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If you want to steal a highly user-friendly inkjet printer at a low price, you shouldn’t look beyond “Canon PIXMA MG3620,” Mac inkjet printer. The quality to print 9.9 IPM black/5.7 IPM color makes it good enough for your both home and office use.
The Rundown
- Best Overall: HP OfficeJet 250 at Amazon, “an outstanding all-in-one portable printer with AirPrint built-in.”
- Best Portability: Canon PIXMA iP110 at Amazon, “offers outstanding convenience and fantastic image quality without the added size or weight.”
- Runner-Up, Best Overall: HP OfficeJet 3830 at Amazon, “Comes in just under $100, so you’ll get a good workhorse without breaking the bank.”
- Best Budget: HP DeskJet 2655 at Amazon, “an ideal budget-friendly option for printer owners who want to print wirelessly via AirPrint.”
- Runner-Up, Best Budget: Canon MX492 at Amazon, “Because it’s optimized for Apple AirPrint as well as Google Photos, it should work perfectly for the mobile-minded.”
- Best Compact: Canon Pixma iX6820 at Amazon, “an inkjet business printer that’s ideal for both the home and office.”
- Best Security: Brother HL-L8360CDW at Amazon, “allowing administrators to regulate and restrict access to printer functions for up to 200 users.”
- Best for Photos:Canon TS9120 at Amazon,“The six individual ink system on this Canon PIXMA printer is ideal for those looking to produce close-to-accurate photographs.”
Our Top Picks
Best Overall: HP OfficeJet 250
With sharp looks and the ability to print, scan and copy, the HP OfficeJet 250 is an outstanding all-in-one portable printer with AirPrint built-in. Measuring 14.3 x 7.32 x 2.7 inches and weighing just 6.5 pounds, the OfficeJet 250 is as portable as it is capable. The 10-page automatic document feeder and up to 50 sheets of overall paper capacity allow this printer to push up to 10 black pages per minute (ppm) and up to seven pages per minute in color.
This number drops slightly to nine ppm black and to six ppm color on battery, but the OfficeJet 250 has an external battery that's good for up to 90 minutes of printing. The 2.65-inch color touchscreen allows for quick menu selection, but you can change all the settings from the downloadable HP ePrint app, which is available on both Android and iOS. The inclusion of AirPrint makes wireless printing super easy for Apple hardware owners, but Android owners aren’t left in the cold with Wi-Fi Direct also allowing for mobile printing.
Find out how to print on an iPad or print from your iPhone, if this is your first AirPrint printer.
Best Portability: Canon PIXMA iP110
Measuring just 7.3 x 12.7 x 2.5 inches and weighing 4.3 pounds, the Canon PIXMA iP110 is a superb AirPrint-enabled printer for on-the-go prints. With an available optional battery for true portability, the iP110 offers outstanding convenience and fantastic image quality without the added size or weight. The maximum color dpi of 9600 x 2400 delivers terrific print results for both photos and documents up to 8.5 x 11 inches.
The iP110 can handle a borderless 4 x 6-inch photo print in just 53 seconds, which remains par for the course even years after its release to the world. The nine pages per minute black and white print speed combine with an easy document feeder for hands-free printing even when you're in transit. While it may have been released a few years back, the iP110 more than holds its own against today’s models by offering a second-to-none combination of portability and quality.
Read more reviews of the best mobile printers available for purchase online.
Runner-Up, Best Overall: HP OfficeJet 3830
The 3830 from HP’s OfficeJet line is a really meat-and-potatoes printer — one that has a ton of modern features but doesn’t command quite the premium set as much more expensive units. It scans, copies, faxes, and, of course, prints. There’s a 35-page automatic document feeder for scanning/copying large documents. It will print eight pages per minute of black and white documents, and six pages per minute of color documents. These aren’t blistering speeds by any means, but it holds its own. There’s also a 60-sheet tray for feeding printed documents, and the outbound tray can accommodate up to 25 pages. You can print a full spread of standard sizes from 8.5 x 11 inches down to 4 x 6-inch prints. None of these numbers constitute great features on their own, but when you factor in seamless wireless connectivity, including the ease of using AirPrint to send documents, it makes for a highly connected office. The best part? It comes in just under $100, so you’ll get a good workhorse without breaking the bank.
