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Printer Questions

Mac'nCheese

Mac'nCheese

Suspended
Original poster
Feb 9, 2010
3,752
5,109
Do all wireless printers for the mac work through the wifi/airport network people have or do new ones work simply on bluetooth? I've always had problems with wifi printers, they keep losing contact with the network. Now, I can't get my epson to print or scan (my wife did something and I can't get it to work). I simply want to go to either mac, choose to scan or print and have that computer connect straight to my printer. I'd like to print from iphone as well. I also want to use the printer as a stand alone fax machine or copier. And I'm pretty sick of my ink jets working well for a year or so and then the quality sucks. Does anyone have a good color laser that the use around the house or are they still too expensive for home use? In other words, when I finally throw my epson workforce 615 out the window, can anybody recommend a replacement. In short:

1. Print quality last for more than a few years, my ink jets always have a line of dropout on the pages that cleaning print heads wont cure.
2. No network bs, just connect to both imacs and ibook through bluetooth.
3. Airprint from iphone/ipad.
4. Fax.
5. Scan and copy.
6. Color but no photos needed.
 
HP LaserJet 400 M425dn.
2_151109-1792x2000.jpeg

Has a fax, scanner, copier, AirPrint and if you connect it via Ethernet, you won't run into trouble. It has WiFi build-in, too, which will probably work for you as well, but if it doesn't just connect it with a cable to your router. Wireless printing from your Mac and iPad works, too, regardless whether you go wired or wireless.

Just for the record, it does duplexing, too.
 
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HP makes a few Bluetooth printers, and perhaps a few other manufacturers do, too. However, AirPrint requires Wi-Fi, as the other poster noted. But note in any case that wireless printing does not require a wireless printer. Many people have problems with wireless printers, and your case just adds to these anecdotes.

My suggestion: get an wired network printer (Ethernet), then plug it into your network. If part of this network is wireless, you can still print via Wi-Fi. You could also do a USB printer with the AEBS or other print serving mechanism, but you'll generally lose out on scanning functions in such cases. Finally, if you really want AirPrint, look into handyPrint or similar solutions.

I don't have specific suggestions for you, mostly because I don't do color printing at home. A quick search reveals the Brother MFC-9125cn, but you'll have to do the MFC9325CW if for some reason you want wireless support on the printer itself. I've had good luck with this brand, but I'm sure you can find others that are similar. I'm not sure how well Bluetooth printers work, and as you know, wireless ones aren't always the greatest, but Ethernet printers are generally much better. In either case, you'll need a way to get around AirPrint if that's important to you.

(EDIT: If duplexing is important to you--I know it is to me--neither of these will do the trick. For Brother, look for a "d" in the model number. Like some other manufacturers, the "c" means "color," "n" means "[wired] network," and "w" means "wireless" [and wired].)

(EDIT 2: The HP printer the above poster linked to doesn't look bad, and the reviews look decent aside from complaints about the cost of consumables.)
 
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