Printing within Saudi institutions has transcended being a separate office function limited to device speed or page cost, becoming part of a broader system related to information protection, access control, and tracking its movement between paper, digital systems, and cloud platforms.

This transformation comes alongside the expansion of institutions, the shift of more procedures to digital environments, the entry of international companies into the Saudi market, and the rising requirements of governance and compliance in government, health, and financial sectors.

Kazuhiko Kiji, Section Manager at Fujifilm Middle East, says the nature of demand in Saudi Arabia has clearly changed in recent years; institutions no longer ask only about printing speed, reliability, and operating cost, but are now looking into 'secure printing environments, user identity verification, cloud connectivity, and auditability'.

He adds, during a special interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, that document infrastructure is now evaluated within the framework of information technology and institutional compliance, rather than being treated as an independent operational requirement, at a time when government agencies and major companies are aligning document management practices with data protection frameworks and digital transformation goals.

Kazuhiko Kiji, Section Manager at Fujifilm Middle East (Fujifilm)

A Changing Market

According to Kiji, Saudi Vision 2030 has contributed to the expansion of the business sector and the increase in the number of international companies establishing regional headquarters in Riyadh and other Saudi cities, which has raised demand for institutional solutions that comply with international standards of security, governance, and workflow integration.

The most notable change is the shift in focus from the device specifications themselves to how information moves within the institution. A document may start in digital form, then be printed for signature or review, before being scanned and returned to an electronic archive or content management system.

Risks arise when the document moves between these stages, especially when access controls are absent or there are no records showing who printed, copied, or sent it to a specific digital destination.

Kiji says: 'What has changed noticeably is the nature of the conversation,' explaining that speed, cost, and reliability are still important factors, but they are no longer sufficient for purchasing decisions in large institutions or regulated sectors.

Digital transformation does not eliminate the use of paper but increases the need to secure the transfer of documents between physical and digital environments (Shutterstock)

Different Needs

Document infrastructure requirements vary across Saudi sectors, despite a shared need for information protection and operational efficiency. Government agencies focus heavily on traceability, auditability, and security of sensitive documents, especially with the expansion of digital government services and the movement of procedures between departments, electronic platforms, and physical documents.

The healthcare sector is one of the most stringent in document protection, due to the sensitive information contained in patient records, clinical reports, and compliance materials. This environment requires strict access controls, encryption, secure scanning, and prevention of document access by unauthorized individuals.

Kiji believes that the consequences of losing a document or data leakage in healthcare institutions can be significant, so these entities invest in strong verification systems and solutions that ensure document protection throughout its lifecycle.

In the financial sector, regulatory requirements and audit trails top the priorities, along with the need to handle large volumes of documents in an environment that restricts unauthorized access or information leakage.

The landscape differs in education, where demand is linked to the expansion of universities, schools, and campuses, and the entry of international educational institutions into the Kingdom. This makes workflow efficiency, cost management, and multi-site service among the key requirements. As for large companies, especially those managing multiple branches and sites, they seek unified management of documents and devices, combining local systems and cloud services depending on the nature and sensitivity of the data.

The Saudi market is moving toward fewer, smarter devices with the expansion of managed services and integration with digital systems and hybrid cloud (Adobe)

Paper Persists

Digital transformation is often associated with reduced reliance on paper, but Kiji believes this perception does not fully reflect what is happening in the Saudi market; what is actually declining is unmanaged basic printing, as institutions move to reduce waste, standardize device fleets, and eliminate consumer printers in large work environments. Meanwhile, demand for secure and managed document workflows remains strong, and even grows in some sectors, because many business and regulatory processes still involve physical documents at some stage.

Kiji states: 'The challenge institutions face is not eliminating paper, but ensuring that the transition between physical and digital is secure, traceable, and governed.' The document may be a signed contract, a medical record, a purchase order, or a document required by a regulator. In each case, the risk is not just the existence of paper, but the way it is printed, delivered, scanned, and stored.

Path Review

Re-evaluating the document environment within an institution usually begins with a review of existing weaknesses, including who can access printers, how documents are delivered, the destinations used when scanning, and the controls applied to storage and archiving. According to Kiji, this review may reveal gaps in tracking and governance, such as leaving sensitive documents in the printing tray, sending scanned files to uncontrolled addresses, or using default passwords on devices. The remediation includes moving to printing that is only executed after user verification via a PIN, ID card, or biometric system. In this case, the document is not released from the device until the person who requested it is present.

Scanning processes can also be designed so that the document goes directly to the archive or relevant system, instead of being handled manually, with approval procedures or automatic triggering of the next workflow stage.

This environment also includes password-protected PDF files, time restrictions on printing, restricting available scan destinations, and logging all actions performed on each document to meet audit requirements.

Secure printing and user identity verification top the requirements for government, health, and financial entities (Adobe)

Interconnected Risks

Risks are not limited to data leakage, but also include unsecured devices, scattered archives, weak tracking, and excessive manual processes. Kiji believes that unsecured devices often represent the starting point, as some institutions manage large fleets of multifunction devices without standardizing their security settings, changing default passwords, or implementing a clear policy for controlling their use.