Best Printers for Mac in 2021
The best printers for Mac devices on the market in 2020
- Last Updated May 28, 2021
While you might think that printers will work with all operating systems, including Mac, there are sometimes compatibility issues thus meaning you have to be somewhat careful when choosing a new printer. With this buying guide of best printers for Mac, we’ve tried to simplify the process for you by only choosing machines that are compatible with Mac devices as well as other connectivity to simplify the Mac printing process.
Products at a Glance
How We Picked
For choosing the best printers for Mac they all obviously have to be Mac OS compatible but what sets them apart from your bog standard variants is their other connectivity, printing features, and ease of use. It’s these main factors that we focused on when selecting our four picks. Moreover, as some printers have specialized functions, we have given awards out due to this, simplifying the process for those who already have an idea in mind for the purpose of their printer.
Best Printers for Mac in 2021
If you’re wanting a printer for Mac that has strength in multiple areas the Canon TS9120 Wireless Printer is certainly worth considering. It has front and rear paper support allowing you to print up to A4 size with ease as well as the capacity for borderless photo printing. It also uses a 6 individual ink system including a photo blue ink tank which provides true color printing without any grain.
Moving to the all-important connectivity, we can see that it’s a perfect companion for Mac devices featuring Airprint capabilities alongside iCloud support allowing you to print wirelessly straight from your iPhone or Mac device. Moreover, if you don’t want to go down either of these routes on your Mac device, you can simply download the Canon PRINT app which has a plethora of features for wireless printing. For those of you who want a more old fashioned approach to printing, you can simply hook up your Mac device through a wired connection or slot in your SD card and go from there.
The 5 inch LCD touchscreen provides very easy access to print jobs, settings, and other features, handy for seeing processes in real-time rather than hoping everything is printing correctly.
All in all, the Canon TS9120 is a really great printer for Mac devices due to those wireless functionalities that make your life easier. The fact that it has Airprint and iCloud support is fantastic and could make you purchase it solely based on that. However, with the other plusses like the 6 individual ink system as well as its stellar color printing, it makes it even more of an attractive option and very hard to look elsewhere.
Canon has a bunch of printers that are Mac friendly and the Canon Pixma iP110 is definitely best in class if you’re looking for a portable variant. Taking a look at its printing capabilities, it boasts 9600 x 2400 maximum color dpi pages producing incredible resolution and detail in both business documents and photos. Speaking of documents, you’re looking at dimensions of up to 8.5-inch x 11 inches, making this A4 capable while also supporting smaller document sizes.
This portable printer also has extremely impressive connectivity allowing you to take advantage of the Canon PRINT app which easily lets you print photos or documents from your iPhone. Additionally, with the cloud print function, you can print directly from select online cloud services such as iCloud. Moreover, for you Airpirint users, it is also a function, allowing you to print directly from your Mac equipment without any additional software.
If you would like to take the Pixma iP110 out and about, not having access to an AC outlet you can. Sadly, no internal battery is included but what you can do is slot in a D size battery and get your printing done with no wires connected at all.
Pooling these pros and cons together, the Canon Pixma iP110 Wireless Mobile Printer comes out as a really attractive choice for Mac owners. It prints in very high detail as well as supporting a range of paper sizes. The connectivity is where it really shines though with it being able to print wirelessly via the proprietary app, available on the iOS store, in conjunction with Airprint functionality, removing the need for any extra software. While it is really portable it is unfortunate that there’s no internal rechargeable battery included but with the ability to slot in a D size battery, it’s not all bad, allowing you to still get your printing done without an AC outlet.
If you’re wanting to print some photos from your Apple/Mac device, the 2nd edition of the HP Sprocket Portable Photo Printer is the way to go. It has an extremely small form factor allowing you to put in your bag or even in your pocket allowing you to take it out and about with no issues.
Due to its size, you won’t be able to get the standard 6×4 you usually see photos in but what you do get are high resolution 2×3 inch sticky-backed photos that you can put right on your wall. Moreover, if you are using the Sprocket Portable Photo Printer with your friends, you can connect multiple Apple/Mac devices and the printer will intelligently form a queue without any input from the user. Speaking of connectivity, everything is wirelessly connected, meaning you don’t have to carry any wires around to hook up your iPhone to the portable printer, enhancing its carrying ability.
A big standout feature apart from the photo print quality is the bundled in-app. This app allows you to decorate, design, and print your social media photos as well as view a virtual photo queue of print jobs and more. The app is also constantly updated with new features being added as soon as they’re developed and can be downloaded straight from the iOS store. Another bundled extra is the inclusion of 50 prints to get you started which is reasonably generous from HP and more than enough to last a few parties.
Overall, the HP Sprocket Portable Photo Printer has to be your go-to photo printer for Mac. Because of the small form factor, it’s extremely easy to transport, eliminating the need for any extra bags as well as being wireless thus allowing you to leave those annoying wires at home. The printing quality itself is pretty fantastic and if you’re not bothered by your photos being a little on the small side compared to the standard prints you might be accustomed to, there’s little reason to look elsewhere. It’s also Apple/Mac ready without any additional hardware required, making for seamless setup and printing.
If you’re wanting a more robust printer for your Mac, the Brother HL-L2350DW could be a solid selection. It’s quite a bit bigger than the other picks on this list but with that, you’re getting increased overall capacities and the quality of printing that’s of a professional standard. Looking first at that capacity, it supports up to 250 pages which is fantastic, especially for those who are using Macs in their offices and are printing in large quantities. These pages also print out fast with its 32 page per minute rate, making it the quickest in its class.
As alluded to in its name, sadly it’s only a monochrome printer thus only printing in black and white. This is a big downside for those at home wanting a bunch of colored documents but for those in an office environment that predominantly use black and white, it isn’t an issue at all. It’s also a laser printer which means that it uses a different ink type to that of inkjet printers which is initially a bigger cost but will last a lot longer and produce crisper overall printing.
Moving to its connectivity, it is a wireless printer meaning you’re able to hook it up to your WiFi and print over your network. However, it also has functionality specifically for your Mac devices. You’re able to use Airprint as well as printing directly from iCloud which is handy, especially for you space savers that keep a lot of their photos and documents in the cloud. If wireless isn’t your way then you can hook it up to your Mac devices through a cable and won’t need any additional software to get it up and running.
Summing up, the Brother HL-L2350DW is a printing powerhouse with its large paper capacity as well as it being laserjet. It does only print in black and white which could be an issue for those printing at home and have kids wanting those colored sheets, but if you’re looking for a printer to use with your office full of Macs, having just black and white functionality shouldn’t cause too much bother. Finally, with its ability to take advantage of iCloud and Airprint, it makes it extremely easy to print from your Apple/Mac device, pushing it up the ranks over those printers that don’t support these aspects.
Things To Consider
Our Verdict
We’ve featured a few printers for Mac usage in this buying guide that really excel in their specific fields but if we had to pick just one as the best printer for Mac, we’d select the Canon TS9120 Wireless Printer. It boasts top quality color printing in a variety of sizes that suit most, if not all of everyone’s needs while also being relatively compact, not taking up half of your office space. It has brilliant wireless connectivity too and includes iCloud and Airprint support which is a massive time saver for those who store a lot of documents and photos on their iPhone or Macbook and want to simply click print rather than downloading them again. The other printers we’ve listed are all excellent choices, however, and still work fantastically well with your Mac equipment. If you’re looking for a portable printer opt for the Canon Pixma iP110 and if you’re wanting more of a workhorse go for the Brother HL-L2350DW, both are superb in their fields and may perform better than our best overall pick due to that.