When someone is looking for the best mobile printer, two of the things that they are looking for are a good price and a small size. When it comes to a mobile printer, size does matter – the smaller, the better. So when the SiPix Pocket Printer A6, came out, it was the answer to a lot of dreams.
There are a lot of things that this mobile printer has going for it. For example, it weighs very little. It weighs just over a pound with both the paper and the batteries in it and less than 9 oz empty. The size is also a big advantage because it’s small – just 5.85” (L) x 4.25” (H) x .875” (D). So small that you can just slip it in any of your bags or cases, you won’t even feel it’s there.
Another advantage of this printer is that it doesn’t require any toner or ink – the print method is direct thermal. No ink mess for when you travel about town doing your business, but what benefits you gain from this, you do lose on paper costs. So if you intend to print in high volume, then this can be a major disadvantage.
Consumables
The SiPix PS00057 Thermal Paper, 100 Sheets, is available at a lesser price. Retailing at around $10 a pack, you may obtain this on Amazon for half. It is also available in rolls, SiPix PS00040 Thermal Paper Roll, which contains 6 rolls of 4.125 by 98 inches, and a roll can dish out approximately 15 cut sheets of 4.125 by 5.75 inches. Therefore, a pack can yield approximately 90 sheets for a price of $9, a dollar less its retail price.
It uses as standard interface IrDA (infrared) or serial RS-232C Standard connectivity. Ideal for deliveries, and meter readers, the SiPix Pocket Printer A6 produces clear black text from a 400 dpi resolution. To power it up, it only takes four AA batteries which are included in the box, or via an AC power adapter, which is likewise included. So, other than the thermal paper, the only other consumable for this product is the AA batteries.
Reviews
Those who have used this printer report that the printing is very clear and solid. You can also scale the printing job down to 50%. Not every application on a Palm can be printed out, but the majority of the internal ones can be, including date book, address book, mail, and memo pad. Although you are somewhat limited because of the small size of the paper that it can print on, this is one printer that is a great option for people who occasionally want to print on the go for their own information.
The heat of your hand has an effect on the thermal paper that can actually ruin your document if you hold it for too long. For this reason, it would be wise to be careful not to keep the document in your hand for as long as you need to. Another downside of the paper, you cannot store it for too long as well. The black text has a tendency to fade. So, if the document is too important, make sure you scan a copy and keep that for records purposes.
Another complaint that most customers have of the printer is that it prints slow, 2 pages per minute. So if you are in a hurry, it is not a good device to use. This of course has an adverse effect on your stock of AA batteries. As a standard, printing on regular AA alkaline batteries gives you three minutes of printing. Therefore, one set of these batteries give you only 6 pages. It would be wise to have two sets of rechargeable AA Ni-Cd batteries that you can interchange, when one set is being used and the other set is being recharged. Charge time is from 7 to 8 hours.
Current price
The SiPix Pocket Printer A6 is a mobile printer that came with a very affordable price, when it first came out, from around $45. At the current rate, as it is already quite an old printer, the price has become too high reaching almost $300 for it to be called affordable.
However, there is the other version of the SiPix Pocket Printer A6 for PDAs (Blue) which is currently available from $19, new. It is ultra-slim, very compact and has a translucent blue housing which is quite attractive. The Blue SiPix pocket printer is ideal for use with Palm OS and Pocket PC PDAs with Windows OS. This Blue SiPix uses the same stock and size thermal paper.
If you are looking for the best mobile printer you can buy on a budget, this is the one that you may consider buying but it is best to watch out for the price to come down. It has some great printing features, and it’s small enough to fit in your pocket. Even though it may not be for enormous printing projects, it’s just right if you want to print something out real quick for your own information and because you don’t want to forget anything. The brand new SiPix Pocket Printer A6 comes with a 1-year full warranty.
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About James Wikkee