iMac compatibility and network issues with HP or Epson printers

Hi,

There are no hardware incompatibilities preventing either the HP Smart Tank 7002 or the Epson EcoTank 2988 from working with an iMac 24" (M4, 16GB) running macOS Tahoe 26.6.3, but user reviews highlighting network connectivity difficulties are accurate reflections of known software and router-level friction points. [1, 2]

Because both models natively support Apple AirPrint, you can bypass a lot of driver issues entirely. However, specific network challenges exist for each model on macOS.

Pro-Tips for a Stable Setup on your M4 iMac

1. Ditch the Bloatware: Skip the complex guided installations from the manufacturer apps. Turn the printer on, connect it to your Wi-Fi using the printer's interface (or WPS), and go to System Settings > Printers & Scanners on your Mac to add it via AirPrint.
2. The "Reset Printing System" Trick: If you upgrade macOS versions (such as incremental Tahoe updates) and the connection breaks, right-click the printer list in your Mac's settings and select "Reset printing system". This clears corrupt caches and instantly rediscovers AirPrint devices

Allan Jones wrote:

We have an Epson ET-3850 in our home office setup. it is the most reliable inkjet printer we have ever owned.

I have to second Allan Jones' post. I obtained an Epson ET-3950 (similar model to Allan's ET-3850) nearly a year ago and it has been superb. I took a different approach to kaz-k and instead installed all the drivers and tools that came with the printer/scanner. I wanted all the options and I have an Epson XP-820 that dates back to 2015 and it still works well even with Tahoe, so Epson has kept its drivers and tools updated. The difference is that the Epson XP-820 eats ink quickly and compared to modern day printers, is slow. But still works well. The Epson ET-3950 is remarkably parsimonious with ink, it doesn't seem to use any! And I used it to print over 500 pages of tax returns several months ago. I can't see that it used any ink for that! It's very fast and we have it set up wirelessly on a 5 GHz network (the old 2015 XP-820 only can use 2 GHz). The ET-3950 network setup is very quick and straightforward. The ET-3950 is also very smooth and efficient with firmware updates. It has done several, they are all over the air and very fast and automated. The utility that comes with it that one can put on one's iPhone works great as well. It holds a lot of paper but refilling the paper is very easy. As is adding ink, but I have not yet even come close to adding any ink yet (except for the initial fill).

I am a little leery of the HP consumer grade printer/scanners, simply based on issues reported in the Apple Discussions after macOS updates/upgrades. I have to say that with our two Epson printer/scanners (one dating from 2015, one from 2025) and with an ancient Canon printer from 2010, all the intervening macOS upgrades and versions were survived with full printer and scanner functionality preserved. Also, I found that our HP enterprise multifunction printers at my employer were very capable but sometimes "quirky" to use.

We have an Epson ET-3850 in our home office setup. it is the most reliable inkjet printer we have ever owned. That model has an Ethernet port because I like my printers hubbed into our home network. Faster and more reliable than USB.

The Epson has no trouble printing from our iPads and iPhones. I believe we've had it 3-4 years and it is only now running low on black ink.

We had one episode of a clogged nozzle that took under 5 minutes to correct using the Epson's built-in maintenance routines. One tiny glitch in three+ years? I never had that with HP. We lost several HPs to clogged delivery systems and I'm done with them.

My vote goes to any one of the mid-range Epson ET-2800 or new ET-2900 printers.

https://epson.com/ecotank-home-office-printers

Thank you so much for your insightful reply. I was hoping AirPrint would solve any connectivity issues and it appears it does; my current printer doesn't support AirPrint. By chance, do you have a recommendation between the two?

Thanks again; I really appreciate your help.

Thank you for your insight; it was very helpful.