Because of decreased pricing and ever-improving technology, portable printers are becoming increasingly popular for both personal and professional use. Today’s portable photo printers are incredibly adaptable, capable of printing everything from sticky-backed labels to store-quality 4×6 prints, making them ideal for sharing photos on the go.
You also have nice options if you need to print documents rather than images. High resolution machines that can handle anything up to letter size paper while yet fitting in a briefcase have replaced heavy, low-quality portable printers. One thing that hasn’t changed is that you still need to refill the ink, film, or special paper on a regular basis.
Refills are still a defining factor in portable printers, and they will determine the cost of utilising your device in the future. Thermal technology, ZINK (Zero INK), tiny cartridges, and everything in between are all used in today’s portable printers, and prices vary greatly. Whatever your need, we’ve compiled a list of the finest portable printers for labels, adhesive photographs, instant film, 4:6 images, and business printing in 2021 to assist you in making your purchase.
1. Best Pocket-Sized Portable Printer on a Budget
On our list, the PeriPage Pocket Printer is the smallest and lightest printer. It’s a remarkably little device, measuring just over 3 × 3 inches and weighing under seven ounces. It’s wireless and runs on a rechargeable lithium battery, so there’s no need to worry about running out of ink. Instead, it uses inexpensive rolls of thermal paper.
The company increased its product line with a variety of outside printer colours: white, blue, pink, red, yellow, and brown, after a successful crowdfunding effort in 2017. Sticky thermal paper, coloured thermal paper, and a few different types of label paper are among the refill options.
The printer connects to your phone through Bluetooth, allowing you to edit and scan text, generate labels, add stickers, and upload photos using the Android or iOS app. The PeriPage is small and affordable, but it has a drawback: it only prints in black and white.
As a result, rather than sharing images with pals, this printer is better for generating labels, printing shipping information, or designing unique stickers. Images can be printed on the Peripage, however they will only show in black on a white or coloured background, rather than the full-color prints that other models offer.
2. Best Portable Printer for Photo Stickers
Sprocket Instant Photo Printer from HP is a wireless portable printer that prints 2′′ x 3′′ photo stickers on the move. It’s pocket-sized, measuring 3 x 4.5 inches and weighing only six ounces, so you can take it with you wherever you go. The rechargeable battery can print 35 photos on a single charge.
To shoot a fresh photo or pull one from your current gallery, connect through Bluetooth with the HP Sprocket app for Android or iOS. You can add emojis, filters, frames, text, and more to your images with the app. The printer may be connected to a variety of devices, allowing you to share photos and printing capabilities with friends and family.
The smudge, water, and tear-resistant photographs are printed using ZINK Zero Ink technology, which eliminates the need for separate ink cartridges and produces photos that are smear, water, and tear-resistant. At roughly 50c per print, Zink sticky back picture paper is available in 20, 50, and 100 sheet refills.
3. Best Instant Film Portable Printer
The Fujifilm Instax Mini Smartphone Printer is reminiscent of Polaroid cameras from the 1990s. The printer, like the good old days, utilises 10-shot film cartridges, but unlike the good old days, this one links to your smartphone.
This is a better alternative than Fuji’s inexpensive Instax Instant cameras, which print whatever shot you just took, regardless of whose eyes are closed, because you may choose photos from your phone through Bluetooth via the Android or iOS app.
You can now print images from video clips or reprint the last photo you printed for easy sharing with a group with the Instax Mini. By altering your photos, applying filters, and adding unique text and graphics to the corresponding app (Android or iOS), you may be as creative as you want.
The Instax film refills can be pricey, but when you buy numerous cartridges at once, the per-shot pricing is more fair. You can choose from a variety of refill film with different coloured and styled borders, as well as a monochrome photo choice.
4. Best Portable Printer for 4 x 6 Photos
The Kodak Dock is a small, portable instant photo printer that prints 4 x 6 colour photos. Older Android phones can be directly connected to the printer via the micro-USB interface, while newer devices can use Wi-Fi printing. You can print from an iPhone using the bundled Lightning connector, and you can also connect iPads, digital cameras, and USB sticks.
To print images, you’ll need a cartridge and photo paper refill, which is sufficient for 40 shots. The price per photo varies depending on how many refills you purchase at once. A protective laminated coating is printed on the photos.
Because the printer weighs just over three pounds, it’s easy to transport from room to room in your home or office. It can also be readily transported from one area to another in a carrying case, but you definitely wouldn’t want to travel with it long-term.
You’re paying for convenience, but if you want to print high-quality 4 x 6 images without having to go anywhere or wait for an online purchase to arrive, this is the gadget for you.
5. Best Portable Wireless Printer for Business
Canon’s Pixma TR150 Wireless Printer is a high-end portable printer made for business travellers. It allows users to print wirelessly from PCs, phones, and other devices using Canon Print, Apple AirPrint, Google Cloud Print, and other methods. The wireless printer includes a 50-sheet paper bin and can print letter-sized (8.5 x 11-inch) sheets, making it a great business travel companion.
You won’t be bringing it on any backpacking vacations because it weighs just over 10 pounds and measures 12.7 x 7.3 inches, but it’s small enough to keep in the vehicle or luggage for when you need to print work documents on the fly. A Canon LK-72 battery pack (available separately) can be used with the printer to enable printing without a power supply.
You can print up to 330 sheets with the battery fully charged, and it only adds half a pound to the overall weight.n The price per page for a portable printer is quite low when using normal Pixma ink refill cartridges (black and colour). You couldn’t do much worse than the Pixma TR150 for printing documents no matter where you are.
Portable Multi-Surface Printers
Multi-surface printing is the newest trend in portable printers. The notion is gaining traction, and it’s easy to see why: you can print anything you want on any surface in a matter of seconds. Because the technology is still in its early stages, there are only a few underwhelming multi-surface printers on the market right now. However, more versions are in the works, and it’s worth keeping a look out for new, improved models in the coming year or two.
