Jan 2, 2019 - Whether you want a high-quality printer, an all-in-one workhorse, a compact photo printer, or a simple single-function. Our editors hand-picked these products based on our tests and reviews. Best compact monolaser.
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Welcome to our pick of the best printers for Macs in 2019. No matter what Apple computer you have, be it a traditional Mac, an all-in-one iMac or a MacBook laptop, on this page you'll find the best printers for Mac devices.
Not only have we listed the very best printers for Mac, we've also included our own price comparison tool, so you'll get recommendations for the best prices as well, ensuring you get a brilliant deal.
Getting the best printer for your Mac means ensuring that it can easily connect to your Apple product either via wires or wirelessly. The best printers for Macs will also be capable of high print quality. Many of us use Macs for creative work, so we need Mac printers that will do our work justice.
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1. Epson Expression Premium XP-6105
A stylish small-in-one to match your Mac
Category: 3-in-1 colour inkjet printer | Print speed: 23ppm | Paper sizes: up to A4 | Paper capacity: 500 | Weight: 12.1kg
Compact design
Costly cartridges
Epson has done well to shrink this three-in-one to the size of a square shoebox without losing any features. Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct and AirPrint make it easy to connect to an Apple device without the need for Ethernet or USB cables. It also offers auto duplex printing, convenient USB and SD card slots and the ability to print on a very wide variety of media from blank CDs to glossy A4 photo paper. It lacks a touchscreen display, but it’s easy to use and the print quality, especially with photos, is excellent.
2. Canon Pixma TS8050
User-friendly photo printing for AirPrint devices
Category: 3-in-1 colour inkjet printer | Print speed: 15ppm | Paper sizes: up to A4 | Paper capacity: 100 | Weight: 6.5kg
Broad connectivity
Costly cartridges
Canon’s slick three-in-one printer is particularly user-friendly with its huge touchscreen display and AirPrint for fast connection with Apple devices. There are convenient slots for an SD card and USB flash drive too. It prints and scans at high resolution and instead of four, it uses five dyes and one black pigment ink to achieve superior fidelity when printing colour photos and the six cartridges are separate so you only need to replace the one that runs out.
Read the full review:Canon Pixma TS8050
3. Brother DCP-J774DW
Inexpensive and effective inkjet all-in-one
Category: 3-in-1 colour inkjet MFD | Print speed: 12ppm | Paper sizes: up to A4 | Paper capacity: 100 | Weight: 6.6kg
Compact and affordable
Not fast
Brother’s entry-level inkjet 3-in-1 bundles all of the key features such as auto duplexing and cloud printing into a delightfully compact unit. The tilting display is easy to read, but if you’re using an Apple mobile device, you can download the free iPrint&Scan app, which particularly well thought out. There are USB ports front and rear, an SD Card slot and Wi-Fi/Wi-Fi Direct, so it’s well connected too. It prints somewhat slowly at 12ppm in mono, but duplex documents appear crisp and consistent and photos on glossy paper look lifelike enough for a budget model.
Read the full review:Brother DCP-J774DW
4. Epson EcoTank ET-M1120
Simple cartridge-free design hits the sweet spot
Category: mono inkjet printer | Print speed: 15ppm | Paper sizes: up to A4 | Paper capacity: 150 | Weight: 3.5kg
Very economical refills
Slow print speed
The up-front price might seem daunting, but this print-only device includes enough black ink for 6,000 pages and refills are far cheaper than cartridges. Epson’s elegant design won a Red Dot award and we have to agree that there’s something refreshingly simple about topping up the visible reservoir with a bottle of ink. There are few features here, not even AirPrint, but the iOS companion app is excellent and it compliments a Mac particularly well. Wi-Fi is built in and it can turn out duplex pages at a somewhat slow, but steady rate of 15ppm and there’s room in this streamlined machine for 150 sheets of paper.
