners to advance print capabilities, accessibility, and user workflows.
Next-Generation Standards: Developing advanced standards for emerging technologies, expanded OS integration, and intelligent print/scan experiences that anticipate user needs.
Open Innovation: The Alliance remains welcoming to new members and fresh perspectives, ensuring Mopria evolves with industry innovation and user expectations.
The Universal Print Revolution
Since launching in September 2013, the Mopria Alliance has fundamentally transformed printing and scanning by embedding universal standards directly into Android, Windows, and beyond. Through trusted partnerships, open collaboration, and unwavering focus on user experience, we’ve enabled billions of seamless printing and scanning moments worldwide.
Our 12th anniversary isn’t just a celebration of the past—it’s recognition of how far universal standards can transform entire industries when driven by collaboration and user-centric innovation. As we look toward the future, our mission remains unchanged: making print and scan experiences effortless, accessible, and universal for everyone, everywhere.
Here’s to many more years of Print. Scan. Go.
