So easily imaginable, a portable printer is usually compact and lightweight, battery powered, connected via Bluetooth or WIFI and contains a few features such as printing photo, text, numbers, expiration date and time, logo or even QR code and barcode. A good portable printer could be a life saver for getting your print task done while on the go without being confined to a spot.
Targeting to different groups of clients, there are a few types of portable printers in the market to meet different needs. Some for printing photos, some are label makers, some can print directly onto objects, etc., regardless of the types, these are some of the top things that you should consider before buying a mobile printer.
Top 5 Things to Consider Before Buying a Portable Printer
1 Printer Size
The core existence of a portable printer is in its mobility and lightweight. Before selecting a printer, think about the scenarios that you will be using it and where will you put it when not in use and on the road, so now you must have a picture in mind —— a portable printer should be small enough to fit into your pocket and backpack and doesn’t weigh a lot.
2 Connectivity and Compatibility
Another feature to consider before purchasing a mobile printer is compatibility with the smartphones, laptops, and computers that you use. Tough most of the portable printers can be connected via WIFI and support IOS/Android/Windows system, not all of them support connecting to a phone, laptop or computer at the same time, some are for use with mobile phones only. It would be a shame to buy a printer only to be unable to use it due to a lack of compatible system drivers, so make sure you get this information confirmed before making a purchase.
3 Functions
Although different manufacturers are trying their best to preserve the various functions of the printer, as the size of the portable printer decreases, some functions will inevitably be removed. Choosing a wrong type of printers will cause unnecessary inconvenience and costs, so before buying a mobile printer, another important thing you need to look at is what you want the printer to do. If all you want is to print photos, then a printer that specializes in printing QR code is not for you.
Also, features such as inkless vs. ink required, monochrome vs. color, direct printing vs. indirect printing (special coating or paper needed), print content, applicable printing surfaces, maximum font size and many more are some of the factors that should be taken into account.
4 Power Supply
Portable printers are usually battery powered which you can either use when unplugged and when under charging. Batteries, however, are not all created with the same performance. Before purchasing, you should evaluate how long will the battery lasts once fully charged because nothing is more upset than a dead battery on the road.
5 Ease of Use
Mobile printers are mainly for people on the go, which means troubleshooting manual or tech support would seldom be available within reach. So in this sense, from inserting ink cartridge or changing printer paper, connecting to your device, editing printing content or changing setting on APP to charging the battery, the simpler the operation, the better.
