On the Road with Ultra-Portable Printersby Rich Hall The best advice I can give to mobile professionals about taking a portable printer along with them on a business trip is avoid it! Any printer, no matter how small and functional, is another piece of hardware, with cables and batteries, to carry along with you. Ask yourself these questions: 1. Do I really need to print the document out on the trip, or can it wait until I get back? 2. Can I just send it as an e-mail, or an attachment to an e-mail? (E-mail it to the client, or e-mail it back to your office and have them print it out and send it.) 3. Will a fax do? (If your H/PC has a modem, you can use a program like bFAX (www.bsquare.com) to fax the document to a hotel or company fax machine. 4. Can I use someone else's printer? (Carry a serial-to-parallel adapter and your H/PC's connectivity cable and connect to a local printer.) However, there are those who really need to print out documents on business trips. You may need to leave a service report with someone, or a document listing repairs made at some remote facility. You may want to print out a product or service description for a client. And there's nothing like printing out and signing a contract on the spot to make sure a sale doesn't mysteriously disappear. All these situations call for a portable printer, and when you're on the road, smaller is better. Ultra-portable printers. If you really need to take a small portable printer with you, there are a few that fit the bill. These are not the small desktop inkjet printers you see advertised everywhere, but "ultra-portable" printers, not much bigger than a Handheld PC. Here are a few that fit the bill, along with my experiences with each. ********************************* Pentax has been making small portable printers for some time now, and the PocketJet 200 is their latest. The PJ200 is a 200 dpi printer measuring 1.2 x 10 x 2.2 in (30 x 255 x 55 mm) and weighing 1.1 lb (497g) with battery and is compatible with all print-enabled Windows CE (2.0 and above) devices. PocketJet lets you print text and graphics at speeds up to three pages per minute. It prints on high-quality thermal paper. This means you won't be spending money on printer cartridges, but will be spending money on the special thermal paper. Pentax sells the thermal paper in packages of 100. The price is $8.95 for a package of letter-size, and $10.95 for a package of legal-sized sheets. Pentax recommends that you only use its paper. I don't know if standard thermal paper will work in the PocketJet. To use a PocketJet 200 with an H/PC you have to first install a software driver on the H/PC. The evaluation unit Pentax send did not have the Windows CE driver installation program (it was still in beta testing), but Pentax technical support sent it to me. The PocketJet 200 driver for Windows CE will be available on the Pentax Web page after testing is finished. Due to the PocketJet 200 driver still being in the pre-release stage the customer will have to send an e-mail to Pentax Technologies Technical Support to obtain this driver. Go to www.Pentaxtech.com/support/index.htm, click on "Send a message to Tech Support," and send your request for the Win CE PocketJet 200 driver. It will be e-mailed to you. I connected my NEC MobilePro 750C to my desktop PC and installed the driver. Pentax had also sent the optional Infrared Adapter for the PocketJet. I clipped the IR adapter on to the end of the printer (which extends its length by 1.5"). Then I lined up the MobilePro's infrared port with the PocketJet's, opened a Pocket Word document on the H/PC, and pressed Ctrl-P to print. The Print dialog box showed the PocketJet II as an option. I tapped "OK" and the PocketJet II Properites dialog appeared. I tapped "OK" once again and the document printed. Printing was very simple, and the thermal paper was surprisingly high in quality. It could be used for reports, business letters and the like. However, you can only print on the "smooth, coated side" of the paper and I found it difficult at times to determine which side that was. You can also connect this printer to an H/PC's serial port using a serial-to-parallel adapter. I would use this printer with the infrared adapter and forget the cable entirely. PocketJet 200 ships with an AC adapter/charger, parallel to serial 5" cable, battery, carrying case, 100 sheet box of letter-size paper. The Infrared Adapter is optional and priced at $115. PocketJet 200 prints up to 40 pages on a single battery charge. Battery can be completely recharged in 70 minutes. Price: $299.95 Sales contact: MobilePlanet; Phone: 800-MPLANET (675-2698); Web: www.mobileplanet.com Developer: Pentax Technologies; Phone: 800-543-6144 or 303-460-1600; Web: www.pentaxtech.com.
