which printers work best with Mac air

AirPrint does not require drivers; in fact Apple advises us not to install manufacturer-supplied drivers.

Excerpted from Add a printer on Mac:

Don’t install the software that came with the printer or from the manufacturer’s website; follow the instructions in one of the tasks below, and macOS will prompt you to download the latest software if it’s needed.

If your printer is AirPrint-enabled, it’s compatible with macOS. If your printer isn’t AirPrint-enabled, you can make sure it’s compatible with macOS by checking the Apple Support article Printer and scanner drivers for Mac.

I realize some manufacturer-supplied drivers may incorporate certain functions they neglect to provide in their AirPrint implementation—another reason I do not recommend HP. Apple (and AirPrint) has always seemed to be an afterthought for them.

Hoosier2020air Said:

"which printers work best with Mac air: I have a 2020 Air with Catalina 10.15.6. I have difficulty with my HP Laser Jet MFP M479fdw printer. I would like to know which printers Air users find compatible, especially laser jet printers."

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Try Using a Virtual Machine:

As Mentioned in my previous reply, Being Incompatible with macOS 10.15 Catalina, you could use a Windows 7 or later Virtual Machine (VM), instead. (See below screenshot)***

Two Thoughts:

• Either move on to purchasing a new printer

or...

• Spend much less than you would on a new printer, by purchasing software: Virtual Machines

Running this Through a Virtual Machine:

If there ends up being not solution for Catalina, consider using a Virtual Machine(VM) for this printer (Windows-in-a-window). You would open items in it, and print right off of that. All would be accessed and would operate as desired on the VM. Virtual Machine applications include VMWare Fusion and Parallels. Learn more here: What Is a Virtual Machine? - VMWare Support.

Source: HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M479fdw - HP Support

***Screenshot:

You're right about that, and for what it's worth I have been specifying only Brother printers for the past several years. They don't bother attempting to write what usually results in poorly implemented Mac software, and their consumables are reasonably priced. Any one of them should work as well as any other.

Your HP should certainly work, but if it's been giving you trouble it might be an excuse to consider a different manufacturer. HP's Mac support has always been abysmal and I gave up on them long ago.

Make sure the HP printer queue in Printers & Scanners (adjacent to "Kind") specifically indicates AirPrint. If it does not, remove the existing entry and add the printer according to the instructions linked in About AirPrint.

What specific problems are you encountering? It may be something simple. Try restarting your router, which comprises an essential part of the AirPrint communications chain.

Unplug it and let it rest for a moment, then plug it back in again. While you wait, you might as well do the same with the printer. Needless to say there should be no routine need to do that, but it's a simple first step in fixing whatever might be wrong.

It's not you, and it's not HP's engineers either. That company has just suffered a succession of unbelievably bad leadership. Their website is awful, the organization is awful, and their business plan relies upon selling overpriced ink. Literally. It's in their financial statements.

At one time HP sold high margin, low volume products that were highly regarded by the engineers and scientists who relied upon them for their profession. Now they're just another bottom feeder maker of cheap disposable junk, whether it's printers or PCs.

One might even put Brother in that category, after all their printers are inexpensive too, but at least they design them right from the ground up. HP always seems to have a better idea, and it's always Windows-centric. No one needs another one of them. It's a race to the bottom that Apple wisely exited a very long time ago.

The last Apple laser printer I bought sold for about $9000. It's probably still working but I gave it to an aspiring hobbyist. My $600 ImageWriters are working to this day, but Big Sur will shut the door on them too.

Once you decide upon the features you can't live without the choices become evident. I happen to use a MFC-L8900CDW, although I wish they had a large format (tabloid) color laser model that did everything that one does.

For the few times I require a tabloid format I have to settle for an inkjet (MFC-6920DW), but if I really needed a high volume large format color laser the only manufacturer I would even consider is Xerox, but it's in an entirely different league than the typically disposable consumer grade products.

Apple Support Communities is as close to a blog as I want to get.

Every one of the 6027 printers and multifunction devices described in this list are compatible with your MacBook Air, including your HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M479fdw: About AirPrint - Apple Support.