Introduction
Printers have become a necessity and unlike before, when they were strictly a piece of office equipment, today printers are available in most common places, including our homes. The market is infinitely saturated with different types of printers, and it is very easy to assume that a printer will work with most if not all devices. Finding a printer that works effortlessly with an iPad is not impossible. Unlike a few years ago when most printers were designed for use alongside Windows PCs, today a good number of printers in the market are compatible with Mac computers as well as other iOS supported devices. And while this disparity seems to be reducing iOS device owners still experience significant challenges as some of the printer features are available for Windows and not for iOS. The most frequently occurring challenge would be printers with duplex printing capabilities for Windows but not for iOS. It is therefore essential that when purchasing a printer for use with an iPad that a user is aware of their needs as well as the printer’s capabilities. iPad users should check for the printer’s technical specifications and whether it supports Apple’s AirPrint software that facilitates printing wirelessly straight from the device without previous app installations.
HP OfficeJet Pro 6970 All-in-One Colour Inkjet Printer
Intro
The Officejet Pro 6970 is a versatile high-speed printer capable of producing high-quality printing outcomes. With decent printing speeds of 17 and 8 pages per minute, for text and color prints, this printer works effortlessly with iPads as users can print wirelessly through Apple’s AirPrint for iOS. It is ideal for small offices and home use and features an automatic document feeder, a 225 sheets paper tray, an LCD touchscreen control panel. It is capable of dual-sided printing and according to HP, can manage a print volume of 800 pages per month.
Pros
- Wireless, AirPrint, Network, USB the Pro 6970 printer has multiple connectivity options
- The multifunctionality capabilities are available, and users can use the printer to Print, copy, scan, and fax.
- No need to worry about the ink running out as users are eligible for the HP instant ink program.
Cons
- The menu navigation control panel is not as intuitive.
- It has a slightly large footprint and is bulky.
- Installing the OfficeJet 6970 is straightforward.
HP Tango Smart Home Printer
Intro
Sold as “the world’s first smart home printer,” the HP Tango is a voice-activated 100 % wireless inkjet printer that is ideal for general purpose printing. This printer is designed to function around the user’s smartphone and boasts a compact design and printing speeds of 8 pages per minute for color, 11 pages per minute for text, and 37 seconds for a 4×6 inch postcard print. With a 4800 x 1200 dpi resolution, the print quality of this printer is exceptional, and the texts are smooth and sharp without any feathering while the images printed were crisp, bright with good contrast and detail. The HP tango has multifunctional capabilities as it can copy and scan.
Pros
- Users receive a one-year guarantee upon purchase.
- The print quality is top notch regardless of the paper.
- You can opt for the HP instant ink scheme, and your printer will monitor your ink usage and place a refill order before it runs out.
Cons
- The printer lacks a USB connection slot and is dependent on dual-band Wi-Fi
- The printer completely utilizes mobile technology, which can be inconveniencing in certain instances.
Even activities such as scanning, and photocopying can only be done from the mobile screen. - The printer lacks a control panel, and it is assumed that your screen is the control panel.
- There are printers with better printing speeds available at the same price.
Brother, HL-L5100DN Monochrome Laser Printer
Intro
The brother HL- L5100DN printer is easily one of the fastest printers available in the market. Its compact size does not impact its capability to print out many pages and meet high demands for monochrome documents.
At 44 pages per minute, the printing speeds are exceptional just as it the print quality. Regardless of the demand placed on the printer, it remains consistent. The only downside of the Brother HL- L5100DN printer is that unlike most of its competitors in the market, this brother printer falls short with regard to its features, but this does not in any way deter it from delivering and performing exceptionally well.
Pros
- In comparison to other printer offerings in the market, the printing speeds of this printer are unprecedented and unmatched.
- The printer’s toner is high yielding and produces excellent monochromatic imagery and prints.
Cons
- The LCD screen is tiny; therefore, messages shown on the screen appear in one line, which is difficult to read and keep track of.
- It lacks a USB port.
- The printer is very noisy when in use.
Epson Expression ET-2650 EcoTank Wireless Color All-in-One Super tank printer.
Intro
Equipped with advanced cartridge free printing capabilities, the Expression ET-2650 EcoTank printer by Epson is unmatched when it comes to delivering value for its user. Featuring built-in wireless printing, print resolutions of 5760 x 1440 dpi, and 3 droplet ink sizes for minimum ink wastage, this printer comes with close to 2 years’ worth of ink in the package. It is also equipped with a 1.44-inch color LCD, built-in card slot and according to Epson can manage a printing volume of up to 4000 pages. The wireless printing feature makes it ideal for use with iPads.
Pros
- Users can enjoy hands-free, voice-activated printing.
- Save on ink costs thanks to the supersized ink tanks present in the printer.
- The printer installation is easy to set up and operate.
- The printer has multiple connectivity options.
- The Micro Piezo head ensures minimum Ink Droplet Size, thus reducing ink wastage.
Cons
- The printer has a large footprint and takes up quite a bit of space.
- Some users have reported that the printer’s scan software experiences lags and bugs occasionally.
- It is expensive.
