Portable Printers

Portable inkjet printers

Portable inkjet printers are a compact and lightweight option for use with laptops. They can run on battery or electric power, and some even have an optional adapter to run off a car's cigarette lighter. Reviews say that portable printers can't match the speed of desktop printers and cost much more both to buy and to run. They are made for low-volume use. Many portable printers are Bluetooth compatible, which means they will work with a wireless adapter and can receive input from cell phones and smartphones.

Full-size portable inkjet printers accept regular 8.5-by-11-inch paper. If you are interested in portable photo printers -- which only print on paper that is 5 inches by 7 inches or smaller -- see our companion report on personal photo printers.

The Canon Pixma iP100 (*Est. $240) receives great comments from CNET's Justin Yu, who says its speed and resolution are top notch for a portable printer. Print quality is also praised and text is said to be clean, with Simon Williams of TrustedReviews.com stating that the iP100 is on par with full-sized, desktop inkjet printers. At 12.7 inches by 7.2 inches, the Canon Pixma iP100 takes up minimal desk space and weighs just over 4 pounds.

The iP100 is an update of the Canon Pixma ip90v portable printer, and there are several notable improvements. These include a larger number of printheads, higher color resolution, 50-sheet input capacity (an increase of 20 sheets), faster printing and, according to the CNET review, a slight improvement in print quality. Connectivity options include PictBridge, USB and infrared for connection to cell phones. There are no memory-card slots and the iP100 printer does not offer Wi-Fi connectivity.

The HP Officejet H470 portable printer (*Est. $230) does not fare as well at CNET, where Justin Yu says problems include fuzzy and blurred text. Photos print out smoothly, Yu says, but colors are flat and lack saturation. PCMag.com's M. David Stone largely agrees, saying the H470's text quality is subpar. He also notes banding when printing in certain modes. U.K.-based PC Advisor sees similar issues, but the reviewer writes that swapping the default black ink cartridge for an optional six-ink photo cartridge resulted in "superb" output on photo paper. Simon Williams of TrustedReviews.com feels that the H470 performs well for a portable printer, and that its print speeds actually exceed HP's specifications. He also disagrees with negative assessments of the H470's text printing, saying that even when reproducing small fonts there is only "slight fuzziness" around the edges. The HP Officejet H470 is about the same size (13.4 inches by 6.5 inches) and weight (4.5 pounds) as the Canon.

Reviews that contrast the HP Officejet H470 with the Canon Pixma iP100 are inconclusive as to which is the superior product. M. David Stone at PCMag.com notes that while the iP100 is superior in speed and some aspects of print quality, the H470 wins out in such areas as ink cartridge yields. Both printers have some similar costly, optional add-ons, such as Bluetooth adapters and lithium-ion rechargeable batteries.

If you are searching for a portable printer, there are some key differences in features between the Canon Pixma iP100 and HP Officejet H470 that may help you choose the best model. Most notably, HP's H470 offers Wi-Fi connectivity and memory-card slots. It also costs less to equip and operate; for instance, the H470's optional battery costs around $50, while the iP100's is twice as expensive. HP even offers a soft carrying case -- a frill missing with the Pixma iP100. If you do not need these options and value print quality above all else, however, reviews indicate that Canon's Pixma iP100 is the better-performing portable printer.