If you're looking for the best printer for iPad, iPhone, or Mac, finding a printer that can work seamlessly is an invaluable tool. Thanks to Apple AirPrint, you can easily print documents and photos directly from your device, which is great when you don't want to set up another wireless connection. Since there's nothing to download, it's also great when you have multiple people, like friends, roommates, or co-workers, all sharing the same printer.
We've tested over 140 printers, and below are our recommendations for the best Airprint printers you can buy. Also, check out our recommendations for the best home printers, the best office printers, and the best photo printers.
The best AirPrint-compatible printer we've tested is the Brother MFC-L8905CDW, an all-in-one color laser printer designed for small or home offices. Its wide connectivity options make it easy to connect, and thanks to AirPrint support, you don't have to install any drivers or third-party apps when printing from an iPhone, iPad, or Mac. The flatbed scanner is large enough to scan Legal-size sheets and produces high-quality, detailed scans. It can also process long and double-sided documents quickly via its automatic feeder.
Printing-wise, this model produces incredibly sharp documents and is fast, churning out an impressive 32 pages per minute. The regular toner cartridges yield a large number of prints and aren't overly expensive, so you won't have to spend much on replacement toner in the long run. You can also get XL cartridges that'll yield even more prints, further reducing maintenance and cost. Cheaper variants are available if you don't mind compromising on a few features, like the Brother MFC-L8610CDW, which lacks duplex scanning and NFC support. See our review for more details.
Like most laser printers, the MFC-8905CDW isn't ideal for photo printing. If you need to print photos or graphics for your business, we have two recommendations: the Epson EcoTank Pro ET-5850 and the Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550. The former is better suited for offices because it has faster printing speed and more features, like an ADF with duplex scanning, while the latter produces higher-quality photos and supports wide-format papers. These supertank models yield thousands of prints, so you won't have to worry about high running costs. The downside is that they're more expensive upfront.
The Canon Color imageCLASS MF656Cdw is our best upper mid-range pick. It has the same features as the Brother MFC-L8905CDW recommended above and produces equally sharp documents. It also yields significantly more color prints and is easier to maintain, as its toner cartridges include the drum, so you don't have to replace the drum separately. A built-in drum makes the cartridges more expensive, but since the cartridges last a long time, your long-term maintenance cost will remain low.
The tradeoff for its lower price is printing speed. It prints slower at 22 pages per minute, and that speed is only achievable via a wired USB or Ethernet connection, which is inconvenient if you don't have space near your computer or router to place the printer or if you just want to keep your setup clear of unsightly cables. Scan speed is also slower but decent at 14 pages per minute. If you don't need an ADF, duplex scanning, or fax functionality, you can get one of its cheaper variants, like the Canon Color imageCLASS MF654Cdw. See our full review for more details.
If you only need to print in black-and-white documents, we recommend the Brother MFC-L2750DW. This monochrome laser all-in-one produces high-quality documents and prints quickly at up to 36 pages per minute. It yields around 2,000 prints, and the toner cartridge is relatively cheap. Plus, there's only one cartridge to replace, so it won't cost much to maintain over time. Cheaper variants exist, like the Brother MFC-L2710DW. It gives you the same print quality but prints slightly slower at 32 pages per minute and lacks NFC and duplex scanning. Some bundles come with a longer-lasting XL toner cartridge, which might be cheaper than buying it separately.
If you want something more modest for home use, get the Brother MFC-J4335DW. This all-in-one inkjet model feels very well built despite its price and packs many features to satisfy most household needs. With AirPrint support, you can connect to the printer easily and start printing immediately, saving you precious time. It prints quickly for an inkjet printer, churning out 17 black or 15 color pages per minute, and supports automatic duplex printing.
Regarding its page yield, the regular ink cartridges give you around 2200 black and 800 color prints, and you can get high-yield cartridges that'll last even longer. The cartridges aren't overly expensive, so your maintenance cost won't rise quickly if you print a lot. Unfortunately, it doesn't support duplex scanning, and it isn't the best for printing photos, as printed pictures look grainy and slightly washed out. If those things don't matter, the MFC-J4335DW is a great option.
For those with a larger print load, check out the Canon PIXMA G4270. This supertank model costs a little more upfront, but you'll likely save more money in the long run because a full tank gets you thousands of prints, and replacement ink, which comes in bottles, is cheap. However, the scanner doesn't perform as well, as it has trouble capturing fine details and prints much slower at nine black or three color pages per minute. Also, it doesn't support automatic double-sided printing, so you'll have to flip the pages manually.
