Truly portable photo printers are quite rare these days, although Canon has
long produced them.
The company's new Pixma iP100 offers both text and photo printing, and its
internal battery and small dimensions mean it really can be carried around.
It was easy to set up, with a simple quick start guide in the box, and a good
installation CD. It works fine off the mains, but adding the battery pack
requires screwing in a separate cradle (supplied in the box). It's an easy
enough process.
The iP100 has no memory card slots and nor is there a screen, but it does
have a USB port so you can connect Pictbridge-compatible cameras and print
directly. There's also a USB input to attach it to a PC.
Print quality overall was impressive, with good photos even on standard
paper. On photo paper, results were even better, and it's not too slow.
Borderless 6x4in photo prints came out in 54 seconds, and text printing at eight
pages per minute in fast mode or around 34 seconds per page in high quality.
Text quality was likewise very impressive even in the fast draft mode. The only
downside – and it's a large one – is the high initial cost, but if you need a
portable printer this is definitely the one to get.
Vista compatibility: Yes
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