Best Photo Printer For Mac 2018
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. Photo Printers / The Best Photo Printers of 2018. Low cost per print for a dedicated photo printer. Prints from Windows and Mac computers, smartphones, and tablets. Includes memory card slot.
- Best Printer For A Mac
- Best Photo Printer For Mac 2018
- Best Photo Inkjet Printer 2018
- Best Photo Printers 2018
We've spent more than 150 hours on in-depth testing to identify the best all-in-one printers, from top inkjets to laser printers, with scanning, copying and fax capability built in. The best all-in-one printer overall is the Canon Pixma TS9120, which offers top print speeds and high-quality output for both text and graphics.
For a printer that won't break the bank, the best value printer is the Epson WorkForce WF-2760 inkjet, which packs in features like an automatic document feeder and duplexing, while also turning in fast print and copy times, all for a low price.
But there are other great printers to consider, from laser printers that scan and fax to ink-saving printers that are dirt cheap on a per-page basis. If you want to learn more about the latest printers we've looked at, check out our recent reviews of the HP OfficeJet Pro 9025 and the Epson EcoTank ET-4750. And if you want something with a focus on pictures rather than documents, don't forget to check out the best photo printers.
Whether you need a product for basic printing at home or printing professional-looking photos and presentation documents, here are the best all-in-one printers to buy now.
Best all-in-one printer overall
1. Canon Pixma TS9120
Printer Type: Inkjet Features: Print, copy, scan Display: 5-inch color touch-screen Ink/Toner: Six cartridges (pigment black, dye black, photo blue, cyan, magenta and yellow) Connectivity: 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, Ethernet, USB 2.0
The Canon Pixma TS9120 is the top home and home-office printer we’ve seen, thanks largely to its best-in-class print speeds and excellent print quality for both text and photos. With six individual color inks, you get some of the best color quality available when printing photos, and the ink costs stay reasonable – even with the additional inks.
Scanning and copying are built in, and offer sharp detail reproduction at decent speeds. The entire device is controlled with an adjustable 5-inch color touch-screen. This printer even prints disc labels on CDs and DVDs. Whatever sort of printing you need, the quality and bang for the buck offered by the TS9210 make this the printer to get.
Read our full Canon Pixma TS9120 review.
Best budget all-in-one inkjet printer
2. Epson WorkForce WF-2760
Best budget all-in-one inkjet printer
Printer Type: Inkjet Features: Print, copy, scan, fax Display: 2.7-inch color touch screen Ink/Toner: Four cartridges (black, cyan, magenta, yellow) Connectivity: 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, Ethernet, USB 2.0
You can find cheaper printers than Epson's Workforce WF-2760, but not many in this price range will give you both an automated document feeder and a duplexer for two-sided printing. More importantly, you won't sacrifice speed or quality for the WF-2760's low price tag.
Epson's all-in-one has speedy printing and quick copying, and delivers excellent quality for text and mixed graphics documents. Prints look great, too, whether they’re documents or glossy photos. Printing is especially affordable for black-ink printing, making the WF-2760 a great choice if you primarily need black-and-white documents. With a price tag less than $100 and plenty of value to give in return, the Epson WF-2760 is the best value inkjet all-in-one we've reviewed.
Read our full Epson WorkForce WF-2760 review.How to view outstanding todos in onenote for mac 2018.
Best laser all-in-one printer
3. Brother MFC-L2750DW XL
Printer Type: Laser (Monochrome) Features: Print, copy, scan, fax Display: 2.7-inch color touch-screen Ink/Toner: Black toner Connectivity: 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, Ethernet, USB 2.0
The Brother MFC-L2750DW XL multifunction laser printer is packed with features like a fast ADF, fast duplex printing and copying, fax capability, and a second paper tray. This device is monochrome laser printer that lends itself well to fast document printing that looks sharp and clear every time.
The MFC-L2750DW XL turned in great quality, and the fastest speeds to date for text and mixed text/graphics files. The printer even made two-sided prints faster than some models print one-sided documents. Using its high-capacity toner cartridge, the MFC-L2750DW XL offers a cost per page of just 2.7 cents, the lowest we've seen in this category. That's a tough deal to beat.
