RSSThe Joys Of Small Printers
Feb 07
Travel Tips computer, office, portable, printer, travel, Travel Tips, work No Comments
There was a time when traveling with a printer was a pain second to none. You needed to haul around a desktop printer the size of a large dog, you could try to bring along a famously temperamental ink jet, or you might decide that you needed a thermal printer, like the printers that grocery stores use to print out receipts.
Every single type of printer had drawbacks. With the thermal printer, you had to use a special kind of paper and the output looked rather strange. Ink jets had good results, but even slight changes in the temperature, the humidity and the way they were placed could affect their ability to function; you might spend way more time trying to clean the heads that you ever did on the printing and the cost per page was exorbitant!
A laptop printer, on the other hand, could be brought in, but it required excessive care and usually saw the end of its use life in three months. These were not great solutions and the people who used them and the people who supported them were unhappy.
Happily enough, all the recent changes in technology did not leave printers behind. Desktop printers shrunk from 70-pound monsters down to 20 pounds and smaller. Ink jet and lasers printers have shrunk and ink jets have gotten much more stable as to how they can deal with their environment.
The real winner has been the ever shrinking laser printer. While initially marketed for college students who needed to pack a printer they could fit into a dorm room, these small ‘personal laser’ printers are still pretty impressive, with pages per minute in the 12+ range, and good durability cycles – and they’re small enough to fit into a suitcase.
Cost per page on consumables for a laser is about 7 cents per black and white page with 10% coverage – typical reports (or papers) won’t strain them. For some of the more robust photo printers, the cost per page is upwards of a dollar, but it is kind of neat to be able to print out hard copies of your photos on your vacation while you’re there.
Remember that when we are talking about small printers, we mean small! For instance, the PH 1006 Personal LaserJet is just a little bit bigger than a toaster. When we go to trade shows, it is invaluable for printing out sales reports and data sheets for our customers, it comes in at 14” wide, by 8” deep by 9” tall, and it even folds down neatly into its box.
The pass through tray is something of an annoying thing to deal with, but you really don’t need it at all. Getting set up is simple, the functionality is excellent and the low cost of the consumables make this a perfect tool for anyone who needs to travel and print while they are on the road!
The market for portable small printers is still in its infant stage and you will need to be careful before purchasing a portable printer. If you’re in a hurry read our review of the Hewlett Packard h47wbt OfficeJet mobile printer. It has received raving reviews from a lot of people.
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