Only the buyer can put a price tag on the features that these printers offer. Let us consider Canon’s line of portable printers — Canon i80 Color Bubble Jet Printer, Canon Pixma iP90 and Canon Pixma iP100. All of them were released at a suggested retail price of $250. However, these printers are being sold today at different prices because they were not released at the same time. Additionally, the iP100 is an upgraded version of the iP90, which also happens to be the upgraded version of the i80.

So let us continue with the features that each one offers as well as the price they are being sold at in shops today.

The Canon i80 Color Bubble Jet printer is being sold for $135. This is the price for refurbished models. This model produces black and colored prints at a maximum resolution of 4800 x 1200 dots per inch with ink droplets as small as 2picoliters. Its printing speed is 14pages per minute for black/white and 10 pages per minute for colored. It offers wireless connectivity via Infrared or the optional Bluetooth. It features PC-less printing using the USB Direct print port. It comes in the size of 12.4” x 6.9” x 2.0” and weighs 4lbs.

Compared to the Canon i80, the brand new Canon Pixma iP90 is being sold at $300. It also offers the same resolution as the i80. Its length is smaller by 0.2 of an inch. The only measurable difference is in the printing speed which is increased by 2ppm. Everything else is pretty much the same.

Compared to Canon’s i80 and iP90 printers, the performance of Canon Pixma iP100 is on a different level. Aside from 50% increase in speed, the resolution is increased from 4800 x 1200 dpi to 9600 x 2400 dpi. That is actually 4 times the resolution of the older models. Ink droplet size is further minimized to 1picoliter therefore increasing the quality of the prints. Its size is increased by 28% and is heavier by 0.4lbs. It is also quieter by 1.5dB. Today, it is still being sold at its retail price of $250.

Considering all the features each one offers and that all these 3 models were released at the same price of $250, it is very obvious that the Canon Pixma iP100 is much cheaper than the rest. However, if you factor in the current prices, you could say that the Canon i80 is cheaper. But then again, it doesn’t offer the same print quality as the Canon Pixma iP100. Now it’s up to you to put a price tag on quality and ask yourself “Are Canon Mobile Printers expensive?”

The great thing about Canon Mobile Printers is that even though they are compact in sizes, color quality is not diminished. Take for example the Canon Pixma iP100. It comes in a size smaller than your average laptop but it produces brilliant colors with its patented printer head technology. It produces photo quality prints at a resolution of 9600 x 2400 dots per inch. Having this quality of printing will make a very good asset as an office printer. With it, you can even print presentations that will cater to the artistic side of the reader.

What makes a printer important in the office is that it is able to produce professional results. Unless your home office’s primary business is centered on mass-producing documents or flyers, the performance of these printers will be just as good as any other office printer. However, admittedly, it will not offer the same convenience as those printers that have high capacity trays for large printing jobs. It also does not offer the duplex printing capabilities that other printers have. Reports are usually printed on letter or legal size paper. Luckily, all of the mobile models are able to print on these sizes. However, they cannot cater to other custom sizes larger than that.

Aside from the quality output, it does have other advantages to offer. Since the portable types are normally small compared to other office printers, you don’t have to allocate a large space on your desk for this printer. You could easily store it in the drawer if you’re not using it and get it out when you’re ready to do some printing.

Since it is a portable printer, lending this printer would be like lending a laptop. No more heavy lifting is involved unlike a desktop printer. Desktop printers may offer other advantages over a mobile printer in the office. Some of these include document scanning, or photocopying. Nevertheless, if there is no need for those kinds of task, then you can do away with those all-in-one printer types.

Having a mobile printer as a home office printer may be a different experience from having an actual desktop printer. But then again, you can’t just pick up an office printer and do your work anywhere.

Canon is being distributed in the whole world. The best way to find a dealer would be to access their website www.canon.com and select your current region. From there, you will be redirected to another website, which is specific to the location you selected. In some countries, like the US for example, you will be given a list of Canon offices where you can make your purchase. For others, you will be redirected to a page where you can select your nearest location and they will provide the nearest authorized retailer. The authorized retailers may not always be Canon offices. They are usually the shops that display computer electronics.

The good thing about making purchases this way is that you are able to test the printer on the spot. You can request to have a demo so you can see if the quality of prints is what you expect it to be. You can also check how it is being set up so you can easily do what they did.

Another advantage is that you get to compare with other models available. Since it would be an authorized retailer and not Canon, you are able to make comparisons with other models of different brands. Aside from their performance during a demo, you can actually compare their sizes. Since you’re looking for a mobile printer, size is an important factor in your decision.

One disadvantage is that sometimes these shops don’t always have the model you want. Most will only keep the newest models in stock or those that have a high demand. Therefore, if you were looking for an older model, it would be a good idea to call first before visiting the shop.

If you’re not fond of going into shops or inside the malls, you can opt to shop online. Some shops have their own site and they display these printers online. It’s either that or you could go to the usual choice of Amazon or EBay. One great advantage of shopping online is that you can actually get these printers at a cheaper price. If you’re not keen on buying brand new items, refurbished items are just as good. However, you will have to rely heavily on the reviews of other customers since you won’t be able to have a demonstration. You’ll just have to hope that what you get in the package is exactly what you expect it to be and free from any defects. Otherwise, you will have to go through the pain of returning the printer. It defeats the purpose of opting convenience by buying them online.

In summary, the best place to buy Canon mobile printers still greatly depends on your preference. Buying from shops personally or buying them online has their pros and cons. It is up to you to choose.

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This printer is so good to take along with you away from home; it is a pity that it does not come with a case of any kind. But it’s recommended by some to go to Case-Mate (www.case-mate.com) and get the Glovez 15 sleeve. This is an envelope that the printer fits nicely in length wise. It also leaves enough space for the cord and AC charger. Then it has a Velcro closures. These sleeves or so economical compared to other cases.

Some people have reported setting this printer up as a second printer in the downstairs area, where they use their laptops a lot. This keeps them from having to run upstairs to get something they print off. Very convenient for the avid laptop users. They report that the quality of the letters and such are great.

Now there are those that say this printer is not as mobile as other photo printers are. This is only due to the fact that it is large enough to print off full sheets or letter size. These same people report the quality of the printing to be good and done fairly fast. Maybe not as fast as a HP LaserJet is though. The photos come clean and crisp, the colors are true. It is a very quiet printer also, quieter than many office model LaserJets.

One downside to this printer is that it has a tendency to spit the papers onto the floor. So place this printer on a table in a way that the table catches when the paper shoots out past the reception tray.

Canon printers have always been reliable and this model is not different. People keep buying Canon printers due to their reliability. Canon also has great customer service when help is needed. Canons are known to be simple to setup, inexpensive as printers go, and very reliable.

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There are some people that have reported paper jamming when trying to print more than one page at a time. It takes a bit for it to warm up to be ready to print. And it requires a USB cable for setup and it does not come with it. It would be nice if it did. But other than that, Canon mobile printers are not the kind of devices that cause problems for the user.