Read our full Brother MFC-L2750DW review.
Best for saving on printer ink
4. Brother INKvestment MFC-J995DW
Printer Type: Inkjet Features: Print, copy, scan, fax Display: 2.7-inch color touch screen Ink/Toner: Four cartridges (black, cyan, magenta, yellow) Connectivity: 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, Ethernet, USB 2.0
There's much more to the cost of a printer than just the purchase price: Ink costs can eat away the savings you expected from your affordable inkjet device. If you want the printer with the most affordable ink, we recommend the Brother INKvestment MFC-J995DW. The printer features extra-large ink cartridges, and comes with an estimated years' supply of ink in the box, which adds up to the lowest per-page ink costs we've seen.
On top of that, the Brother INKvestment MFC-J995DW offers solid printing, scanning and copying. Print speeds beat the category average and two-sided printing is among the fastest we've seen. And it did all of this while delivering high print quality across the board. That same zippy speed and above-average quality was found in scans and copies, making it a great choice for anyone, even if you aren't buying it for the affordable ink.
Read our full Brother INKvestment MFC-J995DW review.
Best for photo printing
5. Epson Expression XP-640
Best for photo printing
Printer Type: Inkjet Features: Print, copy, scan Display: 2.7-inch LCD screen Ink/Toner: Five cartridges (black pigment, black dye, cyan, magenta, yellow) Connectivity: 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, Ethernet, USB 2.0
We were seriously impressed with the images produced by the Epson Expression XP-640. Whether we used plain or glossy photo paper, this inkjet delivered great prints for photos and graphics – we just wish the XP-640 was better at basic text documents. Photographers will particularly like the warm skin tones that the XP-640 produces, while we found the well-saturated colors of prints pleasing to the eye. Epson’s printer is not just good, it's the best photo printer we've reviewed.
Epson's all-in-one also produces photo prints almost twice as fast as the average inkjet, and a low cost per page makes the XP-640 a compelling buy. Text printing isn't razor-sharp, but it's readable and will be good enough for all but the pickiest users. And the speed the XP-640 offers on photo printing carries over to printing documents, as well as scanning and copying. If you want a quick printer that's great at photos, the Epson Expression XP-640 is the one we recommend.
Read our full Epson Expression XP-640 review.
Best for high-volume printing
6. Brother MFC-J985DW
Printer Type: Inkjet Features: Print, copy, scan, fax Display: 2.7-inch color touch screen Ink/Toner: Four cartridges (black, cyan, magenta, yellow) Connectivity: 802.11 b/g/n, Ethernet, Wi-Fi Direct, near-field-communication (NFC)
If you’ve got to print a lot of text documents on a daily basis, look no further than Brother’s MFC-J985DW inkjet all-in-one. The high-yield cartridges used by the MFC-J985DW should appeal to home and small office workers who print a lot of text, since it offers the lowest cost per page at higher volumes.
This printer also offers ample features for the home office, with built-in fax capability. Quick to scan and make copies, the MFC-J985DW delivers high image quality overall, and offers sharp text on basic documents. The MFC-J985DW all-in-one delivers a lot for the money, but the real draw is its low cost per page, which makes it a great deal over time.
Read our full Brother MFC-J985DW review.
Best small business inkjet
7. Canon Maxify MB5420
Printer Type: Inkjet Features: Print, copy, scan, fax Display: 3.5-inch color touch-screen Ink/Toner: Four cartridges (black, cyan, magenta, yellow) Connectivity: 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, Ethernet, USB 2.0
If you want a great all-in-one printer for your small business, the Canon Maxify MB5420 is the modestly priced workhorse for you. This device is aimed at businesses rather than home use, but compared to other business printers, the all-in-one inkjet Maxify can crank through 30,000 pages per month and boasts a pair of paper trays that hold up to 250 pages each. Throw in scan, copy and fax capability, and the Maxify MB5420 should be a great addition to your small business.
