On top of our list of the best printer for MAC is the Brother HL-L2340DW Compact Laser Printer and Brother TN660 High Yield Toner. It allows for quick and high-quality printing. In a matter of one minute, your printer can produce 27 prints. The Best All-in-One Printer Updated October 25, 2018 We tested the new Brother MFC-L3770CDW but found that it couldn’t keep up with our color laser all-in-one pick in features or performance. This article will outline our five favorite MacBook Pro and MacBook Air sleeves. If you’re looking for a hard shell cover, rather than a soft sleeve, check out our post on the best MacBook cases.
- Best Printer For Mac Pro 2018 Review
- Best Printer For Mac Users
- Best Home Printers For 2018
- Best Printer For Macbook Pro 2018
Our editors independently research, test, and recommend the best products; you can learn more about our review process here. We may receive commissions on purchases made from our chosen links.
The Rundown
- Most Popular:Fujitsu ScanSnap iX500 at Amazon, “Scans everyday documents like business cards, receipts, and handwritten notes.”
- Best All-Around: Epson Perfection V550 at Amazon, “With rapid scanning and no warm-up time, the flatbed device pays heed to your busy schedule.”
- Best Budget:Canon’s CanoScan LiDE220 at Amazon, “At just under $100, it scans documents and photos and sends them automatically to the cloud.”
- Best for Film:Epson’s Perfection V370 at Amazon, “Use bundled adapters to scan film or slides, or scan regular photos up to 13 x 19 inches.”
- Best for Mobility:Visioneer RoadWarrior 4D Mobile Scanner at Amazon, “OneTouch software can send the scanned document in various formats to multiple locations.”
- Best for Business Cards: Ambir DP667 Card Scanner at Amazon, “The size of a stapler, it can efficiently scan documents ranging from business cards to those measuring up to 4 x 10 inches — all at 600 dpi.”
- Runner-Up, Mobile: IRISCan Book 5 Wi-Fi Mobile Scanner at Amazon, “Scan your documents into JPEG, PDF, and multipage PDF formats and send them to your mobile devices or PC.”
Our Top Picks
![Printer Printer](/uploads/1/2/6/0/126041638/503180269.jpg)
Most Popular: Fujitsu ScanSnap iX500 Document Scanner
5
The FujitsuScanSnap iX500 Document Scanner scans everyday documents like business cards, A4 and A3 paper sizes, receipts, and handwritten notes. It comes with a slew of productivity software for optical character recognition, or OCR, and it exports documents quickly to virtually any modern device or cloud service you can think of. And like one or two other scanners on this list, it includes Wi-Fi connectivity.
It comes with its own application software designed to store and categorize every document that you scan. The scanner’s software is ScanSnap, a program with an intuitive menu for easy access to files, quick cloud service exporting, receipt extraction that transfers to CSV files for easy tax filing, as well as a business card database compatible with Excel, Outlook, and Salesforce.
Curious about how these products function? Learn all about how scanners work.
Best All-Around: Epson Perfection V550
Whether you work in an office or are looking for something for personal organization use, the Epson Perfection V550 is versatile and reliable, capable of scanning both high-quality images and documents. With rapid scanning and no warm-up time, the flatbed device pays heed to your busy schedule. ABBYY FineReader Spring Plus OCR turns your documents into editable text and also allows you to send the scan to your printer, email it, or save it in the image format of your choice. However, keep in mind that if you’re looking to scan a large number of documents, it does lack an automatic document feeder.
As a photo scanner, the V550 offers a strong performance, able to scan 35mm slides, negatives, and film, with digital ICE technology automatically removing any dust or scratches, and Easy Photo Fix helping restore the look of faded images. Multiple photos can be scanned at once thanks to auto-edge detection that will crop and individually save each file. Expect dynamic, high-quality images with 6400 dpi optical resolution that supports enlargements up to 17 x 22 inches.
Looking for something that can print documents? Check out our roundup of the best all-in-one printers.
Best Budget: Canon CanoScan LiDE220
At just under $100 at Amazon, Canon’s CanoScan LiDE220 Photo and Document Scanner is affordable. It scans your documents and photos and sends them automatically to your cloud-based services, such as Evernote and Dropbox. An Auto Scan Mode feature detects the sizing and adjusts settings automatically while scanning, saving you time from having to setup each scan manually.
The CanoScan LiDE220's maximum dpi is 4800 x 4800 with a 48-bit color depth with over 281 trillion possible colors. That's relatively high, but high-end photo scanners, such as Epson's $1,000 Perfection V850 Pro Photo Scanner, can go much higher, as high as 6,400dpi and beyond. Its impressive speed allows a letter-sized document to be scanned in 10 seconds. Accessible buttons on the device make for quick activation for scans, copies, exporting to cloud services or saving as a PDF on your computer’s hard drive.
It’s compatible with both Windows and Mac operating systems and it comes with a one-year warranty, as well as one-year of toll-free technical phone support.
