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Best AirPrint Printer for iOS 12?

HappyDude20

HappyDude20

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Jul 13, 2008
3,688
1,479
Los Angeles, Ca
hi,

For the past 7 years I’ve owned an HP wireless printer, however the wireless feature only works upon first connecting the printer to an iMac or MacBook and downloading the necessary driver. The downside is that the driver for this wireless AirPrint printer stopped providing drivers past Yosemite. And the wireless feature only works if the printer is connected to a WiFi network; which means I can’t take my wireless HP printer anywhere away from my house and expect it to wirelessly print.

Considering at the moment I only own iOS devices, I’m wanting a printer that supports AirPlay out of the box and doesn’t need a desktop computer to set up.

Ideally, a LASER printer, though not completely needed.
 
HappyDude20 said:
hi,

For the past 7 years I’ve owned an HP wireless printer, however the wireless feature only works upon first connecting the printer to an iMac or MacBook and downloading the necessary driver. The downside is that the driver for this wireless AirPrint printer stopped providing drivers past Yosemite. And the wireless feature only works if the printer is connected to a WiFi network; which means I can’t take my wireless HP printer anywhere away from my house and expect it to wirelessly print.

Considering at the moment I only own iOS devices, I’m wanting a printer that supports AirPlay out of the box and doesn’t need a desktop computer to set up.

Ideally, a LASER printer, though not completely needed.
Click to expand...
Any laser that says AirPrint in the specs will meet the need. I have a Brother 3170 and HP 401. Both work with AirPrint but there are many more like it.
 
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If you're looking for just a solid B&W laser and solid color scanner I can't recommend the Brother L2550 enough. Cheap to run and totally reliable AirPrint out of the box. In 20+ years of printer ownership it's the only one that hasn't made me want to tear my hair out.

HappyDude20 said:
And the wireless feature only works if the printer is connected to a WiFi network; which means I can’t take my wireless HP printer anywhere away from my house and expect it to wirelessly print.
Click to expand...

I'm not 100% sure what you mean here. The printer does have Wifi Direct(ad-hoc wifi between printer and device) and I think there are some apps for that. I don't think AirPrint supports that directly however. The Brother iPrint&Scan software also supports Google Cloud Print but If you're on the road, physically with your printer, you would still have to connect it to a wired or wireless network to use it anyway (unless you're using a Wifi Direct capable app), at which point you may as well use that network on your iPhone/iPad and AirPrint locally.
 
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Very happy with my HP Envy 5540. In this house are 4 iPhones and 4 iPads all on iOS 12 and they all print fine to it. Also prints and scans great from my iMac and MacBook Pro. No drivers have been downloaded, it just worked straight out of the box. I believe you can print to it remotely but I’ve not tried it. It’s not a laser but the quality is excellent.
 
HappyDude20 said:
hi,

For the past 7 years I’ve owned an HP wireless printer, however the wireless feature only works upon first connecting the printer to an iMac or MacBook and downloading the necessary driver. The downside is that the driver for this wireless AirPrint printer stopped providing drivers past Yosemite. And the wireless feature only works if the printer is connected to a WiFi network; which means I can’t take my wireless HP printer anywhere away from my house and expect it to wirelessly print.

Considering at the moment I only own iOS devices, I’m wanting a printer that supports AirPlay out of the box and doesn’t need a desktop computer to set up.

Ideally, a LASER printer, though not completely needed.
Click to expand...

I recently picked up a Brother HL-2350 and it's a great little printer. Easy to setup. Just connect to WiFi and you are done.
 
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achappy said:
I recently picked up a Brother HL-2350 and it's a great little printer. Easy to setup. Just connect to WiFi and you are done.
Click to expand...
Can I add the WiFi password from the printer itself? As stated, I don’t have a laptop or desktop at the moment.

tarsins said:
Very happy with my HP Envy 5540. In this house are 4 iPhones and 4 iPads all on iOS 12 and they all print fine to it. Also prints and scans great from my iMac and MacBook Pro. No drivers have been downloaded, it just worked straight out of the box. I believe you can print to it remotely but I’ve not tried it. It’s not a laser but the quality is excellent.
Click to expand...

