# Help with purchase of AIO printer for Mac v.10.6.7 - says 'no Mac OS support'!



## Danane (Dec 15, 2004)

i'm researching B/W Laser AIO. looking for 'personal laser' for one person business, small output, mostly text documents. Finally found one (concentrating on Hp and Brother - other suggestions welcome!) that fit bill, thought: Brother MFC 7860 -
$300, wireless, duplex printing, etc, - small enough for my needs, but has all the essentials...THEN I see it says:
"Not Mac OS supported" - what is that all about?? there are higher priced ones that say "Mac supported," but don't want a big ole thing and pay all that extra...I'm OS X v. 10.6.7

Any one know what this means, or any suggestions for AIO. Thx. Jane


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## Headrush (Feb 9, 2005)

Is the Brother MFC 7860 the full model #?

All I can find is the Brother MFC 7860DW and it has drivers for OS X 10.6.


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## Danane (Dec 15, 2004)

Headrush,

thankyou for your reply: sorry, it's one and the same....so why, when I did one of those 'compare' things, did it say that? and are you saying that some of these AIO's have mac drivers/others don't...does that mean that you CAN"t download them then? Does "no mac support" refer JUST to drivers or anything else?

Also, any advice on other mid-range AIO's? I've always had HP before (also early Epson) and not tied to any brand....I'm new to Apple: I now have a 24" desktop iMac and iPad (which now has printing capabilities, so would like to be able to use that to the max, too...) i guess that means i'd have to get AIO with NETWORKING as well as wireless capabilities...on and on...i hate doing research. just one more thing: since my current, 5 year old HP AIO 'died' (one tiny plastic bit broke off and now crumbles paper in back...can't do anything except scan: "no ma'am, inkjets don't make replacement parts!"), I've also seen $50 rebates if you turn in old printer - so that's a consideration...if anyone has a good HP AIO recommendation, I'd appreciate it!

Also, how important is this WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) that I'm seeing in some reviews? (Ad Hoc Wireless Network -is this the alternative to WPS- my head is SPINNING with terminology!!! ) What's your advice on one or the other? ( I have a router, I use Verizon's Mi-Fi wirelss thingie, so I can use my iPad anywhere I go . ) I'm willing to spend up to $400, but i find I usually OVERSPEND for my modest needs. Yes, I would LOVE to have duplex COPYING/SCANNING abilities (as well as duplex PRINTING capabilities - as in the 7860DW), but probably not for another $100. On the other hand, the WPS thing sounds WONDERFUL to a non-techie, impatient, ''i'm only interested in being a USER, thank you!" 

To try to summarize: I'm really interested in: 

1)EASY setup of ALL software (i keep hearing in reviews...'it took me 3 days to set up scanning software...and I'm a sys. admin!' or similar!! i'd like to be able to fix something simple if there's an 'error' message, but i'm no techie and not interested in spending hours troubleshooting such.

2)want my AOI to last a good 5 yr if possible...so would like to include features that i'd likely need (want!) and get a good solid AOI that I don't need to fuss with or have to have someone come in and fix it for $80+ an hour.

3) I'm VERY small, one-person business who prints out various text docs for clients...but very small number: maybe 150 pages TOPS -I now email many docs - but, want to be able to scan to email, or print from flash drive (without using computer) - I want a reliable, paper-jam free machine...as the HP has been for me for 5 yr., and have decided to go with a mono laser AIO, rather than color inkject because cartridge cost vs. amount of use doesn't warrant the color option. 

Finally, I know I've asked for a lot...just putting out my ideas...willing to settle IF I really know what I'm getting...thanks so much for your generosity in answering any of the above!
Jane


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## exegete (Oct 26, 2005)

Howdy. Can&#8217;t speak to the model you are looking for, but I do have a Brother HL-5040, which I have been using for seven years. It is a black and white laser, but no scan capability. But for reliability, it is top of the line; the only thing I have done is change the cartridge, and I&#8217;m only on the third cartridge in all that time. If Brother makes any model as well as this one, then I would get it.


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## Danane (Dec 15, 2004)

Thanks for the info....I'm leaning towards Brother, except that HP has $50 rebate for turning in old, getting new one...
Jane


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## Headrush (Feb 9, 2005)

A lot of questions Danane but I'll try to answer as many as I can.

I don't know where you saw the Brother 7860DW did NOT support Mac OS X. According to Brother's web site it does. The only feature that OS X doesn't support is FAX receiving. (but that is to the Mac, the AIO still can receive FAXes.

You'll will find people that both praise and criticize every brand. I think you'll find that most big manufacturers (Epson, Brother, HP, ...) all make decent printers. I've had Dell, Samsung, Epson printers and all have worked flawlessly for years.
I would suggest always going for a laser over an inkjet. Not only are they generally better built, but they generally last longer.

I would also check out the cost of replacement ink/toner before you buy. Many printer manufacturers sell the printers low or at a lost and make it up on ink/toner replacements. Some units can be refilled, some have electronic chips on them forcing you do buy it from the manufacturer. I always check http://www.inkcartridges.com/ to see how much and if I can get replace ink/toner at reasonable rates. (Don't just go by cost, but also how many pages you get from each.)

I don't have personal experience with Verizon's MiFi but it does use WPA2 security which you will want to use.

Even if it didn't you can always physically hook up supported printers to a Mac and then share it to other computers on your network using printer sharing built into OS X. (This includes from iDevices)

Most of the software is fairly easy to use. 
Generally, you install the software, then use the *Printers & Fax* system preference to add an IP printer. (It's simple)
A lot of times the manufacture will also install additional programs for scanning, faxing but once the drivers are installed you can usually can use any of the print and scan feature that any OS X application uses. (don't HAVE to use their programs)

Snow Leopard includes many printers drivers already.
You can look here to see a list already supported: http://support.apple.com/kb/ht3669

*Edit: *Looks like Brother MFC-7860DW is on the list. 

Hope that helps.


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## Danane (Dec 15, 2004)

Thanks so much. You were a big help! Jane


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