In addition to features, the MB5420 has speedy printing that's nearly as good as a laser printer, quick one- and two-sided copying, and high-quality image printing. This printer is a solid bargain and and a reliable performer, making it perfect for the office.
Read our full Canon Maxify MB5420 review.
Best small business laser printer
8. Canon ImageClass MF743Cdw
Printer Type: Laser Features: Print, copy, scan, fax Display: 5-inch color touch-screen Ink/Toner: Four cartridges (black, cyan, magenta, yellow) Connectivity: 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, Ethernet, USB 2.0
The Canon ImageClass MF743Cdw is an all-in-one color laser printer that offers great performance and plenty of features, but with a monthly page volume of up to 4,000 pages, it's meant for the office rather than the home. Business users will love the built in 50-sheet automatic document feeder, 550-sheet paper cassette, and work-friendly features like two-sided scanning and low printing costs.
The performance is also top notch, with sharp text, clear graphics and faster-than-average printing of mixed text and graphics. Fast scan and copy speeds are a plus, and the color laser printer has one of the easiest setup options available. That's enough for us to declare the Canon ImageClass MF743Cdw our new favorite laser printer for small business users.
Read our full Canon ImageClass MF743Cdw Color Laser Printer review.
How We Test
We put each all-in-one printer through a battery of home-grown tests to determine the performance and output quality. To test print quality and speed, we print a number of test samples, including a text document, a five-page mixed text/graphics project, and a color photo. We time every test print to see how quickly the machine handles document printing, and closely examine the finished product to determine how well different printing tasks are handled. We also test the scanning and copying functions of the printer, timing how quickly it captures a page and comparing the results to the original images to determine how well it captures color and detail.
To measure cost of ownership, we look at the current street price of ink refills and the estimated number of pages that each cartridge can produce, and calculate the cost for printing a single page.
What All-in-one Printers Cost
All-in-one printers sell for as little as $60 (£45/AU$90) for inkjet models, and $150 (£170/AU$200) for laser printers, with high-end models costing hundreds of dollars, but offering better print quality, durability and features. And don’t forget ink and toner, which can range from 1 to 5 cents per page for basic documents (photos will cost more).
Printer Buying Tips: 8 Things You Need to Know
There are a few key details you want to pay attention to when shopping for a new printer. We obviously look at things like print quality and printing speed to determine which printers are best, but there are several other details to account for to find the one that best fits your needs.
- Inkjet or Laser? If you want the fullest range of color printing, with the ability to print photos at home, go inkjet. If you want to print mostly text documents, or at high volumes, laser printers are the way to go, with sharper text and a lower per-page cost. Check out our in-depth guide to inkjet and laser printing for more discussion.
- Home or Business? Some printers are built to offer great quality and value for the home user that prints a few pages a week, while others are built for busy offices where multiple users print dozens or hundreds of pages every day. Find the one that’s right for you to avoid paying for features you don’t need.
- Watch the Cost Per Page: Whether it’s using ink cartridges or toner, printers cost money over time. Check our reviews for a breakdown of the costs to print individual pages as a good measure of how expensive operating costs will be over the life of the printer.
- Consider the Brand: You should also pay attention to who makes the printer you’re considering. We recently compared the top printer makers to see which ones consistently stood out for print quality and speed.
- Mobile Friendly Features: You need a printer to play nicely with more than just a laptop. Look for printers with Wi-Fi Direct for easy connectivity, and dedicated apps that bring more printing features to your smartphone.
- Automatic Duplexing: If you regularly need to print 2-sided documents, duplexing is a must, since it allows a printer to refeed a page through for printing on the other side. Skip this feature and you’ll need to manually flip every page to do the same.
- Photo-Specific Features: If you intend to do lots of photo printing, check out our picks for the best photo printers. But in general, look for a printer that has a dedicated tray for photo paper, for easier snapshot printing. Also look for printers that use more than 4 colors of ink. Those extra colors make for better blended colors and richer detail.
- Printing for School? For many college students a printer is still a must-have, so check out our guide to printing in college for all of our advice for students.