This looks promising. Definitely a front runner at the moment.

My current HP laser printer prints so many pages and I’ve only had to replace the toner once since I’ve purchased it 7 years ago and it’s great. I managed to get it to print wireless yesterday after discovering the printer itself creates a WiFi network of its own and anyone can simply
Connect to it and start printing. The downfall is once you’re connected to the printers WiFi network that your device is not connected to the internet so whatever i plan on printing should be loaded beforehand. Not the end of the world but to print I have to disconnect from my
Main WiFi and connect to the printers WiFi.
 
I have had excellent experience with the Epson WorkForce line previously a WP-4530 and currently a WF-6530. Epson's excellent iPrint app works very well with iOS devices. All configuration can be done via the console on the printer. They are economic and high quality ink jet printers with all-in-functions. Great to be able to do anything from printing to scanning from my iPhone or iPad (and of course from macOS, Windows, Linux).
 
in the early days of Air Print, it was Brother.
but now its Epson.
quality, ease, automatic settings, compactness, firmware updates, ink price, per piece cost. Epson wins everyone of them.
My Brother is relegated to churning out draft quality black&white and A3 for quick web prints. its a huge MFC. A virtual tank and will last longer than the ink cartridges that are increasingly more and more difficult to find the correct size for (its a 3 year old printer).
 
tarsins said:
Very happy with my HP Envy 5540. In this house are 4 iPhones and 4 iPads all on iOS 12 and they all print fine to it. Also prints and scans great from my iMac and MacBook Pro. No drivers have been downloaded, it just worked straight out of the box. I believe you can print to it remotely but I’ve not tried it. It’s not a laser but the quality is excellent.
Click to expand...
I’ve got the 4650 and am very happy with it. It is seamless.
 
willmtaylor said:
I just see no upside in pouring money into an inkjet printer any more. Simply not worth it for me & mine.
Click to expand...

Although that is what I still use (HP Photosmart) I couldn't agree more.

I can't stand buying ink, using the printer once and coming back 2 months later and see that I need more ink. Then I make the trek to wal mart to by black and 3 colors I don't need but are pretty much required for the cost that is a couple bucks less then a new print (cheap one). I've been tempted to use the Photosmart for scanning and just by a printer for the rare times I print and tossing it when I'm done.

.....

Now that I'm done ranting the old HP Photosmart 5510 I have works great with AirPrint (over the local wifi network) from my Apple devices. I still consider the scanner very good and I can export scans directly to local Macs and PC's in JPG or PDF, or I can import in scans with a Mac or PC in a variety of formats including TIFF.

The software, firmware and driver support from HP has been 'meh' but acceptable enough to make work.

I would consider a new HP. Although my next printer will be purchased based purely on the ink/toner requirements, cost, and longevity.
 
Use a Brother HL-L2360 mono laser and an Epson XP-860 Photo Inkjet and both print fine with AirPrint.

Both also have Google Cloud Print.
 
I know i'm late to the party here, but I've had an HP ENVY 5530 for about 5 years. HP instant ink, double sided printing, web connected, hp eprint and AirPrint. I pay like $3 a month and never worry about buying ink, i can print from all iOS devices & i can email documents to the printer remotely. It has a flatbed scanner as well. I think i paid like $99 for it at the time.
 
I have an HP M402dw that supports Airprint. I can print to it from my iPad and iPhone and it prints my documents accurately.
 
Pspressart said:
I have an HP M402dw that supports Airprint. I can print to it from my iPad and iPhone and it prints my documents accurately.
Click to expand...



