If you own a Mac and you want to start printing files from it, you’ll want a good printer to go along.
You should consider whether you’ll print in black and white or color, your estimated printing volume, the size of the paper you need to print, the size of your business, and the kind of features you want to have on your printer.
Don’t be overwhelmed by the information, throughout this article, I’ll help you to get informed and make a good final decision.
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How Does Having a Mac Device Affect Your Decision?
Picking the right printer is crucial for a Mac user as there are few options, and some printers even perform better with a Windows PC. But not all hope is lost, the number of Mac-compatible printers is always on the rise.
The main issue lies in the “driver” software, which controls the printer. These drivers differ from a PC to a Mac, so make sure you have the right driver software that makes your device compatible with your printer.
Check also: The 5 Best 11×17 Printers 2020 [Buying Guide]
Inkjet vs. Laser Printers
Inkjet Printers
In general, inkjet printers are more popular because they have superior capability when it comes to printing a variety of paper types. From pie charts and coupons to glossy photos and essays –you name it.
Their printing speeds are superior to those of laser printers. They also come as AOI (all in one) units, integrating copying, scanning, and sometimes faxing.
Laser Printers
If you’re looking for an office printer that you’ll use for printing black and white documents, a monochrome laser printer is ideal for you.
A great advantage that laser printers have is that the majority of the monochrome models are highly affordable, have ample printing speeds, and impressively low costs per page that are way less than a color inkjet printer.
Although you can find many color laser printers, their cost per page is quite high, so unless you want intricately detailed color prints, there’s no need to spend so much money on a color laser printer.
Read More about: Best All-In-One Printers for Mac 2020 – Buyer’s Guide
Cost of Consumables
Consumables are typically represented in paper and ink or toner cartridges.
The issue of paper depends on the amount of printing you do on average rather than on the printers, and that’s when duplexing –a feature will talk about later- comes into play.
The real cost of a printer lies in the replacement ink or toner cartridges that you’ll have to purchase periodically.
And that’s why you should do your thorough research regarding the cost of replacing supplies before you decide on buying a certain printer.
It would be best if you also considered how often you have to replace your cartridges and the yield of each one.
Refilling is a good alternative to buying new ones. However, some companies plant ink-tracking chips in their cartridges, and that poses an obstacle to refilling.
Color Printing
As I’ve already mentioned, you should go for an inkjet printer for color prints and a monochrome laser for black and white ones.
But that’s not it, you should also consider whether your ink cartridges are separate or come as a unit. Separate ones are the better option as this allows you to replace one color when it runs out instead of replacing the whole unit, wasting half-full or almost full ones.
Size of the Prints
A typical printer will be able to print 8.5 x 11″ paper, which is the standard size. Naturally, the more sizes your printer is able to produce, the better it is as it would be more versatile. Look into whether your printer can produce indexing cards, envelopes, legal-size paper, and other varieties.
Duplexing
Duplexing is the ability of the printer to print or scan on both sides of the page simultaneously. It’s useful for saving both money and time as you don’t have to flip the pages over to the other side manually.
See also: The 5 Best Printers for Cricut 2020
Connectivity Features
An important thing to check for is whether the printer supports Apple’s AirPrint software that allows you to print from an iPad or an iPhone without having to install another app or software first.
A wireless printer makes everything a whole lot easier and enables you to print from anywhere, even remotely! But it might be a little hard to find a Mac-compatible wireless printer with high-quality output.
Print Speed
Printing in large volumes would require a high-speed printer in order to save time and finish the job efficiently.
On the other hand, if you want a printer for home use, you can skip on the printing speed to get a more affordable option.
Print Resolution
Print resolution is measured in dots per inch DPI. This aspect is not very important if you’re going to be printing text only. However, if you’re planning to print photos, images, and other illustrations like pie charts and graphs, then a printer with a higher resolution would result in better-looking photos and higher quality output.