Many people like to be able to take their laptops with them wherever they go, regardless of whether they are business users or not. The convenience of an always-on connection and being able to talk to your friends, family, and co-workers no matter where you are is one reason the world is progressing to constant internet connections.
This is why having a portable printer to go with your laptop is so valuable. When you think of a portable printer, you think of a compact machine that is capable of printing a document on demand without being too much of a hassle to use.
There are several small printers for laptops available in the market currently. It all depends on what your requirements are, if you want an inkjet printer or thermal printer. In this article, we shall give you an idea of which printers fall in what category to help you make your decision on which one would suit you best.
Portable Inkjet Printers
Canon Pixma iP100 Mobile Photo Printer
The Canon PIXMA iP100 Mobile Photo Printer measures 12.7″ wide x 7.2″ deep x 2.4″ high. It weighs 4.4 lbs. It is one of the more popular portable printers in the market today.
The iP100 delivers high quality photo prints and crisp text documents of up to 9600 x 2400 color dpi resolution. It proves its versatility by producing lab quality color photo prints, and outstanding color and monochrome business documents including letters and reports, graphs and charts. With a fast printing speed of 20 pages per minute in black and 14 pages per minute in color, it can generate printouts quicker than most portable printers in the market.
It uses two black ink tanks, one that is pigment-based black ink that can produce laser like prints; the other for printing rich color photos. It uses the patented FINE technology, which is Canon’s Full-photolithography Inkjet Nozzle Engineering, using a patented print head with 1,856 precision nozzles, ejecting ink droplets as small as 1 picoliter. This only means that more amazing images will be produced.
The Canon Auto Image Fix feature is included in the PIXMA iP100, which helps you produce great results on all your photos, applying optimal image correction, i.e. it automatically brightens under-exposed and backlit shots, and corrects skin tone colors.
To be truly portable though, you will need to purchase separately the battery, the Canon LK-62 Printer Portable Kit Battery & Attachment, which is around $100 thru Canon, but at Amazon, you can get it for under $90. Canon offers the optional Canon PU-200U Printer Automobile Power Unit, which gives you freedom to print in your car anywhere, anytime. This is likewise available at Amazon new for just under $90 as well.
Also available as an option is the Canon BU-30 Bluetooth Adapter, which allows you to use your printer with your laptop through a wireless connection. It sells for around $50 at the Canon store, but at Amazon, you can purchase it for around $43.
HP H470 Mobile Printer series
On the other hand, the HP OfficeJet H470 Mobile Printer series, in its compact and stylish design, is claimed to be the world’s fastest mobile printer, producing 22 pages per minute in black and 16 pages per minute in color. You can print professional quality documents at resolutions of up to 4800 optimized dpi color and 1200 input dpi while on the road. It offers freedom to print anytime anywhere with the optional lithium ion battery that prints up to a maximum of 480 sheets per charge. The battery comes standard with the H470b and H470wbt models.
It also offers you wireless printing with the optional Bluetooth® adapter or the Wireless adapter and easy 3-point WiFi profile switch. These come standard with the H470wbt model.
You may likewise print from a variety of sources, like your notebook PC, and directly from PictBridge compatible PDAs, digital cameras, and memory cards.
Comparatively, it’s slightly bigger and heavier than the iP100 as it measures 13.4 inches W x 6.45 inches D x 3.25 inches H, and weighs only 4.5 lbs.
The H470b’s list price at the HP® Official Store is $299, and it comes standard with the Lithium Ion battery. However, at Amazon, you may be able to purchase the H470b for as low as $215, lithium ion battery included.
The H470wbt is sold at the HP® Official Store at $349, with the Lithium Ion battery, HP® bt500 Bluetooth Wireless Printer Adapter, and the HP® Mobile Printer Sleeve included in the box. At Amazon, you may be able to get the H470wbt new from the low price of $330 plus shipping options; and used at $249.
Portable Thermal Printers
Pocketjet 3 Plus Printer
The Pocketjet 3 Portable Printer has low maintenance cost and therefore, low printing cost. It can run on a battery that could yield at least 100 pages per charge. Battery is rechargeable, and in the box, an AC adapter is included to recharge the battery.
Prints at a speed of three pages per minute at a resolution of 300 dpi. Very slow indeed but what do you expect for a small portable one. Very compact and easy to slip into your bag at anytime, it has dimensions of L 10.04″ x W 2.17″ x H 1.18″ and weighs only 1.12 lbs. with the battery. Has the capacity for wireless printing through various interfaces, such as IrDA, USB 1.1, and the optional Bluetooth.
It is currently available at Amazon new at around $200 plus shipping. You may check Amazon regularly for the best deals on the product. You may find used or refurbished on sale through the site. It comes with a one-year full warranty from the manufacturer.
Planon Printstik PS900
On the other hand, there is the Planon PrintStik PS900. It comes in other varieties of the model, PS905ME and PS910ME. It has a very small footprint, with dimensions of 1 inch high x 2 inches deep x 11 inches wide, and a weight of 1.5 lbs. including the paper cartridge.
Print speeds of 3 pages per minute at a maximum resolution of 400 dpi. Maximum number of pages printed for every charge is more than 30. Paper cartridge holds up to 20 pages. You may likewise print through your Blackberry, PocketPC, and mobile PC.
Still available at the Planon store for around $200, but you may find it cheaper as usual at Amazon.com at around $180 plus shipping.
Conclusion
In a nutshell, all of the above featured printers are small in size. Now it all depends on your printing needs, whether you will opt for an inkjet printer or a thermal printer. Once you have made a decision, we assure you that any of these printers will deliver as they have said they would and more.
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