How to Print on Mac

November 04, 2024

While I enjoy most things about using a MacBook over Windows, I don’t like how printing from a Mac is sometimes significantly more difficult. Getting physical copies of essential documents, such as tax forms, has often been harder than it needs to be. You may have encountered similar issues, and it can significantly derail your day when you do.

Thankfully, you can simplify the process. Today, I’ll show you all the ways you can print from a Mac and how to change the quality.

Before we start:

After you print on your MacBook, deleting the PDF (or other document format)—if you no longer need the digital version—is a good idea. You’ll save significant storage space on your device, meaning your computer can run faster. Moreover, you can keep your Mac organized to ensure that finding programs and the like is easier. Not having multiple versions of the same document is another advantage.

Since manually removing documents is time-consuming, I suggest using a third-party tool—like MacKeeper’s Duplicates Remover—to complete the process instead.

Here’s how to get started with it:
Download MacKeeper.
Under Cleaning, select Duplicates Finder.
Tap Start Scan at the bottom of your screen.
Wait for the program to finish scanning and tick the boxes next to each document you wish to remove.
Tap Remove Selected before confirming your choice when you see the pop-up window.

In this article you will find the following:

How to print from a Mac using a printer connected with a USB cable

Follow the steps listed by me below to print using a Mac USB printer:

Connect your printer via your computer’s USB port.
Go to System Settings > Printers & Scanners.
Select Add Printer, Scanner, or Fax.
Choose the printer from your list and tap Add.
Print the document pages you need from your Mac.

To print using a Mac via the USB port, go to the Apple menu and select System Settings from the dropdown list. Here, you can then access your printers and scanners. — **Step 1. Connect your printer and go to Apple menu > System Settings**

After navigating to your System Settings, you can then find Printers & Scanners. Here, you'll be able to add your printer via Add Printer, Scanner, or Fax. — **Step 2. Select Printers & Scanners > Add Printer, Scanner, or Fax**

When you're on the next screen, pick the printer you wish to include and select Add. You should then be able to print using this device, as long as it's connected to your computer. — **Step 3. Choose your printer and select Add**

How to print wirelessly from MacBook

USB printing can be relatively straightforward, but it’s not always the most practical option. If you’re not in the same room as your printer, I suggest printing wirelessly.

Here’s how to do that:

Set up your printer for wireless printing. You’ll need to follow different steps depending on your brand and model; refer to the manual or the printer’s official website.
Go to the document you wish to print.
Select File > Print.
Expand the Printer menu.
Pick your wireless printer, customize your settings (more on that in a moment), and select Print.

After connecting your printer, go to the document you wish to print and select File > Print. You can then customize your settings as needed. — **Step 1. File > Print**

Before printing your document, you'll need to expand the Printer dropdown menu and choose your printer. Then, you've got the option to pick what you need. — **Step 2. Expand the Printer menu and choose your wireless printer**

At the bottom of the next window, you'll see a button titled Print. You should click on this once you've adjusted all of the settings for your specific document. — **Step 3. Customize your settings and select Print**

A note from our experts:

If a printer isn’t responding on your Mac, try restarting both devices and reinstalling the printer’s software. Alternatively, you can also uninstall a printer from your Mac if you’re continuing to endure problems.

How to set printing preferences on Mac

You can customize your print settings for more accurate results by going to System Settings. Here’s how:

Print the document by going to File > Print.
Customize the settings on the next page. You can adjust the number of pages per sheet and more.
Select Print at the bottom of the window and wait for the document to print.

To customize your print preferences, go into your settings after opting to print the document. Customize everything as is needed, before selecting Print.

Ways that you can set printing preferences when printing on Mac include:

Print front and back
Print one-sided
Print in color
Print in black and white
Change print quality
Print landscape or portrait orientation
Print on different paper sizes

Let’s now go through each.

1. Print front and back

Printing front and back is a great way to save paper. In the printing menu, follow these steps:

Expand Double-sided.
Select On.