You may also like to read the reviews for our picks of the best photo, business, and laser printers for under $100.
Best for Film: Epson's Perfection V370 Photo Scanner
There are many things to consider when buying a scanner for digitizing 35mm film and slides. You can buy a dedicated film and slide scanner or a high-resolution photo scanner with the ability to also scan film and slides, typically with some kind of adapter for use with a flatbed platen. Oh yes, and we should add there's also the inexpensive and the high-end.
We've chosen the Perfection V370 because not only can you use the bundled adapters to scan film or slides, but you can also scan any regular photo up to 13 x 19 inches, as well as documents, as long as you don't mind scanning them one page at a time, without the aid of an automatic document feeder.
Best for Mobility: Visioneer RoadWarrior 4D Duplex Mobile Color Scanner
The Visioneer RoadWarrior 4D Duplex Mobile Color Scanner is 11.5 inches long, 2.6 inches wide, 1.6 inches tall, and it weighs a slight 1.1 pounds. Compared to most laptops most of us carry around with us, it's quite small and light.
It's smart enough to recognize what you're scanning and capable of capturing color, grayscale and monochrome scans. A OneTouch software feature can send the scanned document in various formats to multiple locations, such as your hard drive, an email, the cloud. If the page is double-sided, the single-pass scanner scans both sides simultaneously. At the press of a button, the scanner will take your data and format it into a searchable PDF file.
Scanned documents are set to your choice of cloud-based storage applications like Evernote, SugarSync, Google Docs, Salesforce Chatter and Dropbox, among others. It also comes with some of the best OCR and document management software from Nuance, including Nuance OmniPage Pro and Nuance PaperPort, respectively.
Best for Business Cards: Ambir DP667 Card Scanner
Lightweight and easy to transport, the Ambir DP667 is a business’ new best friend. The size of a stapler, it can efficiently scan documents ranging from business cards to those measuring up to 4 x 10 inches — all at 600 dpi. It can accommodate other items including driver’s licenses, embossed cards, photos, and insurance cards, and it can convert receipts into PDFs, making it an efficient option for professionals ranging from hospital administrators to security experts to service organizations. Fully powered by USB, the scanner does not require additional batteries or an AC power adapter, making it convenient for those working on the go.
Runner-Up, Mobile: IRISCan Book 5 Wi-Fi Mobile Scanner
This tiny scanner is packed with power, allowing you to take care of business on the go. With the IRIScan Book 5 Wi-Fi, you’re able to scan your documents into JPEG, PDF, and multipage PDF formats and send them to your mobile devices or PC. Need to make changes? The IRIScan Book 5 can make text editable. Unlike other mobile scanners, this one is dragged over what you’re scanning, rather than having pages fed through it, making it optimal for copying something from a magazine or book. It comes with a 4GB microSD card and has mini USB ports for charging and transferring data. While the battery only lasts about 100 scans, it can be charged while it’s scanning a document. According to the company, it can scan a black-and-white document in one second, and a color document in two. A 1.5-inch color screen lets you immediately preview your scans, and you can customize your resolution up to from 300 up to 1200 DPI.
Also check out our list of the best photo scanner apps for mobile devices.
Tested by
How We Tested
Our reviewers spent five hours testing a popular document scanner. We asked them to consider the most important features when using this scanner — from its speed to its footprint — and we've outlined them here so that you, too, know what to look for when shopping.
What to Look for in a Document and Photo Scanner
Media type - Think about how you plan to use your scanner. Some are great at scanning photos, while others excel at creating pristine copies of letters and other documents. Higher-end units include adjustable sliders or even separate bays to handle more difficult documents like laminated identification cards.
Scan speed - If you scan a lot of documents — or if you have boxes of old photos you need to digitize — then scan speed is a huge concern. Look at how many pages a scanner can handle per minute, but also keep in mind that scanners with automatic document feeders help speed up the process and free you from the necessity of manually placing each item in the scanner.
Cloud support - Some document and photo scanners are capable of scanning and uploading directly to the cloud. If you want easy access to your scanned files, look for a scanner that supports Google Drive, Dropbox, or whatever cloud service you use.
Test Results: Fujitsu ScanSnap iX500 Document Scanner (Most Popular)
5
What We Don't Like
- Complex accompanying software
Best Printer For Mac Pro 2018 Review
This scanner earned rave reviews from our testers for its fast speed and convenience. “You can scan to your computer and phone wirelessly,” one reviewer noted, “and it comes with useful software to sort your documents.” The only thing our testers didn’t love was the complexity of the accompanying software: “Maybe I just need to spend more time with it to be familiar with the features,” one tester said, “but it can be a bit of a handful.”
So Many Options for Apple Users
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.)
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.
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.
Best Printer For Mac Users
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.
Best Home Printers For 2018
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:
Best Printer For Macbook Pro 2018
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.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.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