I'm looking for a mac-compatible laser printer

Hello fellow MACers!

I am in need of assistance. I have a Macbook pro which I switched to from a PC laptop, so my mac knowledge is limited. As is the soft/hard ware at my disposal.

I need a laser printer. Nothing fancy, just black & white. Ideally, I'd like to get a Bluetooth compatible one so I don't have to keep plugging the connector in, but at this point any will suffice. Can someone recommend a good/decent B/W laser printer compatible with a Macbook pro? If possible, the cheaper the better (my use of it will consist of a few documents a week).

I really appreciate your expertise.

renochka said:

Hello fellow MACers!

I am in need of assistance. I have a Macbook pro which I switched to from a PC laptop, so my mac knowledge is limited. As is the soft/hard ware at my disposal.

I need a laser printer. Nothing fancy, just black & white. Ideally, I'd like to get a Bluetooth compatible one so I don't have to keep plugging the connector in, but at this point any will suffice. Can someone recommend a good/decent B/W laser printer compatible with a Macbook pro? If possible, the cheaper the better (my use of it will consist of a few documents a week).

I really appreciate your expertise.

Click to expand...

Any laser printer out there should be Mac compatible. Not familiar with Bluetooth compatible models, but my Brother laser is wifi and works fine on my network. I'll look up price and model and post back.


EDIT: This is the updated model of what I have. "Brother Printer HL2270DW Wireless Monochrome Printer" Its available from Amazon (US) for $140. If you don't need network capability you can find compatible printers for less than $100.

EDIT 2: This is assuming you have a wireless router for your home internet connect.

I don't need a need a network compatible printer at all (it's just me working) and I do have a wireless router in my home to connect to the internet. I said Bluetooth because I figure that's how printers connect to laptops without cord, but if they connect through the router, then I don't need Bluetooth compatibility.

Sorry, I'm not terribly computer savvy, just enough for mentioning a few techy terms and then get lost.

How would I find one? What search terms should I use when looking? I was hoping to spend under $100, if possible.

Thanks again!

renochka said:

I don't need a need a network compatible printer at all (it's just me working) and I do have a wireless router in my home to connect to the internet. I said Bluetooth because I figure that's how printers connect to laptops without cord, but if they connect through the router, then I don't need Bluetooth compatibility.

Sorry, I'm not terribly computer savvy, just enough for mentioning a few techy terms and then get lost.

How would I find one? What search terms should I use when looking? I was hoping to spend under $100, if possible.

Thanks again!

Click to expand...

Network compatible has nothing to do with how many use it, but on connectivity. Mine is in my home plugged into my router, but I can access it from any computer and from anywhere in the house.

The search term to use would be "laser printer" and "network", though you could try "bluetooth" but when I search with that all I get are adaptors and some inkjet printers, and nothing even close to be what you want for under $100.

$140 (with free shipping) is probably going to be close to a low price for a decent printer (the Brother unit I linked to should be pretty good).
In my experience if you look around you can find a laser printer for considerably less, but it won't be wireless. HTH

If possible, could you take a look at these 2 printer and tell me what you think of these?

HP LaserJet Pro P1102w Printer

Okidata B410d Monochrome Laser Printer

renochka said:

If possible, could you take a look at these 2 printer and tell me what you think of these?

HP LaserJet Pro P1102w Printer

Okidata B410d Monochrome Laser Printer

Click to expand...

I liked the look of the HP LaserJet until I read the negative reviews. (Will post back later after I've had time to look more)

Below is one example of a bad review on the HP printer:
1 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars If you like frustration, you'll love this printer paired with a Mac., October 20, 2010
By Brian Edwards "DollTV" (Zephyr Cove, NV) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME) This review is from: HP LaserJet Pro P1102w Printer (CE657A#BGJ) (Electronics)
The box says that setup is easy with a Mac. The inside of the box says it's easy with a Windows computer. Who buys Windows these days?

Virtually no documentation on wireless setup. And instructions are laced with jargon and no explanations.

So...I called HP. HP says, "We don't support Macs with this printer."

Nice. What a waste!

If anyone can post a link to a website with setup instructions for a Macbook Pro and a Linksys router, I'll happily amend this review.

I paid $200 for this thing. I just want it to work.

I tend to go with HP BW Laser printers for these reasons:

They usually last for years on end. Even some very old HP LaserJet printers from 10 years ago or more are still in service in many places.

Toner. And that's important because HP refilled toner cartridges are very popular and can be obtained for less than half the cost of an original HP one.

They're Mac friendly.

chscag, so are you saying there is support for the guys problem who wrote the bad review?

renochka said:

chscag, so are you saying there is support for the guys problem who wrote the bad review?

Click to expand...

Buying a printer always seems to be something like rolling the dice. For that reason I buy from some place I can return it without a hassle (normally Amazon.com for me). Something Chascg mentioned that is extremely important is replacement cartridges.
I would check in the tri-cities area to see cost and availibity for toner for each of the printers (brother, okidata and the HP).
I wouldn't neccessarily rule out the HP based on the negative review, but it kept me from giving it a thumbs up.

renochka said:

chscag, so are you saying there is support for the guys problem who wrote the bad review?

Click to expand...

No, that's not what I'm saying. What I am saying that in general HP LaserJet printers last a long time and toner is easy and inexpensive for them.

Also, notwithstanding the bad review, HP printers are Mac friendly as there are Mac third party and open source drivers readily available. Even older ones can be made to work with OS X. I don't know what the reviewer tried but I wonder with a little outside effort if he could have gotten it to work.

As with anything else, your results may differ from mine.

Now if you had asked about multifunction color printers, I would have responded completely different. Canon is my choice there.

I guess we lucked out last week when we bought our new Mac Book Pro because Apple had a special which was a new all in one Wifi Epson printer/scanner/copier which was only 99 dollars with the purchase of an Apple computer. Then we got a rebate coupon from Apple for 99 dollars for the Epson printer making it a free bee! Not a bad deal.
Bill

Thanks for explaining it chscag, I've just never purchased any computer things before, so I want to make sure I understand. I'm definitely going to look at the HP's


Thanks everyone! I will let you know what I order.

UPDATE:
I ended up purchasing the HP LaserJet Pro P1102w Printer. I really like it! The installation was really easy despite what feedback there was from Mac users. Thanks everyone for you help!