Canon Pixma iP90
It is 31x17x5cm and weights less than 1.8 kilos. The lid opens to allow about 15 sheets - 30 claimed - of paper to be stored before printing. Even though this is a truly portable printer, it can be run from a battery pack, it can also print full A4 pages.
The connections as standard are USB and infra red. It can also print images direct from a camera supporting PictBridge. It is also possible - using optional hardware - to print using Bluetooth.
Over the years I have reviewed a number of models of portable printers from Canon and they have all surprised with their quality and versatility.
As always with inkjet printers the stated printing speeds seem unobtainable. However printing 200 word pages in 'Fast' mode produced 10PPM as opposed to the 'up to 16 PPM' claimed. Real pages of black text came through at 7PPM and while in 'Fast' mode the text was a little grey it was perfectly clear.
This is a four ink two cartridge printer and these are small so heavy use would also be rather expensive. I was perfectly happy with the output quality for A5 (postcard) sized graphics and these took a little over two minutes to print, the output was touchable. This unit can print up to A4 borderless and while I doubt you would ever use this unit as a regular tool to print A4 borderless the quality was fine and images took a tad over six minutes to print, again, perfectly touchable as soon as printed.
Anyone needing a printer with them to produce output anywhere such as instant quotes will find this an ideal unit. Should lack of power be a problem then the optional battery pack could be of use. Bluetooth is something that can also be useful especially when trying to print direct from a handheld, this would also suit the infra red ability.
Once the lid is open there are two controls on/off and paper feed. My only worry with this otherwise excellent printer is ink cost. The tiny cartridges are BCI-15 Black and BCI-16 TriColour. Most manufacturers are vague about number of pages but Canon make some attempt to explain. Black is said to last 80 pages at 5% coverage while the TriColour lasts 100 pages at 5% coverage. No one clearly explains what 5% coverage looks like, and of course with the colour that will require equal use of the three colours. However even that needs further clarification with notes that are longer than the explanation.
If you print only a little then this unit could be for you, if you need a printer on the move then this printer is for you, and if you need to print without power then this is one of the few mainstream printers that can work with a rechargeable battery pack. The price at Amazon is £129.
http://www.canon.co.uk/for_home/product_finder/printers/bubble_jet/Pixma_iP90/
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