Printers compatible with Big Sur

Hi harhaji,

An HP LaserJet Pro M404dw is mentioned in About AirPrint - Apple Support as an AirPrint printer. According to Add a printer on Mac - Apple Support, "If your printer is AirPrint-enabled, it’s compatible with macOS." This means that the printer can be used with macOS Big Sur. Software from the printer manufacturer may or may not add functionality.

Oldphil75,

I went through a bunch of research to replace an aging HP printer. I ended up getting the "Brother® INKvestment Tank MFC-J995DW Wireless InkJet All-In-One Color Printer." I've been using it for about 3 weeks and really like it. Works great wirelessly with Big Sur for both printing and scanning and required no drivers, software installation etc., as it's AirPrint compatible.

I got it online from Office Depot and it was $199.

Good luck!

Have you tried updating the printer firmware? After emailing Canon and checking on line with no result, I eventually thought about the firmware. After buying an M1 Mac mini with Big Sur my Canon Pixma MG5350 could not be recognized. Also, I could never get my iPhone or iPad to see the printer either, but I just thought that was a limitation of Canon printers. I always used my HP Laserjet for AirPrint. After updating the Canon firmware, Big Sur could see my printer and for the first time ever so could my iPhone and iPad. I thought I was going to have to bin my printer and expensive consumables and instead I have a useful printer that now supports AirPrint.

Hi,

The Canon support page for one of the MX920 series printers:

https://www.usa.canon.com/internet/portal/us/home/support/details/printers/inkjet-multifunction/mx-series-inkjet/mx922?tab=drivers_downloads

There are seven Canon MX92x models mentioned in About AirPrint - Apple Support as printers supporting the driverless AirPrint technology.

https://www.canon-europe.com/support/consumer_products/apple_airprint_guide/#Pmac

Reset the Mac printing system to solve a problem - Apple Support

Add a printer on Mac - Apple Support

I finally succeeded in finding a monochrome laser printer compatible with Big Sur and Apple Airprint. It's a Canon ImageClass Mf269dw. The Canon printer also has scan software that works better than Image Capture (which still doesn't work with the Canon.) HP was no help at all.

Hi,

The link to the HP Printer Drivers v5.1 for macOS (Post Date: Dec 11, 2020) works fine (at least here), but the referenced article Printer and scanner drivers for Mac - Apple Support does not appear to have a driver for an M477fnw. There is a version 19.13 driver for an HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M476, though. Perhaps something you could try, if absolutely necessary.

The M477fnw is not specifically mentioned in About AirPrint - Apple Support, but an HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477nw is. The specifications at https://www.hp.com/us-en/shop/pdp/hp-color-laserjet-pro-mfp-m477fnw also indicate AirPrint support. With AirPrint, you should be able to use the printer without having to install additional drivers. See also https://support.hp.com/us-en/document/ish_1994828-1994872-16 . Make sure that the printer and the computer are connected to the same network (Wi-Fi router).

Reset the Mac printing system to solve a problem - Apple Support

Add a printer on Mac - Apple Support

Finally got it working. In the Settings Printer and Scanners I deleted (-) the printer and then looked for it and added (+) the printer as a new one and it worked. Air Print!

Any of the printers listed in this Apple document will work with a Mac: About AirPrint - Apple Support

That printer model is AirPrint capable and will work with Big Sur via WiFi. It doesn't need drivers. See this Apple document: About AirPrint - Apple Support

As I understand it, today, most new printers are now equipped with the Air Print feature. They do not require a printer driver to work. Any such printer which has Air Print should so the job for you.

Had the same problem. Here's a list of printers that will work through Airpoint: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201311

Here's a list I found on Apple Support: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201311

After having NO success 10 days ago printing on a very old yet perfectly fine HP printer (HP Photosmart C4480) with the Big Sur OS on a late-2015 iMac, I have SUCCESSFULLY printed on it today! So there is hope; hang in there.

Here is what I did. I am not tech-savvy enough to know what worked. But I offer this in hopes that you may find it helpful.

1. I installed the latest Mac OS update (11.1), which included restarting my iMac.
2. I ran the HP Uninstaller. Then I searched with Finder for any remaining programs named HP. I found two -- HP Smart and HP Uninstaller. I dragged both to Trash and emptied the Trash.
3. I restarted my iMac.
4. I connected my C4480 printer to the iMac with a USB cable (so quaint, but the printer is so old it does not have wifi).
5. I commanded a Word doc to Print. I received the ominous "will damage your computer" box. I clicked on Show in Finder. Then I went back to the Word doc and clicked Print again. This time I was given a box to select the printer that did not show the C4480. I clicked Add Printer. Now the C4480 choice appeared. I chose it and -- the doc printed!
6. Unconvinced, I printed the doc again. This time, no warning, no events, nada. Just a print. (Happy dance!) Back to normal operations. (I haven't tested the scanner.)

My guess is that the newest Big Sur update quietly fixed this problem. (The notes on the update say nothing about printer errors, however.) But who knows?

Thanks to Jan Hedlund and others here for very kind, helpful and plainly worded suggestions. One other thing I learned from this event, and your posts, is that my late-2015 iMac may not be supported much longer in OS updates. So, I am turning off auto updates. I will check for compatibility before any updates.

Hello,

According to Add a printer on Mac - Apple Support: "If your printer is AirPrint-enabled, it’s compatible with macOS."

The TR8620 is not (yet) in the About AirPrint - Apple Support list, but AirPrint is mentioned in the printer specifications, so it would probably be safe to assume that the printer is compatible with macOS Big Sur (without the need to download drivers). However, you should ask Canon to confirm that it is an AirPrint printer. No printer driver for macOS Big Sur appears to have been made available via the Canon support page. AirPrint is a driverless technology.

Connect the printer to a Wi-Fi network with a router. It is often a good idea to reset the printing system (Reset the Mac printing system to solve a problem - Apple Support). Make sure that you choose to use AirPrint.

A guide from Canon UK (covering earlier PIXMA models) could perhaps be of some help:

https://www.canon.co.uk/support/consumer_products/apple_airprint_guide/

Hi Venti2005,

The PIXMA MG3122 support page at https://www.usa.canon.com/internet/portal/us/home/support/details/printers/support-inkjet-printer/mg-series/pixma-mg3122/pixma-mg3122?tab=drivers_downloads only shows drivers for up to macOS High Sierra 10.13. You could of course check whether these would work under Big Sur as well, but it is quite possible that they will not.

The PIXMA MG3122 is not mentioned in About AirPrint - Apple Support as a printer supporting the driverless AirPrint technology (but the MG3120 is). You may want to check with Canon whether the MG3122 is a sub-model to the MG3120, and in fact AirPrint-capable (with or without a firmware upgrade). You could also just check whether an iPhone/iPad would show the MG3122 as a selectable AirPrint printer when you try to print.

In the Firmware section on Canons's support page for the MG3122, there is an AirPrint Firmware Updater (Mac) for MG3100 series Ver.1.1b (!?). However, do NOT try to update/upgrade any firmware unless the printer manufacturer has confirmed that it is OK (doing this on the wrong model could damage the printer).

Why would AirPrint be important? According to Add a printer on Mac - Apple Support: "If your printer is AirPrint-enabled, it’s compatible with macOS." An AirPrint printer can be used under macOS Big Sur without the need for separate drivers.