5. HP Deskjet 2130
This stylish AirPrint all-in-one is budget bargain
Category: 3-in-1 colour inkjet printer | Print speed: 5ppm | Paper sizes: up to A4 | Paper capacity: 60 | Weight: 4.5kg
Fast draft mode
No auto duplex
The 2130 appears to be one of the most affordable all-in-one printers out there and though it lacks Wi-Fi (it has an Ethernet port), it is AirPrint compatible making it easy to use with an Apple device. It’s a very basic machine and lacks auto duplexing and a display of any kind, but this stripped back machine will print, scan and copy much like any other budget AIO. Of course, the real cost comes when you replace the inkjet cartridges and the setup tri-colour cart included in the box is only good for up to 100 pages and replacements are quite expensive.
6. Canon Pixma G5050
Cartridge-less system smashes the page costs of this AirPrint all-in-one
Category: 3-in-1 colour inkjet printer | Print speed: 13ppm | Paper sizes: up to A4 | Paper capacity: 250 | Weight: 6.5kg
High page yield
Not very fast
This costly, but cost-effective all-in-one AirPrint device has swapped its cartridges for refillable ink tanks. That slashes your per-page cost considerably and Canon has included enough ink for 6,000 black and white pages and 7,700 colour – hence the hefty price tag. It prints quite slowly, but with a paper capacity of 350 sheets (250 in the main tray plus 100 in the rear tray) and such a high ink yield, it can keep on printing. It comes equipped with Wi-Fi and auto duplex mode and can be easy controlled by the iOS/Android companion app.
7. Epson SureColor SC-P600
The Mac-friendly printer for photographers and designers
Category: A2 colour inkjet printer | Print speed: 3ppm | Paper sizes: up to A2 | Paper capacity: 100 | Weight: 8.7kg
Roll paper option
Large footprint
This A2-size print-only device will suit any business that needs to turn out professional large format colour documents. The resolution of 2,880 x 1,440 dpi gets closer to that of your Mac monitor than most and it uses Epson’s nine-colour UltraChrome HD inkset for lifelike colour shading. These cartridges come in high capacity 80ml options, while the paper input can also be upgraded to hold a roll. Unsurprisingly, it takes up quite a bit of room and the cost is high, but it’s considerably lower than outsourcing your poster prints.
Read the full review:Epson SureColor SC-P600
8. HP Deskjet 3630
Easy AirPrint all-in-one
Category: 3-in-1 colour inkjet printer | Print speed: 20ppm | Paper sizes: up to A4 | Paper capacity: 500 | Weight: 12.1kg
Instant Ink ready
Costly cartridges
At less than £40 (around $52), this three-in-one printer is something of a steal. Of course the catch comes with the relatively high price of the inkjet cartridges, but if you take out HP’s Instant Ink subscription, even this cost drops. The printer itself is rather flimsy, but it’s well kitted out with Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct and AirPrint in for easy mobile printing from your Apple device. The free iOS companion app is also particularly user-friendly.
Read the full review:HP Deskjet 3630
9. Epson EcoTank ET-4500
Cartridge-free system saves money and time
Category: 4-in-1 colour inkjet printer | Print speed: 9ppm | Paper sizes: up to A4 | Paper capacity: 100 | Weight: 6.3kg
Cheap refills
Clumsy design
With the refillable ink tanks bolted onto the side of this budget inkjet AIO, the design looks inelegant, but the savings to made in ink is worth it. Epsons says it’s EcoTank system will cut your running cost by around 70% and has included enough ink to last you an estimated two years. With everything from a fax facility to integrated Wi-Fi and AirPrint on board, it could prove a useful and economical companion for the home office. The iPrint iOS/Android app makes it particularly convenient to print wirelessly and while it is slow to print, the results are reliable.
Read the full review:Epson EcoTank ET-4500
10. Canon Pixma G4510
Canon cuts ink cost with its cartridge-less solution
Category: 3-in-1 colour inkjet printer | Print speed: 10ppm | Paper sizes: up to A4 | Paper capacity: 100 | Weight: 5.4kg
Low ink cost
High price point
By swapping ink cartridges for bottled ink, this inkjet printer has a far higher page yield and much lower per page cost. You can clearly see when the ink reservoirs are running low and with Wi-Fi built in and AirPrint compatibility, it’s easy to scan and print using your Apple device and the iOS companion app. It can auto duplex print and includes an automatic document feed and fax facility.
What about the best 3D printers?