Best Budget: HP DeskJet 2655
Ready to print, scan and copy, the HP DeskJet 2655 is an ideal budget-friendly option for printer owners who want to print wirelessly via AirPrint. With bonus options such as instant ink refill (for never running out of ink), the DeskJet 2655 is one of HP’s most affordable wireless printing options. And you can save up to 50 percent on ink refills via the optional subscription that’s delivered right to your door.
Measuring 16.74 x 11.97 x 5.87 inches and weighing only seven pounds, the 2655 is ready to handle a maximum 25-sheet capacity, 7.5 black printed ppm and up to 5.5 color ppm. It supports sizes letter and legal paper, as well as 4 x 6, 5 x 7, 8 x 10-inch photos and number 10 envelopes. The hassle-free setup works great with Mac computers while HP’s all-in-one printer remote app allows non-iOS devices to print wirelessly in addition to AirPrint.
See more reviews of our favorite photo, business, and laser printers under $100.
Runner-Up, Best Budget: Canon MX492
It wasn’t that long ago that finding a printer under $100 was nearly impossible. Now, with tons of options from most major manufacturers, and the ease of fulfillment by Amazon, you can get a really serviceable unit for less than $50 — including this Canon MX492. While it doesn’t offer the premium speeds or quality of higher-priced units, it’s pretty surprising just how valuable it is. Plus, at only 11 x 17 inches, it occupies a small footprint in your home office.
The Canon MX492 is an all-in-one model, so it's capable of printing, copying, and scanning. There’s an automatic document feeder that holds up to 20 pages so you can scan or copy decent-sized packets. It takes FINE cartridges and you can even opt for the oversized XL cartridges for heavier print jobs. Finally, it connects via Wi-Fi, and because it’s optimized for Apple AirPrint as well as Google Photos, it should work perfectly for the mobile-minded.
Going off to college or shopping for a prospective student? Read the reviews in our roundup of the best printers for college students.
Best Compact: Canon Pixma iX6820
Canon’s Pixma iX6820 is an inkjet business printer that’s ideal for both the home and office. Ready to handle everything from 4 x 6-inch mailers, 11 x 17-inch spreadsheets or bigger 13 x 19-inch presentation charts, the Pixma offers exceptional printing detail at 9600 x 2100 maximum color dpi. Measuring 23 x 12.3 x 6.3 inches and weighing 17.9 pounds, the Pixma is small enough to fit almost anywhere, but not small enough to fit into a backpack for on-the-go prints. Capable of printing up to 14.5 black pages per minute and 10.4 color pages per minute, the Pixma can tackle a borderless 4 x 6-inch photo in just 36 seconds from start to finish.
For photo printing, the iX6820 combines FINE print head technology and genuine Canon photo paper for borderless photos that can last up to 300 years when stored properly. Additionally, the Pixma offers a quiet mode for nearly zero noise when printing small quantities of paper. When it comes to wireless printing, AirPrint is ready right from day one and the Pixma works perfectly with Mac computers without any additional drivers.
Check out more options for printers you can carry around easily on our roundup of the best portable photo printers.
Best Security: Brother HL-L8360CDW
Offering both wired and wireless connectivity via AirPrint, the Brother HL-L8360CDW is a color laser printer offering print speeds up to 33 ppm. Ideal for small offices and businesses, the Brother measures 17.4 x 19.1 x 12.3 inches and weighs 48.1 pounds, so it's less portable (but still highly functional). The security lock function enables administrators to regulate and restrict access to printer functions for up to 200 users, which offers added security and peace of mind for a business environment. Additional features such as an integrated NFC card reader for releasing print jobs with an NFC-compatible card or badge adds yet another layer of security for controlling access to the printer and reducing the cost of wasted prints.
