Wireless Printers

Wireless Printers, No Strings Attached

More and more gadgets are wireless these days and printers are no exception. The other day I was looking at some so-called wireless printers, which can hook up with a network via wireless or Bluetooth connection. But they both had this big black WIRE to plug into the wall socket. "That's not a truly wireless printer," I thought. So to answer your question, here are some suggestions for wireless printers that don't need any wires, cables or cords...

I've always been a bit partial to HP when it comes to reliable printers. The HP Officejet H470 Mobile Printer weighs only 5 lbs. with optional Lithium-Ion battery. It will create full-page documents or images from PDAs, digital cams, and cell phones via PictBridge, SD memory card (or USB, but that's a wire). One of its best features is that it is quiet, so no one will stare at you if you happen to be on public transportation or in an airport. The H470 will print at up to 22 pages per minute in b/w, 18 in color, and 4 x 6 pics only need about 49 secs. Also optional are 12V auto, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth adapters. After an instant $25.00 rebate, you can purchase the printer for $224.95.

Brother offers 4 different portable MPrint printers. All of them have 300dpi output and work with Windows notebooks, pocket PCs, and Blackberries. Each of them comes with a 50 sheet paper cassette and built-in lithium ion battery that is good for up to 100 pages on the MW-100 or 50 on the MW-260. The MPrint models connect with varying combinations of USB, Serial, Bluetooth and IrDA (infrared) interfaces. This allows direct wireless printing from Palm and Blackberry devices, or Windows Mobile smartphones. Brother calls these "ultra-portable" for good reason -- they range from a mere 11 ounces to 1.2 pounds. That's a truly lightweight printer. Check Brother's MPrint pages for the complete MPrint line of mobile wireless printers.

Canon's BJC-85 weighs in at 3.1 pounds, and is not only portable, it can make pictures, charts, graphs, and full size documents. The Bubble Jet Printer creates in 720 x 360 dpi black at a speed of up to 5 ppm. Add an IS-12 Color Image Scanner Cartridge and you have some multi-hued 360 dpi images to look forward to. Compatible with PC or Mac, it sports wireless IrDA connectivity (also parallel port and USB) and a long-life battery. I found the BJC-85 on Amazon for under $100.

Wireless Photo Printers

Debuting this month is the PoGo, short for Polaroid-on-the-Go. This printer is actually inkless with technology from Zink (Zero Ink.) The paper is where the trickiness lies; it is a material with yellow, magenta, and cyan dye crystals that is activated with heat. The PoGo will supply 2" x 3" pix from Bluetooth devices, cell phones, or digital cams. The smudge-proof, water-resistant, almost tear-proof images are fade-resistant and only take about 60 seconds to print. It comes with a rechargeable lithium-ion battery at a price of ~$149.95.

Canon's SELPHY CP770 looks sportier than your average wireless printer. Insert your camera's memory card in one of the built-in slots, check out the image in the 2.5" TFT display, and come up with a 4" x 6" print in less the a minute. You can also create images from your digital cam, cell phone or Bluetooth device with the IrDA (infrared) or Bluetooth interfaces. The CP770 will also make other size images and has "Portrait Image Optimize" for editing less than perfect shots. Make sure to get the optional battery pack for mobile printing. This printer carries an MSRP of $149 and comes with a handled case that makes it easy to carry the camera and your supplies.

So... Wireless laptop: Check. Wireless PDA and digital camera: Check. Wireless printer: Check! Now all I need is one of those gizmos that will recharge all my portable devices wirelessly. Got comments or questions about wireless printers? Post your thoughts below...