Portable Printers For Notebook Computers
A Buyer's Guide
Sure - portable printers for notebook computers are designed for life on the road. But such a printer may not be something you would want to pack in your bag. Because for one thing, a portable printer can weigh between 2-5 pounds. Not too heavy you say? Well, add the laptop you are already carrying around into the mix and you can see where it may be a tad inconvenient carrying around a laptop and a printer around. It may therefore be better to not have a portable printer at all, especially if your "on the road" printing needs are few and far between.
After all, just about any office you visit will have a printer. And if you are in a "tight spot" with no printer, you can use the printing services at a local business center or Kinkos.Speaking of Kinkos, they also offer internet-based remote printing services. You simply load your document from your notebook, PDA or smart phone onto the system and the document is printed at Kinkos where it can be collected. PrintMe also offers internet-based printing. That said, portable/laptop printers have their benefits and actually, the quality of their output can be decent.
Portable Printers For Notebook Computers - Initial Costs & Expectations
Different printing technologies are best suited to various needs and budgets. As a rule of thumb, laser printers are more suited to producing text documents and simple graphics quickly at low costs per page.
Inkjet printers are the cheapest printing models but there is a catch - their per page printing costs can be pricey. Portable printers use color inkjet technology. These devices are just large enough to accommodate the standard 8.5" inch paper. Average prices start around the $250 - $300 mark. Mobile inkjet printers are typically slower than laser printers. But inkjet are better suited to printing higher quality graphics and photos, though at higher per page costs. Typically you won't get speedy or top quality prints from portable printers. Plus you can expect to pay extra for being able to "print on the go". By the way, check out these very helpful Laser Printer Options - Ideal if you are looking to purchase a laser printer and want to know which features to consider before you spend your hard-earned money.
Portable Printers For Notebook Computers - Specs
When shopping for laptop printers, you are going to encounter various acronyms and specifications. Not only might these specs confuse the hell out of you but not all of them will actually affect real world performance.Read the following to understand what these specs tell you:
Resolution
Resolution speaks to the largest number of dots per inch (dpi) that your machine can print, measured both horizontally and vertically. For example, a 600 x 600dpi printer lays down a 1" square composed of 600 dots across by 600 dots down. Theoretically, the higher the resolution on a printer, the greater the detail the images and text should have. But larger dpi numbers do not always mean better quality output. The ink used for example can trump dpi numbers.
Print speeds
The cardinal sin of buying a laptop printer is not to do test prints before you pay. You'll want to see how fast a printer can print before make a purchase. Print speed tells you how many pages per minute (ppm) a machine can print. Now this may sound straightforward but "buyer beware". Some manufacturers inflate their ppm figures by calculating how fast basic text documents on plain paper print in draft mode - the lowest quality setting. Thus the ppm stated on marketing materials may be much less than a real world ppm.
Portable Printers For Notebook Computers - Connectivity
You should be able to locate a USB port on all modern printers. This feature is particular helpful if you want to go old school with your portable printer and connect it to a desktop PC with a USB cable. For even greater mobility, many models support printing wirelessly, using infrared, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi access points with built-in print servers.
Processor & Memory
If your notebook printer comes with information on the processor and the memory, don't be overly concerned with this. Your laptop does an adequate job on its own of lining up your print jobs and sending them on to your printer to be printed. Portable Printers For Notebook Computers - Accessories
What is a printer without the accessories that make it work. Here are some questions you need to ask before getting your laptop printer:* How is the printer powered? Does it come with a battery? If not, what is price of getting one? You can get a battery for around $100. * Alternatively, can you get a car power adapter for around $80 for printing on the road? You can use it to recharge your printer's battery or to power the printer. Belkin's AC Anywhere adapter is a good option - it allows you to simultaneously power two devices off your car's power port. * Can you print wirelessly? Some portable models comes with a Bluetooth adapter for wireless printing. Some makers give extra customer support for this functionality.

Portable Printers For Notebook Computers - Other Costs
You should be able to get a laptop printer at a competitive price but be ready for more spending. The cost of caring and feeding your printer can rapidly rise above the cost of acquiring the printer itself.Be sure to compare the costs of consumables such as ink and paper. Replacement inks can be expensive - around $10 - 60/cartridge and last for about 100 - 200 pages. More costly printers are typically more economical to operate because their ink tanks are larger and they also have distinct ink tanks for each color. To make a portable printer cheaper to operate, you could buy a compatible ink refill kit from a separate manufacturer. You may not however get the same print quality or reliability from an original ink tank. Try not to scrimp on paper quality though as better quality paper means higher quality printouts. For the best results, you need to spend extra and purchase the coated or specialty paper that the manufacturer suggests for your model.
Best Priced Portable Printers For Notebook Computers
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