Low-cost printing is a staple of the HL-L8360CDW. Standard black toner cartridges yield 3,000 pages, while the three standard yield color cartridges offer up to 1,800 pages. The 250-sheet capacity and the 50-sheet capacity multi-purpose tray are expandable by adding another trays, so the total capacity can be 1,300 sheets of paper overall.
Best for Photos: Canon TS9120
The six individual ink system on this Canon PIXMA printer is ideal for those looking to produce close-to-accurate photographs. You can control the printer with a sharp 5-inch LCD touchscreen, and you can even put in a memory card, which gives you standalone use without the need of a phone or computer. Extra creative control also comes in the form of included filters which you can access from the screen. If you do want to use a computer, this is a Wi-Fi printer and it supports Apple’s AirPrint, so you can easily introduce tasks via your computer or iOS device. And, because it prints edge-to-edge documents, it’s perfect for quick at-home photo printing jobs. There’s also Bluetooth support, and a dedicated Canon app, as well as Google photo integration — all of which show us that Canon has a real priority for connectivity and ease of use. There’s auto two-sided printing for business collateral, and the option to print business cards. The performance does seem admittedly slow, but that’s to be expected for detailed color print jobs.
Still can't decide on what you want? Our round-up of the best photo printers can help you find what you're looking for.
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How We Tested
We bought two top-rated airprint printers that our reviewers tested daily for weeks on end. We asked our testers to consider the most important features when using these airprint printers, from size to connectivity. We’ve outlined the key takeaways here so that you, too, know what to look for when shopping.
What to Look for in an Airprint Printer
Laser vs. inkjet - Before you start narrowing down your options, you need to decide whether you want a laser or an inkjet printer. Laser printers are better for documents, but color models can be more expensive. Inkjet printers are optimal if you’re planning on printing a lot of pictures on photo paper — their ink is less expensive than laser printer toner, but you’ll have to replace it more often.
Size -Size and form factor are also important considerations when thinking about a new printer. Is the machine going to sit on an already-messy desk, or do you have a separate printer stand? Also, will you want to travel with it? If you need a portable printer, that’s important to keep in mind at the beginning of your search.
Compatibility -What devices will you need to connect to your printer? Whether your household is entirely Mac/iOS, Windows/Android, or some combination of the two, be sure to find a printer that’s compatible with your operating system.
Test Results: HP OfficeJet 250 (Best Overall)
What We Like
Great for black and white text
Fast speed
Wi-Fi printing capabilities
What We Don't Like
Decent color quality
Small touchscreen
“If you're a person who needs compactness and easy Wi-Fi capabilities, this printer is really perfect,” raved one of our testers. “When printing a regular document — an article, email, or ticket — it was very fast and crisp.” On the other hand, one reviewer thought that its color quality was just “decent” and wished that its touchscreen was larger: “That would be a true game-changer and probably my number one wish from this product,” she noted.
Test Results: Canon PIXMA iP110 (Best Portability)
What We Like
Slim footprint
Excellent printing quality
No paper jams
What We Don't Like
Complex setup
Can only hold about 50 sheets of paper at once
Best Color Inkjet Printer For Mac
One reviewer reported that this printer’s quality was as good as her full-size printer’s: “I can print out nice photos and designed pages with lots of colors,” she explained. “I printed out around 30 menus for a party I was having and they looked great!” Also, our testers loved that they didn’t experience any paper jams, and one reviewer noted its perfect size: “This printer fits in my bookshelf and is not bulky, heavy, or cumbersome in any way,” she said. In terms of negatives, our reviewers wished that it had a larger paper capacity. One tester also thought that its setup process was tough to understand past the initial setup: “I ended up going to the product page on Amazon and seeing what reviewers did there to try to get it working.”