Portable laser printer is a compact devise that has reduced the burden of a business traveler. Weighing anything between 5 to 12 pounds, it is a small, sleek, efficient and user-friendly alternative to your bulky, space consuming, noisy office printer.
Printers are a necessity of every workplace to run the business smoothly. People often involved in sales, advertisement, media, etc. need to work while traveling, generating a demand for portable printers. The basic requirement of a portable printer is the ease of transportation and configuration without compromise on the quality. Technology has revolutionized the way businesses are conducted these days, with the availability of portable laser printers. The compact size boasts of most of the features available in large office printers, except for scan, copy and fax functionality.
How to Choose a Portable Laser Printer?
How to choose a portable printer? For many, this is a confusion before buying any electronic goods. We often forget that choosing one always depends on our requirement. So these are few things that need to be considered before buying such printers:
Price
The price of these printers, due to its compact size, comes at a higher price than other multi function printers. Best all in one laser printer would cost less than a portable laser printer with good speed. Also the price would vary between portable printers as per their resolution, speed and battery life. Unless, you have a fixed budget, it is not advisable to compromise on the features due to its price.
Speed
These printers are of course much faster than the inkjet printers, but speed might vary between different models and brands. Most portable printers have a maximum speed of 10 ppm.
Functionality
If your work is mainly to do with text documents, then even a monochrome laser printer will suffice. But if you print all types of documents with graphics, then portable color laser printer would be the best option. If you just need a printer for photo printouts, then it is always better to go for much more compact portable photo printers.
Resolution
An ideal laser printer must be able to print at a high resolution. Text documents usually just need a resolution of 300 dpi, but for multipurpose prints it should give a resolution of 600 dpi. For good quality photo print, printer would require a resolution of 1200 dpi.
Battery Life
One of the reasons we buy these printers is to carry out the business while traveling. The internal battery life is extremely important. A full battery should last as high as 480 prints.
Reviews
There are limited, but amazing portable laser printers available today. As per various reviews, Canon, Epson, HP and Samsung dominate the current market. Here are three popular reviews:
Samsung ML-1630W
This small portable laser printer has a great print quality to add to its attractive, sleek look, but does not match up to its competitors in terms of its speed, size and the price. It has the printing speed of 16ppm and has wireless capability. Though, Samsung ML-2525W is considered the best wireless laser printer, 1630W is the best in the portable wireless printer category. Its other features include low noise, touch sensitive power and cancel buttons, LED displays that show the number of printed pages. This is for those looking for basic and simple features in mono printers.
Epson AcuLaser M1200 Mono Laser Printer
Considered among the best laser printers in the small category due to its value for money, it has a print speed of 20 ppm and gives a resolution up to 600 dpi. It is reliable, simple, easy to use and maintain and has a low running cost. The toner cartridge is available in two sizes making it very flexible and pocket friendly.
HP LaserJet P1005 Printer
It is not just used by travelers due to its compact size, but also considered one of the best laser printer for small business, due to its capacity of printing high volumes of black and white prints. It gives a very high resolution among its competitors at 1200 dpi and has a speed of 15ppm. It just weighs 10.4 lbs, making it light and easy to carry. This too is a great value for money in consideration to its exceptional features. The downside of this printer is that it does not support double-sided printing.
A portable laser printer can make your life easier, but choosing one is not an easy task. Look for various available options and compare their features and prices. Convenience to carry on with your work while traveling has led to the popularity of laptops, which in turn has led to the increasing demand for portable printers. So when it comes to choosing wisely, Internet research always helps. After all, you are investing your time and money!