Things to know when buying a mobile printer

Mobile printers are part of the ultimate mobile office, allowing you to print anywhere on demand. Here’s what you need to know about choosing a printer for your mobility-centric business needs.

Who needs a portable printer?

The mobile printer is ideal for business people who may need to edit documents to share with clients while on business.

Because many mobile printers are self-powered or have an alternate power source, this device is also great for anyone who needs to print documents, such as contracts or receipts, on the go – for example. : salespeople, architects and field service technicians.

Portable printers are particularly like portable, compact photo printers that allow photographers and others who work with images to distribute their work on demand.

Benefits of mobile printers in

While many hotels and Internet cafes often offer shared printers for guest use (for a fee), using your own mobile printer can be more cost-effective in the long run, if you often have to print on the go. In addition, as the experience of a frequent traveler shows, using a hotel printer can be restrictive and uncomfortable.

Computerless printing is another reason you might want a portable printer. Some portable printers allow you to print from devices other than your laptop (for example, a PDA, smartphone or camera) or directly from a compact storage card – a feature you may not be able to. found on shared public printers.

Ultimately, the most compelling benefit of mobile printers is that they allow you to really print anywhere, even in the most remote locations or on the go.

Small size

Today’s mobile printers are easy to carry around, but still add a lot of weight (about 2.3kg) and take up a lot of space in a briefcase. Photo printers are even smaller. There are portable printers large and small depending on individual needs, but keep in mind that there is often a trade-off between portability and features or performance. Check the size of the printer against the bag you want to use it with to make sure they fit together.

Higher price

In the field of mobile electronics, the smaller the device, the higher the price – and mobile printers are no exception. Mobile printers can be nearly twice as expensive as desktop printers, and cartridges for mobile printers also tend to be around 20% more expensive, depending on the particular printer.

However, cartridges for mobile printers can last a long time, if you don’t print a lot on the go or are more selective about what you print.

Efficiency

Print speed and quality from a mobile printer can be impressive. While many mobile printers print at around 5 ppm, some are much faster (HP OfficeJet H470, billed as the world’s fastest mobile printer in 2007, has black and white print speeds). is 23ppm and color printing is 16ppm). If you’re a salesperson who needs to print quickly, look for mobile printers with a print speed rating of 10ppm or faster.

Likewise, print resolution should generally be higher than the recommended 300 dpi to 1200 dpi. In short, portable printers can produce professional documents pretty quickly.

Connection and power options

Connectivity options and power options are two other key features to keep in mind when comparing mobile printers:

Built-in WiFi and Bluetooth allow you to print from multiple devices (including wireless-capable or Bluetooth-enabled PDAs and cameras) and without the hassle of wires. Many portable printers also allow printing directly from compact digital storage cards (e.g. SD cards from a camera) – a very handy feature to find if you want to print photos on the go without the hassle. need to connect or start your laptop.

Portable printer power options may include AC adapter, internal rechargeable battery, car charger, and USB. Obviously, the more self-powered options there are, the better, but some chargers can cost extra.

Other important features to consider

Operating system: Make sure the printer driver is compatible with your laptop

Paper weight and size: If you need to print on different paper sizes, make sure they are listed in the printer specifications as available options.

Reliability: Durability is a key quality factor in any mobile device – if you’ve had a chance to see a mobile printer live, you can tell its quality.