So Many Options for Apple Users
A decade or so ago, few printers offered compatibility with Apple computers, but now we live in a happier age. Most new printers and all-in-one printers (AIOs) ship with macOS drivers, and many that don't provide them on disc allow you to download Mac drivers during the installation process. Mac-connected printers support most of the printing and AIO features you can access on a Windows machine. (Any features not usable with Macs are usually detailed on the printer manufacturer's website.)
How We Test
We perform our printer testing on a Windows 10 testbed rather than a Mac, but in ad-hoc testing we have found that printing to the same printer from similarly configured Mac and Windows computers tends to yield very similar print speeds. Nearly all printer manufacturers today provide support for Mac users. Thus, a list of the best models for Macs largely mirrors an overall list of the best printers out there.
See How We Test Printers
One item worth mentioning is the Bonjour protocol, Apple's implementation of zero-configuration networking, which is built into macOS Mojave, all OS X versions going back to 10.2, and iOS (and can be installed on Windows, Linux, and BSD systems as well). Bonjour allows users to quickly discover devices, including printers, on their networks. (It is also what lets AirPrint identify compatible printers on a LAN.) You can set up a printer without Bonjour, but its presence simplifies the task. Nearly all new network printers are Bonjour compatible, though very old routers may not support it.
Who Needs a Mac-Friendly Printer?
Macs are widely used by publishing professionals and graphic artists who rely on Adobe programs, such as Illustrator, to ensure the best output quality. Illustrator, as well as Photoshop and Acrobat, are optimized for Adobe's own PostScript printing language. You can print graphical material with text made in these programs from non-PostScript printers, but at a potential loss of quality, including occasional dropped elements and formatting. For any business that prints a lot of graphics, a printer with a PostScript driver (or at least PostScript emulation) is a big plus. PostScript has been a staple of the graphic arts since its inclusion with the Apple LaserWriter printer launched the desktop publishing revolution in the mid-1980s.
Many specialty printers are Windows-only. This is especially true of label printers (those that are able to connect to a computer at all). A few good exceptions are the Brother P-touch Cube+ and the Brother QL-820NWB, both Editors' Choice models. Some recent 3D printers, such as the Dremel DigiLab 3D45 3D Printer, work with Macs as well as Windows machines; check the manufacturer's specs for Mac support when shopping for a 3D printer.
How to Print From Your iPad
With iPads now commonplace in many homes and offices, there are several solutions to print from your tablet. The one most users will rely on is Apple's own AirPrint utility. which is built into all iOS versions since 4.2. This allows a Wi-Fi-connected iPad to communicate with a compatible printer on the same network. If your printer doesn't support AirPrint, there are several third-party utilities, including Printopia and Presto, you can download to your desktop. These effectively make your printer AirPrint compatible. Another alternative is to use a printing app, such as Samsung Mobile Print or Epson iPrint. When using these apps, your iPad and printer will need to be on the same network. Other solutions include cloud printing (sending your documents to a cloud server which then sends them to your printer) and email printing, which assigns an email address to your printer which you in turn use to print from your iPad by sending an email to your printer.
Which Mac Printer Is Right For You?
Below are our top-rated Mac-friendly printer picks. This roundup includes a generous selection of PostScript printers, as well as some non-PostScript models capable of high-quality graphics and/or photo output. But because many Mac users use their computers for tasks unrelated to graphic arts, we also present some top-notch general-purpose printers here. By and large, the qualities that make a Mac-compatible printer great are the same things that let any printer stand out from the crowd: a winning combination of features, speed, and print quality at a competitive price. For more, check out our top overall printer picks, as well as our top inkjet printers and best-reviewed laser printers.
Best Printers for Mac Featured in This Roundup:
Canon Maxify iB4120 Wireless Small Office Inkjet Printer Review
MSRP: $149.99
Pros: Generous paper capacity. Low price for its capabilities. Above-par output quality across the board. Competitive running costs.
Cons: Tiny, non-touch display.
Bottom Line: The Canon Maxify iB4120 Wireless Small Office Inkjet Printer is inexpensive, but provides generous paper capacity, competitive running costs, solid speed, and excellent output quality.
