Sunday, October 14, 2012

Learn what features the best small printers all have in common

By Aj Jensen


Imagine you're in the car on your way to meet a client when you realize you forgot some very important paperwork. You pull over the car, and send your mobile printer the documents from your smart phone. The next thing you know you're at the meeting, documents in hand, and you close the deal seamlessly.

Portable, travel, and mobile printers have a lot of uses. They are great for printing boarding passes, documents, or any other last minute paperwork you need. Their convenience justifies the extra expense for most people.

Travel printers pack all the abilities of a larger printer into a smaller package. In addition to being smaller and lighter weight, many smaller printers use battery power and are Bluetooth or WiFi capable.

There are many great small printers on the market today but some are lacking in quality and features. When evaluating a new printer make sure you check the speed, or how many pages it can print per minute (check both black&white and color speeds). For some people the number of pages the printer can hold may also be important. Other important features to consider include the print resolution, wireless/Bluetooth capabilities, and whether it can use a battery or not. Finally, you should be aware of the differences between ink jet printers and thermal printers, but that will be covered later.

Many small printers can connect to smart phones, netbooks, tablets, and more. The very smallest printers are all Bluetooth capable but not WiFi. It is still possible to connect to a Bluetooth device as a "middle man" and then to a WiFi device but it's a hassle. One last thing to note, is most Bluetooth printers actually need additional hardware to operate which can cost an additional $50 or more. The same is often true of WiFi.

There are two types of print technology: thermal and ink. Most people are familiar with ink jet printers which are the most common. However, the smallest printers are all thermal so they deserve mention. Thermal technology avoids the possibilities of messy ink spills. You might be familiar with this technology since it is used to print many of the receipts that end up in your wallet. Ink jet printers are generally higher resolution, have quicker printing speed, and often have more options for wireless connectivity. Thermal printers give up these features and the ability to print in color. However, they are genuinely portable, small, light-weight, and tend to be very reliable.

In summary, small printers have all the capabilities of a larger printer with the added advantages of portability, battery power, and wireless connectivity.




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