Why do printers (and other things like them) work better with macOS and iOS compared to Windows and Android?

[TBoneMac]

When my mother tries to use the printer with her phone it often doesn’t work or takes a while or she needs to wait and then try again before it recognizes the printer. She’s had all kinds of phones throughout the year from Samsung to Google to OnePlus. Anyways,

Why do printers and other devices work better with Apple operating systems than they do with other operating systems?

 

[LogicalApex]

I've felt the exact opposite.

Installing Printer drivers on macOS is a bit of a drag and hasn't met me with success on some printer models like my OKI C711. It works properly with the OEM drivers on my MacBook, but not my Mini or other MacBook with the same installer. Since the printer doesn't support AirPrint it doesn't show up at all on iOS unless I add it to my Synology without the right drivers so it only prints in black and white.

On Windows it all just works.

 

[galad]

Apple decided they had enough of crappy printer drivers, so every printer supporting AirPrint/IPP works very well, everything else might work on not on macOS, and not at all on iOS.

 

[TBoneMac]

I've felt the exact opposite.

Installing Printer drivers on macOS is a bit of a drag and hasn't met me with success on some printer models like my OKI C711. It works properly with the OEM drivers on my MacBook, but not my Mini or other MacBook with the same installer. Since the printer doesn't support AirPrint it doesn't show up at all on iOS unless I add it to my Synology without the right drivers so it only prints in black and white.

On Windows it all just works.

This really doesn’t surprise me. It seems like so many things work for people and then other people have issues and especially with computers

 

[solq]

They don't. In fact I think AirPrint is quite crappy.

There was a perfectly good standard (Postscript) but Apple decided they wanted to make more money, so they made their own, worse standard.

Windows, Linux, Android work really well with networked Postscript printers. MacOS too. iOS and whatever the iPad OS is called these days don't, and this is an Apple failure.

 

[galad]

AirPrint is just a nice name for the Internet Printing Protocol, it's not some Apple proprietary standard: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_Printing_Protocol
It can send a number of formats to the printer, even PDF if the printer supports it.

 

[WarmWinterHat]

AirPrint is just a nice name for the Internet Printing Protocol, it's not some Apple proprietary standard: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_Printing_Protocol
It can send a number of formats to the printer, even PDF if the printer supports it.

Doesn't it use Bonjour as well?

 

[galad]

Bonjour (Apple implementation of IETF Zeroconf protocol) is used to discover the printers on the network, after the computer knows where the device is located, it's not needed anymore.
An AirPrint printer implements both protocols, plus maybe some minor extensions.

 

[icanhazmac]

Why do printers and other devices work better with Apple operating systems than they do with other operating systems?

I have the exact opposite experience. I have a M1 MBP and have had to resort to resetting the printing system MANY, MANY times because the MBP refuses to see the printer on the network (wired or wireless) even though other systems can find it (windows). My experience got better when I wired the printer to the network but it still happens.

Canon MF642cdw

 

[LogicalApex]

AirPrint is just a nice name for the Internet Printing Protocol, it's not some Apple proprietary standard: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_Printing_Protocol
It can send a number of formats to the printer, even PDF if the printer supports it.

It is more than that. My Oki supports IPP and it doesn’t support AirPrint.