Best Photo Printer For Mac 2014
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So Many Options for Apple Users
- Best Photo Scanners Reviewed. Last updated: July 2014. All-in-one home printers can scan photos, too. (See our buying guide to and reviews of printers.) Some people even try to take.
- The Best Printers for Mac. 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.
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.)
The Kodak Photo Dock printer had the best photo quality of the smaller, portable snapshot printers we tested. The machine uses dye-sublimation technology, which isn’t as precise as inkjet but much more vivid than zero ink, or zink, print technology.
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: $149.99Pros: Generous paper capacity. Low price for its capabilities. Above-par output quality across the board. Competitive running costs. Website mockup tool for mac.
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 ReviewCanon imageClass MF269dw Review
MSRP: $279.99Pros: 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 ReviewBrother HL-L2370DW Review
MSRP: $129.99Pros: 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.
Read ReviewCanon Pixma TS9120 Wireless Inkjet All-in-One Review
MSRP: $199.99Pros: 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.
Read ReviewEpson EcoTank ET-M3170 Wireless Monochrome All-in-One Supertank Printer Review
MSRP: $449.99Pros: 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 ReviewEpson WorkForce Pro WF-4740 Review
MSRP: $299.99Pros: 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 ReviewEpson WorkForce Pro WF-C8690 A3 Color MFP With PCL/PostScript Review
MSRP: $1499.99Pros: 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. https://cleverled527.weebly.com/2010-sebring-chilton-manual-download.html.
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.
Read ReviewHP OfficeJet Pro 9015 All-in-One Printer Review
MSRP: $229.99Pros: Fast. Good print quality overall. Competitive running costs. Borderless printing. 35-sheet auto-duplexing ADF. Attractive, compact build.
Cons: Only one paper input source.
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.
Read ReviewHP Tango X Review
MSRP: $199.00Pros: 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.
Read ReviewXerox WorkCentre 6515/DNI Review
MSRP: $599.00Pros: 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.
Read Review
Plenty of printers are good at photos, but some are outstanding. Many brands focus more on ensuring pristine document printing, but two manufacturers rule the photo printing roost: Epson and Canon.
Consumer Reports
With photo printers especially, the number of ink cartridges the printer uses is important. More is better as, for instance, if the printer has one black and one colour cartridge (which will have multiple coloured inks inside) it means when one of the inks in the colour cartridges runs out you need to replace the entire cartridge. And for greater fidelity in your images, the higher number of cartridges the better.
Also consider the size of the printer – a bigger printer can take up too much desk space. These printers are all A4-capable apart from the Canon Selphy CP1200, which is a compact portable designed to print small postcard-sized photos only. A couple also manage A3, which can be essential for keen photographers wanting the visual impact of bigger prints.
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Some manufacturers almost give their printers away but, be warned, this almost certainly means you’ll be paying in the long run through more expensive inks. Note that many printers come with starter cartridges, that is, they don’t have much ink in them, so your first ink purchase will come soon.
If you’re printing your photos from a mobile phone, you can often do so directly, thanks to manufacturer smartphone apps or compatibility with Apple AirPrint and Google Cloud Print for iPhones and Android phones respectively.
You can trust our independent reviews. We may earn commission from some of the retailers, but we never allow this to influence selections, which are formed from real-world testing and expert advice. This revenue helps us to fund journalism across The Independent.
Canon Pixma TS9155: £219.95, John Lewis & Partners
Maximum paper size: A4
Scanner? Yes
Copier? Yes
Ink cartridges: Six
Dimensions: 372 x 324 x 140mm
App printing: Canon Print, Apple AirPrint, Google Cloud Print
The slick, colourful Pixma TS9155 is tremendous. It’s easy to use thanks to a larger-than-most touch screen which automatically tilts outwards when in use. Image quality is very strong thanks to a high-density resolution and six ink cartridges including one called Photo Blue, designed to enhance photo prints with great detail and reduced grain, and a black designed for pin-sharp text in documents. It’s reasonably compact and, thanks to two paper trays, it can deliver two sizes of paper conveniently. Oh, and there’s a plain black model if you prefer something more subtle, model number TS9150.
Epson Expression Photo XP-8500: £87, Amazon
Maximum paper size: A4
Scanner? Yes
Copier? Yes
Ink cartridges: Six
Dimensions: 349 x 340 x 142mm
App printing: Epson app, Apple AirPrint, Google Cloud Print
This is a surprisingly compact printer and very capable to boot. It looks good and doesn’t dominate a room or reduce your usable desk space too much. The six ink cartridges make for excellent photos with subtle, realistic colours. The XP-8500 is easy to set up and use, with a large touchscreen to control every function. It’s versatile, with two output trays, a USB socket, and three different wireless options.
Canon Pixma Pro-100S: £374, Jessops
Maximum paper size: A3
Scanner? No https://mylifetree766.weebly.com/3d-studio-max-mac-download.html.
Copier? No
Ink cartridges: 8
Dimensions: 689 x 385 x 215mm
App printing: Apple AirPrint, Google Cloud Print How to make your own header file in dev c++.
Eight inks are part of the reason the picture fidelity is so strong on this printer. It is capable of printing images up to A3, borderless even at this large size. A3 prints take longer, over five minutes, though smaller photos are as quick as 2 minutes or less. Both the printer and ink replenishment costs are higher than some here, and it’s so photo-focused that it’s not a recommendation for those only wanting to print photos once in a while and plain paper documents the rest of the time. Also note that this printer uses dye-based inks rather than pigment inks, found in some other Pro machines and expensive printers, for instance. This makes for a glossier finish to photos, which can be a good thing but is beaten by pigment inks in terms of permanence - if you are selling your photos professionally, this may be a concern. For most of us, though, your prints are still likely to 40 years or so if the photographs are on display behind glass, and much longer in a photo album, before fading.
