Designed to be compact and streamlined to be efficient, you can take a portable printer wherever you go. Business travelers find the portable printer the most advantageous since they can produce printouts of their documents through their laptop from anywhere, whether in a hotel room or in an airplane. Leisure travelers enjoy the convenience of printing vacation photos directly from their digital cameras.
Advantages of a Portable Printer
Apart from being high on functionality and efficiency, portable printers in general weigh below five pounds, which makes it easy to carry them in a travel bag or briefcase. Many of them don't even need an electric source of power, being operable through a car adapter, AC adapter, or NiMH, NiCd, or Lithium Ion battery. In addition, most portable printers can be set up to function as a home office printer too. They are high on speed and deliver print quality that is as good as desktop printers.
Choosing a Portable Printer
When it comes to choosing a portable printer, most major printer manufacturing companies offer portable models. There are portable printers that have the ability of handling text documents in black-and-white or full color, images that are of photographic quality, or even those that can produce high definition laser output. Your specific requirements will help you decide on the right portable printer model for your needs.
Portable photo printers are a compact and lightweight option for use with laptops. They are considered the most versatile printers and can be used for producing high quality text, photographs and graphics. Many portable printers are enabled with WiFi connectivity or are Bluetooth compatible, which means that they will work with a wireless adapter and can receive input from a PDA.
Full-size portable inkjet printers accept regular 8.5 x 11-inch paper, while portable photo printers typically only print on 4 x 6 and smaller photo paper.
Dedicated personal photo printers print 4 x 6-inch snapshots directly from your digital camera without needing a computer. You can find them reviewed as portable photo printers, compact photo printers, mini and snapshot printers. If you want a photo printer that can print snapshots as well as 8 x 10-inch photos and text pages, you need a regular inkjet printer, which can do all those jobs.
Photo-print quality between the small-format portable photo printers and the full-sized models are comparable, according to some reviews, but others say the full-size printers produce better photo quality. However for the most part, experts agree that you can expect good photo quality from snapshot printers.
Top Portable Printers
Two of the most popular and highest rated portable photo printers currently on the market are the Epson PictureMate Dash and the Canon Pixma iP100.
Printers in the Epson PictureMate series earn the most top-ratings in reviews, and the Epson PictureMate Dash PM 260 is no exception. At a size of only 9.1 x 6.5 x 8.7" and a weight of merely 5.3 pounds, you can take the Epson PictureMate Dash PM 260 with you everywhere. With one touch, you can make photos up to 4 x 6" with max resolutions of 5760 x 1440dpi that are smudge, scratch, water, and fade resistant, thanks to advanced MicroPiezo technology. Best of all, it only takes about 37 seconds.
The Dash has a good-sized 3.6" LCD viewer for selecting your pix and is Bluetooth capable. It contains ArcSoft PhotoImpression software to remove red eye, crop, and add effects such as sepia tone, B&W, or create borderless prints. You can choose between regular, mini or jumbo-wallet size, passport, 2 x 2" or 3 x 3" square photos, and portrait packages with four or ten per page and a proof sheet.
You simply connect to the printer with its memory card slots. It will handle CompactFlash I and II, SD, SDHC, MMC, Memory Stick, Microdrive M/H, and xD-Picture Card. The Dash is compatible with Windows Vista/XP/2000 and Mac OS X 10.2.8 - 10.3.9 or later. When you're ready to transfer photos to your PC, there is a USB connection. Price: $150
Canon Pixma iP100 Mobile Photo Printer
Canon's stylish iP100 Mobile Photo Printer travels with you, delivering outstanding photo print quality wherever you are. Thanks to a blazing sprint speed, you can have a beautiful 4 x 6 inch print in less than a minute. The iP100 is perfect for traveling photographers, vacationers making their own post cards, businessmen who need to make the perfect color presentation on the road, and anyone else who wants a high-quality print anywhere.
At a compact 12.7 x 2.4 x 7.2 inches (WxHxD) and weighing in at a scant 4.4 pounds, the iP100 is a rugged, attractive device that is easy to slip into your briefcase or traveling bag. You can further increase the portability by adding the optional car adapter or battery kit.
Don't mistake compact for low-quality. The iP100 produces spectacular photos at 9600 x 2400 dpi. Canon's patented print head with 1,856 precision nozzles ejects ink at droplets as small as 1 picoliter for incredible photo realism and accuracy. Together with the 5-color ink system, you are ensured the highest quality output. All without waiting: a photo lab-quality 4 x 6 inch borderless print takes about 55 seconds. For printing documents, the iP100 can print black-and-white documents at up to 20 ppm and color documents at up to 14 ppm.
The Canon PIXMA iP100 is compatible with Windows Vista/XP/2000 and Mac OS X v 10.2.8 to 10.5.x, connecting via a USB interface. Additionally, it also has a built-in IrDA interface and an optional Bluetooth interface, letting you print wirelessly from a PC, PDA or camera phone. The printer also supports the PictBridge interface for connecting compatible digital cameras and printing photos directly -- without a PC. Price: $235
Summary
Small lightweight portable printers provide the convenience of fast and easy printing wherever you are. Print your photos directly from your digital camera, or connect via USB or Bluetooth to print business documents while traveling. Although they are made for low-volume use, inkjet portable printers are capable of producing long lasting color images while offering the convenience of printing on the go. Many actually offer output quality that rival family desktop printers.
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is no exception. At a size of only 9.1 x 6.5 x 8.7" and a weight of merely 5.3 pounds, you can take the 
travels with you, delivering outstanding photo print quality wherever you are. Thanks to a blazing sprint speed, you can have a beautiful 4 x 6 inch print in less than a minute. The iP100 is perfect for traveling photographers, vacationers making their own post cards, businessmen who need to make the perfect color presentation on the road, and anyone else who wants a high-quality print anywhere.