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Multifunction printers have never been better value for money so we’ve reviewed the best all-in-one printer for Mac of 2019.
Multi-use printers represent excellent value for money because not only can they print, they can also scan, photocopy and even convert PDFs to editable text or send faxes from your Mac.
Since they also allow you to scan and digitize documents, an all-in-one printer can also help if you want to go paperless in your office or home or print checks on your Mac.
Since most AIO printers are wireless nowadays, we’ve focused on those that work wirelessly and allow you to print instantly from not only your Mac but also mobile devices such as iPad, iPhone, Windows Mobile and Android devices.
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Useful To Know: Printers & Macs
Before jumping in, to help you decide which AIO printer is right for you, there are a few things worth being aware of when choosing a printer for your Mac.
Laser vs Inkjet
Although all of the devices featured here can print, copy, scan and fax from Mac, the main thing you’ll probably use it for is printing. You’ll therefore want to choose a printer based mainly on your printing needs because the copy, scan and fax capabilities are similar across the board.
There are two types of printer on the market – inkjet and laser printers. Laser printers are usually more expensive but they are faster and give better print quality, especially for text. Inkjets are almost the same speed nowadays but give better print quality for images.
The best printer for you therefore depends in what you want to use it for. In a nutshell, if you’re mainly going to print lots of text or PDF documents, you’re best going for a laser printer. If you’re going to be doing a serious amount of printing, you’re better investing in a Laser printer such as the HP LaserJet Pro or HP OfficeJet Pro as they print as significantly faster printing speeds.
If it’s photos you’ll be mainly printing, then you’re probably better to go for an inkjet machine. We’ve indicated in these reviews and in the comparison table whether the printer reviewed is laser or inkjet.
Cartridge Costs
Although printers have never been cheaper than today, the real expense with printers is the cost of replacing the printer cartridges. Color print cartridges, especially for laser printers, can be hundreds of dollars so you should bear in mind how much replacement cartridges cost when making your decision.
We’ve made it clear in the reviews and comparison table how many cartridges the printer requires and how much cartridges cost so that there are no nasty shocks after purchasing your printer.
Faxing From Printers
All of the machines featured here can also be used as a fax machine. However, its important to note you will need a landline in your home or office to use this feature. To fax from an all-in-one machine, you need to connect it via a telephone cable to your landline connection – you can’t fax from a printer via your WiFi connection.
If this is a problem, or you’re intending to fax regularly from your Mac, we strongly recommend reading our guide on the best fax software for Mac where you’ll find information on how to fax using online services or via fax apps from macOS.
Other things worth being aware of when buying any kind of printer are:
- Print Resolution (dpi): You’ll find that not many manufacturers make the print resolution (measured in dots per inch – dpi) very clear or even state print resolution on product descriptions. Most print at around 2400 x 4800 dpi but you should check with the manufacturer if this is a crucial issue for you.
- Scan Resolution (dpi): This is usually made clear in most manufacturer product descriptions and most printers scan in 1220 x 2400 dpi but we’ve made the scanning resolution clear in the reviews.
- Double Sided Printing (Duplex Printing): All the wireless printers here can print, scan and copy double-sided, also known as duplex printing. This is very useful as it saves significant amounts of paper if printing on both sides is not an issue for you. If you need single side printing, they can of course do that too.
- Print Speed (ppm): Print speed is measured in Pages per Minute (ppm) and most models can print color at around 10 ppm and black and white printouts slightly faster. The exceptions are the HP LaserJet Pro and HP OfficeJet Pro which can both print significantly faster at 19 ppm and 70 ppm respectively. Note that in the comparison table, we’ve indicated the maximum draft color printing speed per printer – if you print in high quality the speeds will be slightly slower.
- Budget: Multifunction printers can range from under $100 and $200 suitable for general home use to those designed for small businesses costing anything up to $1500.
A Note On Brother Printers & Macs
Although PC users experience less problems than those on Mac, we’ve found that the Brother brand of printers cause the most problems on Mac and are best avoided. The drivers either often do not work properly with OS X or are not updated regularly enough by Brother to be compatible with the latest versions of macOS.