Brother Compact Monochrome Laser Printer, HLL2395DW, Flatbed Copy & Scan, Wireless Printing, NFC, Cloud-Based Printing & Scanning, Amazon Dash Replenishment Enabled https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0764NWFP8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_7PSCCbA05JFST


$100. Best deal for a printer, copier, scanner Monochrome laser. AirPrint and Google Print (Remote printing) enabled.
 
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i just bought a brother "hLL 2350 dw" for our house last week
i do not represent any printer companies.

good
our house hold doesn't print that much anymore. We mostly print to a pdf file and save that on a file server
we got a laser as ink jet cartridges just dry up between usage.
consider iOS apps like "Scanner Pro" to do your home scanning. its easier, faster more straight forward.
printing on both sides, duplex, was a requirement
the 2350 is fast and quiet
the printer itself cost $89.00 amazon free shipping, the printer cost as much as the disposable cartridges.
the 2350 will airPrint nice
the 2350 will print from an iPhone
the 2350's wifi works fast even if a couple of rooms left of the wifi access point, no need for an ethernet cable

bad
printer needs a power cycle if not used every couple of days, seems to go into deep sleep and never wakes up
Difficult to setup: The manual is english as a 2nd language. actual setup method is simple but totally not documented. keeps you guessing
in time the printer will require two disposables; a drum & a toner cartridge
brother does have 800 phone support but you will need to get to 3rd tier. Treat everyone w/ respect but the initial staff peeps can not help you.

now for my history of laster printers
i have used printers for 7 yeas and do so recommend that printer...
 
1. Brother 3170 - $260 (refurb)

2. HP 401 - $140 (refurb)

3. Brother L2550DW - $150 (new)

4. HP Envy 5540 - $50 (refurb)

5. Epson wp-4530 (can't find new, only used for $100)

6. HP 4650 - $60 (refurb)

7. Brother HL2360 - $100 (used)

8. Epson XP860 - $300 (refurb)

9. HP Envy 5530 - $80 (refurb)

10. HP M402 - $125 (refurb)

11. Brother 2395 - $150 (refurb)

12. Canon MG6800 - None Available

I am still looking for a printer. I have added the majority of printers that have been requested by forum members within this thread. I'm looking for a decent price, and I don't mind refurb items. Again, the goal is both easy AirPrint setup and easy day to day use. I’m not tied to either ink or laser anymore. Lower price is obviously preferable. I am coming from an old laser printer that always required to be connected to my home wifi network but this proved cumbersome in the past few years when driver support stopped in Yosemite and I moved to a different house with a new WiFi router. The reason this has been an issue is because I primarily only own iOS devices so something that can work with only portable Apple devices would be best. Furthermore, the old printer I'm coming never had a screen in which to see the status of the printer, or to even input any kind of information. Something that can work out of the box and provide me with ease of use important to me now. Doesn't have to be a laser printer, but would be nice. I've only used a laser printer in the past 10 years so it would be nice to printer in color again. Of course the gripe there is running out of ink and perhaps having to pay large fees for replacement cartridges but honestly, eBay and even Amazon seem to have good off-brand prices.

Thanks!
 
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HappyDude20 said:
1. Brother 3170 - $260 (refurb)

