Portable Inkjet Printers

My Top 3 Portable Inkjet Printers

Epson has a clever printer that they call the PictureMate Dash PM260. At a size of only 9.1 x 6.5 x 8.7" and a weight of merely 5.3 pounds, you can take it with you everywhere. With one touch, you can make photos up to 4 x 6" with max resolutions of 5760 x 1440dpi that are smudge, scratch, water, and fade resistant, thanks to advanced MicroPiezo technology. Best of all, it only takes about 37 seconds.

The Dash has a good-sized 3.6" LCD viewer for selecting your pix and is Bluetooth capable. It contains ArcSoft PhotoImpression software to remove red eye, crop, and add effects such as sepia tone, B&W, or create borderless prints. You can choose between regular, mini or jumbo-wallet size, passport, 2 x 2" or 3 x 3" square photos, and portrait packages with four or ten per page and a proof sheet.

You simply connect to the printer with its memory card slots. It will handle CompactFlash I and II, SD, SDHC, MMC, Memory Stick, Microdrive M/H, and xD-Picture Card. The Dash is compatible with Windows Vista/XP/2000 and Mac OS X 10.2.8 – 10.3.9 or later. The mini-price is currently $99.00 if you buy directly from Epson online. When you're ready to transfer photos to your PC, there is a USB connection.

The Olympus P-11 uses a dye-sublimation printing process to produce professional prints and coats your photo with an over-coat layer that seals and protects from smudges, fingerprints, UV light, and water. The petite size of 7.3 x 7.1 x 6.2" with built-in paper tray and weight of 5.1 lbs. makes it a great companion.

In as little as 33 seconds, you can produce edge-to-edge 4 x 6" photos in over 16 million colors (and only 30 seconds for a 3.5 x 5".) The stacker tray can hold up to 50 sheets of paper. Compatible with both Windows 2000/XP and Mac OS 10.2 or higher, it features PictBridge technology to allow you a choice of printing a single or multi-images, multi-copies, and index and date print. Connection to your computer is simply by USB.

The P-11 comes with an AC adapter, a starter kit with ribbon cartridge, 4 x 6" paper to make 5 prints, and a printer driver CD. At an affordable $149, Olympus offers free online picture taking tips to improve your photography skills.

For travelers or business types, Canon’s Pixma iP90v Photo Printer is slightly larger than the other two, but can still work without a computer. It is 12.3 x 2.1 x 6.9" and weighs about 4 pounds. You can print wirelessly from camera phones with the infrared interface or optional Bluetooth USB adapter. You can also make images from a Canon PictBridge-enabled camera or camcorder and from your PC. It is as simple as capture, connect, and print.

The Pixma delivers a high resolution of up to 4800 x 1200dpi with microscopic 2 picoliter-sized color ink with up to 16ppm mono and 12ppm color. A borderless 10 x 15 cm photo takes approximately 81 seconds. It can deliver black and white documents as well as images the size of a Credit Card (2.13 x 3.39"), 4 x 6", 5 x 7", and 8.5 x 11". At a speed of 16 pages per minute (B&W documents), this is a terrific choice for professionals or those with large families. The Pixma will set you back $249, but we figure you might be able to deduct it come April as an expense.

An outstanding feature of the printer is its Use Composite Black Mode which allows you to switch from black to "composite black" (a combination of cyan, magenta and yellow) for text printing when the black ink runs out. PhotoPrint software makes it easy to make digital images through your computer whether you have Microsoft Windows or Mac OS. Select from Photo Optimizer Pro, Image Optimizer, Photo Noise Reduction, and Vivid Photo. Canon also offers an optional rechargeable battery and charger kit or car adapter. Just plug into your car’s cigarette lighter and there you go.

All three of these inkjet printers make it so easy to print do-it-yourself photos or documents on the go. With the rising popularity of inexpensive home photo printers, do you think the traditional photo printing services will soon be extinct? Post your comments below...