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This portable color printer comes with a built-in IrDA port that lets you print to it from your H/PC using infrared communications and no cables. The PN-60I measures 1.85 x 10 x 2 in (47 x 254 x 51 mm) and weighs 1.5 lb (680 g) with battery. It's more expensive than any printer here, but less expensive than the PocketJet 200 with optional Infrared Interface. It's relatively easy to set up the printer (plug it in, slip a sheet of regular paper in the slot). It is important to note that Citizen PN-60I and PN-50 emulate Epson and IBM Proprinters not the Hewlett-Packard PCL standard. This means that you cannot print from Windows CE 2.0 devices unless you install third-party printer software like bPRINT (www.bsquare.com) or JETCET PRINT (www.bsquare.com). Free demo copies of both programs are available at the companies' Web sites. I installed a demo copy of JETCET on the NEC MobilePro, installed both Epson and Citizen printer drivers, opened up a Pocket Word document, lined up the infrared ports and pressed Ctrl-P. You have to go through a couple more dialog boxes, but the end result was a nice, 360 dpi print out of the document. Citizen designed their ultra-portable printers to accept standard paper. This means that you can print out high-quality letters and reports on company letterhead. It also means that the printers use ink cartridges that are quite small. The good news is that the proprietary cartridges are relatively inexpensive ($9.95 for black, and $14.95 for a color ink cartridge). The not-so-good news is that they run out quickly. You'll only get a couple pages with the color and 10-15 with the black cartridge. Use this printer, especially with color cartridges, for important documents. Tip: I had problems testing both of the printers with infrared interfaces. Neither worked until I disconnected the H/PC from my desktop PC. Apparently, the H/PC can't use its IrDA port while the serial port is in use. You can also use a serial-to-parallel adapter to connect to the PN-60I's parallel port. Options include serial-to-parallel adapter cable: $37.95; rechargeable NiCd battery: $79.95; auto power adapter: $69.95; Apple Mac interface cable: $39.95; international AC power adapter: $69.95; b/w printer cartridges $9.95; and a color ink cartridge: $14.95. The Citizen PN-60I is priced at $359.95. Citizen also offers the slightly-smaller PN-50, which accepts black ink cartridges only. It comes with an AC power adapter and has an optional NiCd rechargeable battery available, which increases its weight to 1.4 lb. The PN-50 has a parallel-port interface only, which means that you need a serial-to-parallel port adapter to connect it to an H/PC. Options include a serial-to-parallel adapter: $49.95; a rechargeable NiCd battery: $39.95; a battery & charger combo pack: $79.95; and b/w printer cartridges $9.95. The Citizen PN-50 Portable Printer is priced at $169. Both Citizen printers are available at MobilePlanet; Phone: 800-MPLANET (675-2698); Web: www.mplanet.com. The developer of the Citizen portable printers is Citizen America Corporation; Web: www.citizen-america.com
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Hewlett-Packard's DeskJet 340 and 340CBI are color inkjet printers. Both of the 340s measure 2.6 x 12.2 x 5.8 in (96 x 310 x 96 mm) and weight 4.3 lb (1.94 kg). The DeskJet 340 does not come with a battery, but can accept an optional NiCd battery pack. Its sister, the 340CBi, comes with the rechargeable NiCd battery and an infrared adapter. The 340 is a little longer, a little thicker, and about three times as wide and heavy as the Pentax and Citizen America printers. It's more a borderline ultra portable, but I mention it in this review because you carry it with you in your suitcase or car (probably not your briefcase). The DeskJet 340 I tested came with AC power adapter, black and color inkjet cartridges, an attachable portable sheet feeder, documentation and software. I did not test the 340 CBI model. I did not have the optional IrDA adapter, so I connected the MobilePro 750C to the DeskJet 340 using the H/PC's connectivity cable. The 340 has a Centronics (parallel) printer port, so I needed to use a serial-to-parallel adapter to make the connection (the Link-A-Printer, $59, Greenwich Instruments, www.greenwichinst.com). The H/PC's serial (synchronization) cable connected to the serial-to-parallel adapter, which connected to the 340's printer port. The clip-on sheet feeder installed easily, as did the InkJet cartridge. The 340 supports HP's PCL printer language, available on all H/PCs. It printed smoothly, without a hitch. The color InkJet cartridge costs around $30 and will print 100-150 pages per cartridge. The black cartridge costs $25 and prints 500-600 pages. As with the Citizen printer, you can use your own paper, including letterhead, with the 340s. This is a bulkier mobile printing solution that you won't be carting into a client's office. But it's the most economical in continuing cost of operation. And you could easily use the 340 as your personal printer at home. The DeskJet 340 retails for $269 and the DeskJet 340CBi for $299. I could not find the Infrared Adapter and the NiCAD rechargeable battery listed on HP's Online Store. These two come with the 340CBi. Contact your local HP retailer, the HP Shopping Village (online) at www.shop ping.hp.com/ (search on "340"), or phone 888-774-6847.