This either results in no communication between Mac and Brother printer or the printer refusing to print in draft mode thus using valuable ink on documents that don’t need to be printed in high quality. Wireless printing in particular can be very hit and miss when trying to print to a Brother printer from Mac.
The wireless range between Brother printers and Macs is also often so poor that you need the printer sitting right next to the Mac in order for wireless printing to even work. Coupled with frequent paper jams when using Brother printers alongside Macs, in our experience, it’s advisable to avoid the Brother brand of printers on Mac.
With all this in mind, here then are our reviews of the best printers for Mac of 2019 in order of ranking. To help in your decision, you can see how they compare head-to-head in the comparison table at the end.
1. HP Envy 7855
The HP Envy 7855 is an all-in-one printer that can print, scan, copy and fax. It’s geared more at those that want to print lots of photos from mobile devices as it allows you to instantly send and print images from mobile devices.
For those that hate running out of printer ink at just the wrong moment, the HP Envy 7855 will also automatically order new print cartridges delivered to your door you when it detects ink is getting low. The HP Instant Ink replacement service can also work out up to 50% cheaper than buying cartridges in store although they’re generally reasonably priced anyway.
The HP Envy also features a touchscreen which allows you to print and even edit photos that you’ve sent from your Mac, iPhone or iPad. The scanner is slightly low in resolution with a maximum of 1200 dpi but it’s enough for general use. If you’re intending to print a lot of photos and mobile printing is important to you, the HP Envy 7855 All-ln-One Photo Printer is a very good choice.
2. Epson Workforce WF-370
The Epson Workforce WF-370 is an multi-function inkjet printer that claims to offer “performance beyond laser”. It offers the fastest printing speed we’ve seen in an inkjet and Epson claim it’s 40% cheaper to run than a laser printer due to the cost of its cartridges. The Epson Workforce is also one of the few printers that can perform not only double-sided printing but also double-sided scans, photocopies and faxes if that’s important for you.
There’s a touch screen that allows you to send and print photos from mobile devices as well as perform general management of the printer. The Epson Workforce range use 5 cartridges although they are considerably cheaper than for the Canon PIXMA. Annoyingly though, if you’ve run out of color cartridges and just want to print in greyscale, it won’t let you – you must have a full set of cartridges loaded before it will let you print anything at all.
The Epson Workforce is WF-370 is a good choice if you need a printer for Mac or PC that can copy, scan and print double-sided and has reasonably priced cartridge refills.
3. HP LaserJet Pro M281fdw
The HP LaserJet Pro is a more affordable version of the excellent HP Office Jet Pro (see review below). Although more expensive than most consumer printers, it’s an excellent mid range all-in-one machine that’s also suitable for small businesses and home office use. The HP LaserJet Pro prints at an impressive 19 pages per minute (ppm) which is significantly faster than the Canon, Epson or HP Envy (although much slower than the HP Office Jet Pro).
One other useful feature you’ll find in HP LaserJet Pro that you won’t find in most printers is the ability to scan to email. This means you can scan a document and send it directly to someone’s email address by typing it in the touchscreen. You can even send documents to multiple email addresses directly from the printer itself. The main difference between the HP LaserJet Pro and the more advanced HP Office Jet Pro is that it’s a lot slower and a smaller paper loading cartridge (150 sheets compared to 500 sheets in the Office Jet Pro). Print cartridges are also a lot cheaper for the HP LaserJet Pro.
If you’re looking for a small office, small business or home office all in printer for your Mac, the HP LaserJet Pro provides very fast printing with office printer standard features at an affordable price.
4. HP OfficeJet Pro X576dw
The HP OfficeJet Pro X576dw is by far the most expensive printer featured here but it’s also the most robust and designed for offices that need a top quality solution. The HP OfficeJet Pro is extremely fast printing up to 70 pages per minute (ppm) compared to an average of 10 ppm for the other printers featured here. Although it can be used for printing photos, the HP OfficeJet Pro is designed more for large volume document printing rather than photo or leisure use.