To print on Mac without only using one side, start by expanding the Double-sided dropdown menu. Here, you can then select On. — **Step 1. Expand the Double-sided dropdown menu**

Choose On to print on two sides of paper. You can also pick On (Short Edge), but in most cases, On will be fine in and of itself. — **Step 2. Select On**

2. Print one-sided

Printing one-sided is sometimes mandatory for official documents. Simply select Off in the Double-sided section to enable this.

3. Print in color

If you have images, graphs, and other visuals, printing in color is essential for making your document as engaging as possible. Simply toggle Print in Color on to ensure that this happens.

To print in color on a Mac, make sure that the Print in Color toggle is switched on. All of your documents will then print based on these demands.

4. Print in black and white

Printing in black and white can save money and resources if you don’t absolutely need to print in color. To do this, just turn the Print in Color toggle off.

5. Change print quality

When you need higher-quality prints, you should change your settings manually by scrolling down to Media & Quality.

Scroll down to Media & Quality if you need to adjust your print quality settings. You can choose the media type, where you want to print from, and the overall quality.

6. Print landscape or portrait orientation

Printing in landscape orientation is better for presentations, but portrait is ideal for essays and almost every other instance. Next to Orientation, choose your preference.

Choose between Portrait and Landscape paper orientation by tapping your preferred toggle within this section. Your document will then print within your chosen format.

7. Print on different paper sizes

A4 is the standard for many official documents, and it’s also what you should use at your college when printing an essay. However, you may need to print on other sizes for birthday cards and other document types.

After navigating to File > Print, change the paper size by following these steps:

Expand the dropdown menu next to Paper Size.
Choose the new paper size you want to print your document on.

Scroll down to Paper Size in File > Print, and expand the dropdown menu. You can then choose your new preferred paper size for printing. — **Step 1. File > Print > Paper Size**

Pick your new paper size from the list of options after expanding your dropdown menu. You can also choose Manage Custom Sizes if you can't find anything that meets your needs from the preset options. — **Step 2. Choose the new paper size**

How to print photos on macOS

Learn how to print photos on your MacBook:

Open your picture by double-clicking on it and go to File > Print in the Preview app.
Customize your print settings, and choose the preferred dimensions.
When you’re ready to finalize the print, scroll down and select Print.

A couple of hints from me: You can change media quality, print dimensions, and whether you want to print in color or black and white. If you want to print higher-quality images, I suggest using a photography-dedicated print service instead.

How to print a webpage on Mac

To print a webpage, you must save it as a PDF. Do it as follows:

Go to File > Print on the webpage you want to print.
Save your webpage as a PDF.
Open the PDF version, select File > Print, and customize your print settings.
When you’re happy with your customization settings, select the Print button to finalize the process.

After choosing to print a webpage on your Mac, you can choose to save as a PDF. Choose this option and whether you want to save in landscape or portrait. — **Step 1. File > Print > Destination > Save as PDF**

After customizing your save settings, you can hit the Save button. Once you've done that, you'll then need to open the document on your Mac and print it like normal. — **Step 2. Select Save**

After saving the document to your device, select File > Print. Here, you'll customize your settings and then finalize the print. — **Step 3. File > Print**

Once you've customized your settings, select the Print button at the bottom of your window. Your page will then print like a normal document would. — **Step 4. Select Print**

Important:

Rather than selecting File > Print, you can access the print menu more quickly via one of the many useful Mac keyboard shortcuts if you’d prefer.

Print on your Mac in a way that suits you

You can print on your Mac using a USB or wireless printer, and it’s also possible to customize your settings. For example, you can pick whether you want to print on both sides of a document and if you want it to be in color.

After printing, you should delete any documents you no longer need. Doing so will save significant space on your device. MacKeeper’s Duplicates Finder will save the manual work for you:

Download MacKeeper and go to Cleaning > Duplicates Finder.
Select Start Scan.
Tick the boxes next to everything you want to delete and click on Remove Selected.
Confirm your choice when the pop-up appears.