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I did not have a chance to test Cannon's ultra-portable Bubble Jet 50, but mention it because it has some nice features and is very popular with mobile professionals. The Bubble Jet 50 measures 1.9 x 11.9 x 4.4 in (48 x 300 x 111 mm), weighing 2.1 lb (950 g) with battery. It's a high-resolution (720 x 360 dpi) printer using Canon's "Bubble Jet" printing technology. The Bubble Jet 50 emulates Epson and IBM Proprinter modes, so you'll have to install third-party printer software (see comments in the Citizen review, above). It comes with a Lithium-Ion rechargeable battery that will print up to 100 pages on a charge. It prints 5.5 pages per minute with the black ink cartridge and 2 ppm in color, making it one of the faster printers mentioned in this article. It comes with a 30-page sheet feeder, and it looks like it could be used with your home computer, if you don't need high-quantity printing capability. Canon has an interesting option called IS-12 Color Image Scanner Cartridge, which turns the Bubble Jet 50 into color image scanner. However, there is no indication that there is Windows CE software that will support this. The Bubble Jet 50 comes with a built-in infrared interface that lets you print without a cable. CompUSANet was selling the Canon Bubble Jet 50 for $350 and the Bubble Jet 80 for $300 when I checked in mid-May. I could not find a price on the black or color cartridges. For more information, visit Canon's Web site, www.canon.com, and search on Bubble Jet. A list of Canon U.S. retailers is available at the Canon USA Web site. Go to www.usa.canon.com/ and use the Quick Finder to go to Color Bubble Jet Printers. Select the Bubble Jet 50 or 80 from the list and click the "buy it now!" button to get a list of Canon retailers. Which one is for you? It depends on how you intend to use the printer. Here are three scenarios. Occasional printing, printer with you all the time. If you occasionally print out a document on a trip, but need to carry the printer with you in a briefcase (to appointments and meetings) then the PocketJet 200 or the Citizen PN-50 or 60I are your best choices. If black print is fine and you don't need to use letterhead, the PocketJet 200 seems to make more sense. If you need to print out on standard paper, like your letterhead, go with the Citizen printers. If you need color, the PN 60I. The reason I put these printers in the "occasional printing" category is because the price of the PocketJet's paper and the PN 50 & 60I's printer cartridges can add up. Frequent printing, printer close by. If you need to take a printer along with you, but can leave it in the car or in your hotel room, the DeskJet 340 or Bubble Jet 50 might make more sense. This is especially true if you need to do a lot of printing. Both use standard paper, accept color cartridges, and get a respectable number of printed pages per cartridge. Additionally, both can be used with your home computer. Occasional printing, printer close by. Any one of these printers could fit the bill for this scenario, but I'd still favor the DeskJet or Bubble Jet. I haven't mentioned the Palm-size PCs in this article because I assumed that most mobile printing would be done from an H/PC's Pocket Word or Excel program. There is a version of bPRINT for the Palm-size PC, and all of the Ps/PCs come with infrared interfaces. It should be possible to print to these printers without any problem. This review does not exhaust the portable printing possibilities. If the printer is small, can connect to the H/PC (serial port, serial-to-parallel adapter, or infrared interface) and can emulate PCL or some standard printer language like Epson or IBM Proprinter, you can probably use it with a H/PC.
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