printers used on MBA

I have two printers Canon iP4700 colour and Brother b/w laser HL2140 which are currently connected to my windows PC via USB.

I would assume that all i need to do is connect printer to my MBA and be able to print hard copy. Is this correct? I read that no drivers would be necessary to download to my MBA for this process.

if not correct, how can I determine if either of these printers will work.

thanks for any help or advise you can provide.

Here are links to drivers for your printers. You do not say what version of OS X you are running. Personally I would plug the printer in and see if your version of OS X finds and installs the correct drivers. If not try the links below. There are drivers and instructions.

Canon Drivers -
Canon U.S.A. : Support & Drivers : PIXMA iP4700

Brother Drivers -
Downloads | HL-2140 | United States | Brother

Lisa

i am running yosemite 10.10.3 on my new MBA
but i will check out those links
thanks

Apple will supply the basic drivers for both those printers and both are currently supported, but get any other software needed from the manufacturer's support sites. All available or listed drivers here:
https://support.apple.com/en-ca/HT201465

got to thinking...instead of crawling down under computer desk and unhook cable from Windows PC so I could connect to MBA to see if they work with MBA....

i just may sell those two printers and get a wireless one which will be so much easier.
then I could use it with Windows PC for as long as I continue to use it
and can access via MBA

i will have to do some research as I understand the printers themselves are not the expensive part...tis the ink cartridges.

if anyone has any comments or suggestions or tips....please feel free to reply.
thanks

If you do not require color, then I suggest a wireless laser printer as they are the most economical in terms of consumables. Brother wireless lasers work well with Mac OS X as do HP LaserJet wireless printers. If you do need color, there is no way to avoid the expense of changing out color cartridges. I usually buy refilled cartridges for my Epson color printer and they seem to work well. But for my heavy black and white work I use my HP LaserJet.

lori5060 said:

got to thinking…… … ...
i will have to do some research as I understand the printers themselves are not the expensive part...tis the ink cartridges.

if anyone has any comments or suggestions or tips....please feel free to reply.
thanks

Click to expand...

Or you could do as some clients have done and just get rid of any printers and they now just have some folders set up that they just drop in the print jobs they really want or need that are connected to some local print shops. Then they just pick up the prints when convenient.

pm-r said:

Or you could do as some clients have done and just get rid of any printers and they now just have some folders set up that they just drop in the print jobs they really want or need that are connected to some local print shops. Then they just pick up the prints when convenient.

Click to expand...

Have you checked out prices for doing even just simple color work at a printing shop? Your clients must lots of "loonies" to spare. ;P

Loonies to spare!!! Lol lol like that.
Selling 2 printers to get one is quite duable and no extra loonies needed!!! Lol lol lol

We have 3 HP Office Jet Pro 8600's at work and I really like them. They are AirPrint compatible which is needed for mac wireless printing as well as wired for networking. The ink cartridges, while not cheap, are larger than the one in a consumer model. I can testify that they will put out the volume. Two off our office people have had theirs about 4 years now. They run them daily and put out a lot of volume. Still going strong and the quality is good. They also print a respectable color picture on photo paper.

I have now had three Canon Pixma all-in-one models that are also AirPrint compatible for wireless access. I have found while I can purchase cheaper ink because it will accept refills, I have to reset it every time I print because it will loose it's connection. I just accept the hassle for now but when replacement time comes I won't be looking at Canon again. - JMO

Lisa

I just accept the hassle for now but when replacement time comes I won't be looking at Canon again.

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I think for now Canon should stick to making cameras. No more canons for me too considering the "junk" they've been producing lately.

chscag said:

I think for now Canon should stick to making cameras. No more canons for me too considering the "junk" they've been producing lately.

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I agree. I had a Canon printer that gave me nothing but problems with my laptop. I switched to HP and everything operates flawlessly.

lori5060 said:

Loonies to spare!!! Lol lol like that.
Selling 2 printers to get one is quite duable and no extra loonies needed!!! Lol lol lol

Click to expand...

I just had a quick look at the Canon Canada site (as per OP), and I had just replaced an older HP that went bizark and died a few months ago with a Pixma MG5620 that's working fine for us.

But the strange thing is, at their support page, when I selected OS X 10.10 as my operating system (it's NOT!!!), there is no sign of a driver for the PIXMA iP4700, but if OS X 10.9 is selected, I get this:
iP4700 series CUPS Printer Driver Ver. 11.7.1.0 (OS X 10.7/10.8/10.9/10.10)
mcpd-mac-ip4700-11_7_1_0-ea17_2.dmg 11.7.1.0
16.42MB
31/10/2014

Service & Support - Support & Drivers - Canon Canada Inc.

Maybe installing that software if it isn't already would help fix your Canon printer problem. ;P Maybe…????

Typical Canon. Like I said before, they should stick to making cameras. Something they do well. ;P

Well, as I said, I have a Canon Pixma MX922 all-in-one at home (I posted originally from work so I wasn't sure on the model) I have a Pixma MG5200 at work which does not have AirPrint so I use it through the network.

I did update the drivers on my MX922 and so far, it has printed without having to restart it but I will have to see if it holds. Since I also have the same problem with my husbands windows computer I may need to update his drivers too. And yes, I know I need to get him an Apple something but I took me years to get him semi-proficient with Windows. To say he is not tech savvy would be a gross understatement. ;D

Lisa

thank you all for your most valuable info on wireless/airprint printers. will have to do some further research an decide what steps to take. as one member stated...i can always take file to print shop for printing...walmart is great and is open almost 24/7.

i find my computer working process is changing so much...i used to print a lot of manuals double sided and create all sorts of personalized cards with graphics where i really USED both my printers a lot. Now it seems i have not turned them on in months and then only to print 1 document or two.

so have lots of thinking to do as to whether even purchase a printer.

chscag said:

I think for now Canon should stick to making cameras. No more canons for me too considering the "junk" they've been producing lately.

Click to expand...

I have an old Canon inkjet lyind around that becomes utterly useless when it has no ink - I can't scan if there's no ink and I can't print b/w if there's no color. What a waste of my time and money (thankfully, like most printers, it was dirt cheap).

lori5060 said:

so have lots of thinking to do as to whether even purchase a printer.

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That's a reasonable question to ask. If you don't print all that often and having something printed off at a shop isn't all that inconvenient for you, it may be significantly cheaper in the long run.