Read Review
Canon imageClass MF269dw Review
MSRP: $279.99
Pros: Small footprint. Competitive running costs. Good-looking output. Auto-duplexing ADF. Versatile connectivity options, including mobile.
Cons: Lacks flash memory drive support. Antiquated control panel.
Bottom Line: The Canon imageClass MF269dw is an entry-level monochrome laser AIO printer with just the right feature set, speed, and output quality to make it an excellent value for small and home-based offices.
Read Review
Brother HL-L2370DW Review
MSRP: $129.99
Pros: Low price. Great text and good graphics quality. Good speed. Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct, Ethernet, and USB connectivity.
Cons: Slightly below-par photo quality.
Bottom Line: The Brother HL-L2370DW offers above-par text and graphics, good speed and paper handling, a wide-range of connectivity choices, and competitive running costs in a low-priced mono laser for micro-office use.
Pros: Lightweight and compact. Two additional ink cartridges for higher-quality photos. Two paper input trays. SD card, Ethernet, and Bluetooth 4.0 support. Excellent print quality. Fast snapshot printing.
Cons: No automatic document feeder. Lacks NFC and Wi-Fi Direct. Slow document printing.
Bottom Line: Though it lacks an automatic document feeder, the six-ink Canon Pixma TS9120 Wireless Inkjet All-in-One printer produces exceptional text, graphics, and photos.
Pros: Very low running costs. 6,000-page ink bottle included in box. Good print quality. Fast first page out. Single-pass auto-duplexing ADF. Smart home voice-activation. Two-year warranty with registration.
Cons: Pricey. A little slower than laser counterparts. Monthly print volume ratings are low.
Bottom Line: The Epson ET-M3170 all-in-one monochrome inkjet prints and copies well, at exceptionally low running costs, making it an excellent choice for busy small offices.
Read Review
Epson WorkForce Pro WF-4740 Review
MSRP: $299.99
Pros: Excellent print quality overall. Auto-duplexing ADF. Competitively low running costs. Supports Wi-Fi Direct and NFC. Fast for its class.
Cons: No multipurpose tray. Small output tray. Slightly expensive.
Bottom Line: The WF-4740 prints well and fast, and it supports just about every midrange business-centric inkjet feature available, including Wi-Fi Direct, NFC, and two-sided scanning.
Read Review
Epson WorkForce Pro WF-C8690 A3 Color MFP With PCL/PostScript Review
MSRP: $1499.99
Pros: Excellent print quality. Prints super-tabloid pages. Supports Wi-Fi Direct and NFC. Emulates PostScript and PCL printers. Supports massive high-volume ink cartridges. High duty cycle. Competitive price.
Cons: Expansion accessories costly. No multipurpose tray or slot. Meager out-of-box paper capacity. Borderless photos and pages unsupported.
Bottom Line: The Epson WorkForce Pro WF-C8690 is a high-volume wide-format inkjet all-in-one that prints quickly and accurately for medium- to large-size offices and workgroups.
Bottom Line: HP's OfficeJet Pro 9015 All-in-One Printer churns out quality output at a low cost per page, making it a good value for small offices with light- to medium-duty copy and print volume requirements.
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HP Tango X Review
MSRP: $199.00
Pros: Small and spiffy. Voice control with supported smart home UIs. IFTTT scripting for extending smart capabilities. Impressive print quality. Competitive ink costs with Instant Ink, plus free snapshot printing from your smartphone.
Cons: Borderless prints limited to 5-by-7-inch. Single, small paper input. 'Scans' and 'copies' only via smartphone.
Bottom Line: HP's Tango X 'smart printer,' the first we've tested with voice activation and smart home features, is all about printing from mobile devices. It's not perfect, but given its unique free-snapshot printing angle, it will be a tough act for future models to follow.
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Xerox WorkCentre 6515/DNI Review
MSRP: $599.00
Pros: Excellent text quality. Slightly above-par graphics. ADF supports single-pass, two-sided scanning. Includes Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi Direct connectivity options.
Cons: Similar printers deliver better graphics and photo quality. Limited optional paper capacity for its price.
Bottom Line: The Xerox WorkCentre 6515/DNI provides above-par output quality, solid speed, and a thorough feature set for an all-in-one color laser-class printer.