Printers 101: The Three Different faces of Mini Printers for Laptops
Mini printers for laptops are as, their names suggest, very small. As compared to standard sized inkjet and laser printers, these devices are much easier to handle and carry around. To have a better understanding of the subject, here are the three different faces of mini laptop printers.
Compact Inkjet Printers
Compact inkjet printers make use of standard inkjet printing. However, their mechanisms have been downgraded in such a way that will enable them to fit in a very small case. Therefore, these devices are not too speedy, but they can have very good resolutions. Their ink capacity is also smaller than standard inkjets and their duty cycles are small, but they are perfectly capable of printing good quality documents and photos.
Some of the recognizable compact inkjet printers in the market are the HP H470wbt and the Canon PIXMA iP100 models. Both devices have compact dimensions and weights of 5 pounds or less, and they have wireless Bluetooth and infrared options along with direct PictBridge and USB connectivity. They are designed for all-purpose document and photo printing and they are easy enough to operate even with no expansive knowledge about printing devices. However, you need to always have a laptop or another device to navigate and operate the printer with because it cannot be operated on its own.
Compact Photo Printers
Compact photo printers are not like inkjets. As their name suggests, they are dedicated photo printers which can only produce photos. The maximum media sizes that these devices can print on range from 4’’ x 6’’ to 5’’ x 7’’. The printing mechanism of these devices also makes them unadvisable for any other printing function than photo printing, since these printers use dye sublimation which utilizes individual ink panels, each the same size as the maximum media size that the printer can print on. These dye panels have individual colors of red, yellow, blue, and black, and these panels are used individually for every print.
Compact photo printers are easier to use without any other device to control it with, since these devices have complete LCD displays and fully functional control panels which you can use to view, edit, and print your photos with. They also have direct printing options such as PictBridge, USB, and memory card slots, as well as infrared and Bluetooth wireless connectivity. The most popular compact photo printers today are the Canon SELPHY models and the Epson PictureMate models.
Direct Thermal Printers
These devices are yet again different from inkjet printers because of their printing mechanism. Direct thermal printers make use of a ribbon and they use direct heat transfer to imprint the images from the ribbon to the paper. Thermal paper is the only compatible media for this kind of printer so if you plan to use this device, you will need to also invest in thermal media.
As for the printing functions, there are two major types of these printers. First is the general document printer and second is the barcode and label printer. For general document printing, there are devices like the Brother PocketJet series printers which are very small and can even fit in your pocket. These printers can print on standard size media including A4, letter, and legal size papers. These devices also have wireless infrared and Bluetooth connections for easy wireless printing, and they even have rechargeable batteries for easy outdoor printing.
The label and barcode printers are not usually for laptop printing but they can also be used that way. These devices are made for printing receipts, labels on envelopes, barcodes, and even labels for general merchandise and commodities. They are typically small and handy in size but they are not as popularly used as standard size printers since they have very limited media size compatibilities.
Conclusion
These three printers all have their very own functions, but you will definitely be able to find a model that really fits your printing needs. However, don’t forget to prepare a good budget for these printers co you can be sure that when you find the best model, you can afford it.