For those on a tight budget, we recommend the Brother MFC-J1205W, also known as the Brother MFC-J1215W at Walmart. It's a simple inkjet all-in-one that's well-suited for people who don't print all that often. It feels sturdily built despite its budget-friendly price, connects via Wi-Fi, and supports Apple AirPrint, so you don't need to worry about installing drivers. It prints sharp documents, and while it doesn't have the best color range or accuracy, printed photos still look decent. It yields lots of prints, and the ink cartridges are cheap, so you won't have to spend much on replacement ink over time. Unfortunately, there's no automatic feeder, and it only prints nine black or six color pages per minute.
A monochrome laser alternative would be the Brother HL-L2460DW. Although its print quality is lower than you would expect from a Brother printer out of the box, you can get it to produce sharp-looking documents with a few tweaks to its settings. It prints up to 34 pages per minute and yields slightly under 1300 prints from a single toner cartridge. If you print a lot and don't want to worry about changing the toner often, this printer is compatible with Brother's TN830XL high-yield cartridges, which yield around 3000 pages. Like other Brother laser printers, you have to replace the drum separately, but again, it's not something you'll have to do often.
If you need something cheap for the occasional one-off project, get the Canon PIXMA MG3620. It doesn't feel sturdy but produces good-quality documents and detailed photos. You still get Wi-Fi connectivity, USB connectivity, and Apple AirPrint support. The scanner produces surprisingly high-quality scans; however, as this is a budget-friendly model, there's no automatic feeder or fax functionality. It prints nine black or three color pages per minute and supports automatic duplex printing.
The main drawback of a cheap model like this is its low page yield. It yields only around 200 black and color prints, meaning you'll have to replace the cartridges often. The cartridges aren't expensive, so cost isn't the issue. It just requires more maintenance, so you might need to interrupt print jobs to replace the cartridges, and because it uses a tri-color cartridge, you have to replace the entire cartridge even if only one color runs out. On the upside, you can get XL ink cartridges that'll last longer, and the printer also accepts third-party ink, which might be cheaper.
We recommend the HP OfficeJet 250, an all-in-one inkjet printer with a built-in rechargeable battery, for on-the-go use. It's easy to carry around thanks to its compact size, so it's a great option for people who regularly travel for work or need to print receipts at an outdoor event with no power outlet nearby. You can connect to the printer via Wi-Fi or USB, and of course, you get Apple AirPrint support. Its sheetfed scanner produces high-quality scans and supports optical character recognition (OCR), a feature that lets you save scans as PDFs for quick keyword searches.
This inkjet model produces very nice black and color documents; it's just slow, with speeds of three black or six color pages per minute. Another downside is that the ink cartridges run out quickly. The cartridges are relatively cheap; however, color printing can still get expensive if you print a lot. The battery is good for about 225 prints and takes around two hours to charge fully.
May 15, 2024: Replaced the Brother HL-L2325DW with the Brother HL-L2460DW as an alternate budget pick, as the L2325DW is discontinued. Changed the mid-range and cheap section titles for consistency. Minor changes to text for accuracy.
Mar 22, 2024: Minor text edits for clarity. Removed the HP OfficeJet Pro 9025e from the Notable Mentions and replaced it with the HP OfficeJet Pro 9135e because the 9025e is discontinued.
Jan 24, 2024: Added the Brother MFC-L3780CDW as a Notable Mention. No change in recommendations.
Nov 24, 2023: Minor text changes to add the Epson EcoTank Pro ET-5850 as a second alternative to the Brother MFC-L8905CDW. No change in recommendations.
Sep 27, 2023: Replaced the Brother MFC-L2750DW with the Canon Color imageCLASS MF656Cdw because the Canon can print in color and is almost the same price. Small text changes to include the Canon PIXMA G4270 as an alternative to the Brother MFC-J4335DW.
Our recommendations above are what we currently think are the best Airprint printers you can get. In addition to the test results, we factor in the price, feedback from our visitors, and availability.
If you'd like to do the work of choosing yourself, here's the list of reviews for printers with AirPrint. Be careful not to get too caught up in the details. While no printer is perfect for every use, most are good enough to please almost everyone, and the differences are often not noticeable unless you really look for them.