2. HP 401 - $140 (refurb)

3. Brother L2550DW - $150 (new)

4. HP Envy 5540 - $50 (refurb)

5. Epson wp-4530 (can't find new, only used for $100)

6. HP 4650 - $60 (refurb)

7. Brother HL2360 - $100 (used)

8. Epson XP860 - $300 (refurb)

9. HP Envy 5530 - $80 (refurb)

10. HP M402 - $125 (refurb)

11. Brother 2395 - $150 (refurb)

12. Canon MG6800 - None Available

I am still looking for a printer. I have added the majority of printers that have been requested by forum members within this thread. I'm looking for a decent price, and I don't mind refurb items. Again, the goal is both easy AirPrint setup and easy day to day use. I’m not tied to either ink or laser anymore. Lower price is obviously preferable. I am coming from an old laser printer that always required to be connected to my home wifi network but this proved cumbersome in the past few years when driver support stopped in Yosemite and I moved to a different house with a new WiFi router. The reason this has been an issue is because I primarily only own iOS devices so something that can work with only portable Apple devices would be best. Furthermore, the old printer I'm coming never had a screen in which to see the status of the printer, or to even input any kind of information. Something that can work out of the box and provide me with ease of use important to me now. Doesn't have to be a laser printer, but would be nice. I've only used a laser printer in the past 10 years so it would be nice to printer in color again. Of course the gripe there is running out of ink and perhaps having to pay large fees for replacement cartridges but honestly, eBay and even Amazon seem to have good off-brand prices.

Thanks!
Click to expand...
AGAIN, as has been repeatedly recommended, get one of the Brother laser printers. Based on my experience, and evidently the experiences of others, it fits the bill quite well here.
 
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HappyDude20 said:
... I am still looking for a printer. I have added the majority of printers that have been requested by forum members within this thread. I'm looking for a decent price, and I don't mind refurb items. Again, the goal is both easy AirPrint setup and easy day to day use. I’m not tied to either ink or laser anymore. Lower price is obviously preferable. I am coming from an old laser printer that always required to be connected to my home wifi network but this proved cumbersome in the past few years when driver support stopped in Yosemite and I moved to a different house with a new WiFi router. The reason this has been an issue is because I primarily only own iOS devices so something that can work with only portable ...
Click to expand...

just to reiterate; I only represent myself. I am an individual owner who just bought a Brother2350 as a new Amazon purchase, free shipping, ~$90 usd.
the mono chrome laser printer is accurate, fast, does duplex. EVERYTHING ONE COULD WANT!
the product manual is misleading but i made notes on the home wifi install but really all you need to enter is your wifi password
there are no drivers required and the printer will airPrint anything inc IOS devices
the 2350 printer is some what portable as it is only wifi. Wonder if your IOS device and or MBP can initiate small network wifi routing between itself and the 2350 printer?

I discovered 2 new facts since my last post here:
1) while in the middle of printing out a critical document (my turboTax returns) it ran out of toner. Panic. Physically inspected the oem toner cartridge and it felt like there was a LOT of toner left. The printer seem to indicate i made only ~300+ pages on the existing oem toner cartridge. A Google indicated the toner detection method is optical so I put 3 layers of dark tape over the obvious optical path. The toner err prompt did not go away. I re googled some and started to hack onto the printer front panel:
on 2350 front keyboard I typed:
pressed up down arrow
see “General Setup”
pressed OK
pressed up down arrow
see ‘”continue stop”
note; continue stop not in scroll list but ‘toner” was
hacked it from here but when done
pressed “GO”
The printer, with the old toner cartridge & 3 layers of tape started to print the document where it left off. It has been working for weeks w/o andy degrade in print accuracy quality. The oem toner cartridge is the small and there is an extended toner cartridge available. Either way it seems it may take 1000 pages but ultimately run empty. Before replacing the toner cartridge i would first place the it into the printer and print a test page. Than remove and tape over the optical path, replace the new toner cartridge. Verify it prints. The extended toner cartridges are ~$120. Maybe there is a way to fill an empty cartridge? The Brother2350 line of printers is newer and some of the google searches only sorta applied.
2) there is an additional printer power setting in its built in web page. Assert this power setting = disabled. This lets the printer sleep better after time out. This may not be important for some users. We print very infrequent and physically the printer is hidden in a hall closet.
 
tarsins said:
Very happy with my HP Envy 5540. In this house are 4 iPhones and 4 iPads all on iOS 12 and they all print fine to it. Also prints and scans great from my iMac and MacBook Pro. No drivers have been downloaded, it just worked straight out of the box. I believe you can print to it remotely but I’ve not tried it. It’s not a laser but the quality is excellent.
Click to expand...
I have the same printer and yeah - it works great!
 
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