what printer brand name does apople recommend?

Howdy peteurb,

Thanks for using the Apple Support Communities.

I see that you're looking to buy a printer to work with your iMac, and would like to know which would work best. While there's not a specific brand or model recommendation, below you will find a link that has a list of all of the compatible printers with Mac, as of June 18, 2105. Hopefully this helps you in finding a printer that suits your needs.

Printer and scanner software available for download for your Mac - Apple Support

Take care.

Apple does not make any particular recommendations, but for consumer grade printers I will recommend Brother, Canon, and Epson... in that order. Unless you are seeking specialized purposes such as those of a commercial print shop, other manufacturers are not worthy of consideration.

I strongly recommend an AirPrint printer. A comprehensive list appears here: About AirPrint - Apple Support.

Go to the Apple store online and see what they are selling. I would assume they work great with the Mac among others out there.