Canon PIXMA TR8520 Wireless All in One Printer
Intro
The Pixma TR8520 is a home-based office printer, ideal for low-volume printing. The printer is multifunctional and boasts an intuitive 4.3-inch LCD touch screen, a single memory card slot and 20 sheets automatic document feeder. It is a functional and straightforward printer that delivers outstanding print results all the while handling 200 sheets of paper. It has five individual ink cartridges, two blacks, and three dye-based process color inks, namely cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. Other features available on the Pixma TR8520 include an SD card slot, Wi-Fi connectivity, Bluetooth 4.0, a USB port, Ethernet; wired and wireless PictBridge for printing photos from specific Canon cameras. iPad users can use the Pixma TR8520 printer as it supports Apple AirPrint as well as other wireless printing apps such as Google Cloud Print, Canon Print app (for printing emails), Pixma Cloud Link, etc.
Pros
- The LCD touchscreen makes it easy to set up and initiate walkup tasks such as photocopying and printing.
- The five-ink printing tech produces vivid, true to form colors.
- It is enabled for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity
- The printers compact design makes it ideal for home and small space use as it occupies a small footprint.
Cons
- The 15 pages per minute text printing speeds are relatively slow in comparison to other competitor printers.
- The duplex printing on the TR8520 is extremely slow.
- The cartridge replacement is an expensive fair as you will need to replace five cartridges.
Brother Wireless All-in-One Inkjet Printer, MFC-J895DW
Intro
The Brother MFC-J895DW wireless is a versatile printer that offers iOS devices such as iPads excellent connectivity and ease of use. It makes for a great home use printer as its printing speeds are and performance capabilities are leaner than other printers.it has one input tray capable of handling 20 premium paper sheets and 100 standard paper sheets. Even though this printer falls below the usual average, it still boasts a host of other features such as wired networking, wireless support, and direct-to-USB, with the following interfaces: USB 2.0 for PC to printer connections, an Ethernet jack I, 802.11n Wi-Fi wireless networking, Wi-Fi Direct and Near-Field Communications (NFC).
Pros
- The print and copy quality are outstanding.
- It is equipped with SD card and USB thumb drive support.
Cons
- In comparison to its competitors, the paper input and output capacity are low.
- The color photos, graphics fills, and backgrounds are wanting and extremely disappointing.
- It cannot manage duplex printing without assistance from the owner as the automatic document feeder is not like that of standard printers.
HP LaserJet Pro M281fdw Wireless Color Laser Printer
Intro
From auto document feeder, dual-band Wi-Fi module, duplex printing and many more, the HP Laserjet Pro M281fdw boasts a lot of features at a reasonable price point. It produces high-quality prints and has impressive and secure printing speeds of 22 pages per minute for text. iPad users can utilize this printer as it is equipped with an inbuilt Wi-Fi module; therefore, users can easily print wirelessly through the Google cloud print or AirPrint apps.
Pros
- The printer can double up as a scanner photocopier and fax machine.
- It is compact and easily portable and therefore ideal for homes and small offices.
Cons
- The touch screen is small and can sometimes be challenging to operate.
- The HP LaserJet wireless printer only offers single-side scanning.
Brother MFC-J5330DW AIO Color inkjet printer.
Intro
The Brother MFC-J5330DW strikes the perfect balance between features and performance. It boasts a deep 250-page A4 paper tray, a quick printing churn rate of 22 pages per minute, duplex printing capabilities and 50-page automatic document feeder capacity. Its four cartridges work together to produce excellent output quality for both prints and scans. Other features available on the printer include a 2.7-inches LCD touchscreen display panel, Ethernet, Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct, USB connectivity which enhances wireless printing through printing apps such as iOS’s AirPrint. Users can print up to 1500 pages if they opt to use high yield ink cartridges.
Pros
- Despite it being an A4 printer, it has the capability of printing A3 prints.
- You are always in the know of how much ink is available in the printer as the companion app keeps you updated.
- The black pigment printing is outstandingly sharp.
- The Brother MFC-J5330DW has multifunctional capabilities.
Cons
- Updating the printer’s firmware via Wi-Fi has proved to be challenging for some users.
- Setting up and installing the printer is grueling and tedious.
- The printing speeds of some photos take forever to be completed.
- Even though you have the ability to include A3 paper for printing, it only works to make the printer bulkier and build on costs.
- The scanner is limited to A4 prints.
Canon PIXMA MG3022 Wireless Inkjet
Intro
The Canon Pixma printer is an all in one wireless inkjet printer that has the capability of scanning, printing, copying as well as any other actions that you may want to do on a document. The printer is ideal for a good number of reasons such as it uses little ink and can automatically power on and off and help conserve energy when it is not in use. Individuals using iPads can use the printer via the AirPrint app for quick printing as the printer is equipped with wireless printing capabilities and is compatible with the iPad iOS.
Pros
- Configuring and installing the firmware Pixma MG3022 printer is straightforward.
- The printer is economical and does not use a lot of ink meaning; therefore, a large ink budget should not be a cause for alarm.
Cons
- Some users have complained that the printer is flimsy and not durable.
Final Thoughts
Wireless printers are some of the best printers for iPads since they are often equipped with the capability to print through apps. All a user requires is their phone, the app, and a Wi-Fi network connection. A lot of printer manufacturers are choosing to go the clutter-free wireless way printing, which means individuals using iPads have numerous options to choose from. Nevertheless, do not forget to confirm if the printer is suitable for all your other needs since printers are not all created equally.