Epson SC-P400: £530, Amazon
Maximum paper size: A3
Scanner? Yes
Copier? Yes
Ink cartridges: Eight
Dimensions: 622 x 324 x 219mm
App printing: Epson app
Another A3 printer, the SC-P400 is big and bulky but delivers great results. It’s designed for exceptional quality and is versatile enough to allow printing on fine art paper, for instance. Unlike some printers, this one has no screen to control printing in detail. That’s done on a connected computer and buttons on the machine itself are for actions such as on/off, resume and so on.
Because quality is the key, it prints slowly, so is slightly wasted if you’re planning to use it for documents as well as photos. It has eight cartridges, that’s seven colours, including two blacks, one of which is called Photo Black, and an eighth which is a gloss optimiser. This is to improve the finish of the photo prints. Big but powerful.
Brother DCP-J572DW: £89, Amazon
Maximum paper size: A4
Scanner? Yes
Copier? Yes
Ink cartridges: 4
Dimensions: 400 x 341 x 151mm
App printing: Apple AirPrint, Google Cloud Print
This Brother printer is usefully compact and straightforward to use, with handy features such as one that will shrink pages – so two or four, for instance, will fit on one piece of A4. The screen, which is not a touchscreen, is quite small. Print quality is good: detailed and precise with strong colour fidelity, even though there are only four colour cartridges, not the six or more found on some printers. Given the fact that Brother only describes this printer as one “that covers the essentials”, it exceeds expectations.
Canon Selphy CP1200 compact printer: £99, Amazon
Maximum paper size: 15 x 10cm
Scanner? Yes
Copier? Yes
Ink cartridges: One
Dimensions: 181 x 136 x 63mm
App printing: Selphy app, Apple AirPrint
This is a dedicated photo printer, designed to deliver prints sized 15 x 10cm or smaller – it can’t handle regular A4 paper so is not much use for documents. This means the printer is small and portable – an optional battery pack is available if you want to print somewhere with no mains connection. It uses a different printing process, dye sublimation, where four colours are printed one after the other, so printing isn’t very fast. Paper and ink are contained in the same package. The screen is large but not touch sensitive. As well as Apple AirPrint and Canon’s own app, you can print by connecting an SD memory card or a USB drive.
HP Envy Photo 6234: £89.99, Currys
Maximum paper size: A4
Scanner? Yes
Copier? Yes
Ink cartridges: Two
Dimensions: 454 x 410 x 161mm
App printing: HP AIO Remote app, Apple AirPrint, Google Cloud Print
It’s worth noting that this printer only has two cartridges, black and colour. However, you can save some money with a program called HP Instant Ink. You pay a monthly fee according to the pages you print per month and additional ink is sent automatically. Prices range from free (up to 15 pages per month) to £7.99 for up to 300 pages. The price here includes your first seven months’ Instant Ink. Colours are rich and vivid and while this is a decent photo printer, it’s also a fast, competent all-rounder that handles documents well.
Canon Pixma TS8150: £139.99, Canon
Maximum paper size: A4
Scanner? Yes
Copier? Yes
Ink cartridges: Six
Dimensions: 372 x 324 x 139mm
App printing: Canon app, Apple AirPrint, Google Cloud Print
This printer is Canon at its best, combining a small footprint with very good quality printing. Its six inks include Photo Blue, designed to enhance sharp photo detail. The inks, it’s claimed, have excellent permanence: 100 years. If we can, we’ll update this roundup in a century’s time, so do check back. For now, though, it’s fast, capable and is ideal for a smaller desk. As well as working well with wireless connections like Apple AirPrint, there’s an SD card slot onboard as well.
HP Envy 7134: £100, HP
Best Hp Printer For Mac
Maximum paper size: A4
Scanner? Yes
Copier? Yes
Ink cartridges: Two
Dimensions: 454 x 410 x 160mm
App printing: HP app
This is an affordable printer with strong all-round performance. It only has two cartridges but print quality is good, though beaten by others in this roundup. The HP original ink cartridges have electronics in them, to ensure they work perfectly. This brand has a reputation for reliability and simplicity of use, both of which are true here. HP has also made it easy to scan documents by using your smartphone as a scanner and then sharing the result to email or print. The design may divide opinion and there are smaller printers here that work as well and look better, but this is a decent choice.
Best Photo Printer For Mac
Epson EcoTank ET-7750: £499.99, John Lewis & Partners
Maximum paper size: A3
Scanner? Yes
Copier? Yes
Ink cartridges: Five ink bottles
Dimensions: 526 x 415 x 168mm
App printing: Epson app How to download itunes movies to mac.
Epson’s EcoTank takes a different approach to the most expensive part of any printer: the ink. Instead of cartridges, it runs on ink bottles and comes supplied with enough ink to last up to three years, or the equivalent of 3,400 prints of photos sized 10 x 15cm. You can actually see how much ink you have left, thanks to the tanks which are visible from the front of the printer. Each of the ink bottles has a different shaped top so you can’t inadvertently fill the wrong cartridge. Print quality is great, especially for photos where the Photo Black ink comes into its own. Though the initial outlay is high, the ink bottles are very good value compared to regular cartridges, so running costs are low.
Best Home Printers For Mac
The verdict: Photo printers
Really, it’s hard to go wrong if you choose a printer by Epson or Canon for your home printed photographs. The Canon Pixma TS9155 is exceptional for ease of use and quality of image. The Epson EcoTank ET-7750 takes an appealing alternative approach to ink, with refillable bottles that last a very long time. And the Epson Expression Photo XP-8500 is the best all-rounder on this list: great for photos and everything else.
Printers For Macs
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