The HP OfficeJet Pro can hold up to 500 sheets of paper – far in excess of any of the other printers featured here – with an option for an additional 500 sheet paper tray. This is because the HP OfficeJet Pro is designed for offices that print up to 4,200 pages per month and as a result, cartridges aren’t exactly cheap.
5. Canon PIXMA MX922
Best Printer For A Mac
The Canon PIXMA range is one of the best-selling all-in-one printers ever and has been successful due to a combination of good value for money, reliability and high quality results. The Canon Office and Business MX922 is one of the most popular general all purpose printer for Mac users and offers a good combination of high print quality, scan, copy and fax functionality, pleasing aesthetic design and competitive pricing.
The Canon MX922 is a printer, scanner, copier and fax machine and can be used either wirelessly or via a USB cable. There’s a 35-sheet document feeder and it even includes software to design and print your own custom CDs, DVDs, and Blu-rays. For photo buffs, there’s a neat HD Movie Print feature which can take a frame from an HD movie recorded on a compatible Canon EOS, PowerShot, or VIXIA camcorder and print it as a photo. For those that love to make home movies but also like to have photos of their favorite moments, this is a really useful feature.
The MX922 can scan and photocopy documents in high-resolution of up to 2400 x 4800 dpi optical and can also be used as a fax machine if you’ve got a landline connection. Cartridges for the Canon PIXMA MX922 are a bit expensive since there’s 5 of them in all. Overall, the Canon PIXMA MX922 is solid, reliable, produces quality results and is good value for money.
Like the HP Laserjet Pro, the HP OfficeJet Pro also supports scan to email and double-sided duplex printing, copying and scanning of documents.
The one drawback however is that the Canon doesn’t quickly update drivers for its Mac products. At the moment, the Pixma range works with High Sierra but not with Mojave as the drivers still aren’t available.
If you’re looking for the perfect mid-office multi purpose printer for your Mac or PC, the HP OfficeJet Pro is a superb machine.
The Best Printers For Mac Compared
Canon PIXMA MX922 | HP Envy 7855 | Epson Workforce WF-370 | HP Laserjet Pro M281fdw | HP Office Jet Pro x576dw | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Printer Type | Inkjet | Laser | Inkjet | Laser | Laser |
Auto-Sheet Feeder Capacity | 35 | 25 | 35 | 150 | 500 |
Double Sided Print/Copy/Scan | |||||
Max Print Speed Color | 10 ppm | 9 ppm | 10 ppm | 19 ppm | 70 ppm |
Max Scan Resolution dpi | 2400 x 4800 | 1200 x 2400 | 1200 x 2400 | 1200 x 2400 | 1200 x 2400 |
No. of Print Cartridges | 5 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 4 |
Full Set Print Cartridge Cost (approx) | $50 | $25 | $20 | $130 | $400 |
Easy To Use Touchscreen | |||||
Mobile Printing | |||||
More Info | More Info | More Info | More Info | More Info |
Conclusion
Which printer you choose depends on whether you’re just a general home user or need to use it for business use.
If you’re an occasional home user that just needs to print, scan and copy every so often, the HP Envy is an excellent choice.
Best Photo Printer For Mac 2018
If you’re somewhere in between and planning to maybe use it for business purposes, you can’t go wrong with the HP LaserJet Pro because it offers room for you to grow while offering home users the speed and features that businesses enjoy.
If you’re a small business or power user, then don’t hesitate to get the HP OfficeJet Pro as the speed in printing alone is well worth the extra money for frequent print jobs.

Whichever one you choose, the great thing for Mac users is that unlike on Windows PCs, setting-up a printer is very easy. Macs will automatically install printer drivers for most major manufacturers as soon as you connect the printer to your Mac meaning whichever one you choose, installing it on Mac is far easier and painless than on PC.
Best Photo Inkjet Printer 2018
Depending on the model and manufacturer, PC users meanwhile may have to download drivers from the manufacturer website or install software that comes with the printer.
Best Photo Printers 2018
If you’ve got any comments, questions, problems or experiences with any of the Mac compatible printers reviewed here, let us know in the comments below.