Brother M-Print

Entering into the mobile office arena, Brother calls its M-Print the world's smallest all-in-one mobile printer.

Measuring approximately 100 x 160 x 18mm, the metal-encased M-Print is certainly small, and it only weighs 300g so those on the go shouldn't be hampered.

However, you'll need to bring the charger to replenish the lithium-ion battery if you print continuously on about 100 of the custom-designed A7 pages.

A7 equates to 7.4 x 10.5cm and is made of fax-like thermal paper. You are supplied with a cleverly designed 50-sheet cardboard cassette, which fits under the springloaded sliding lid.

The M-Print connects to a Windows PC or notebook via the USB port, and by infrared for a PDA running Pocket PC.

On a PDA, images or text can be copied to the clipboard for printing, or you can print all your information or take a screengrab.

When printing from a PC, the M-Print uses a conventional printer driver with settings for A4 to A7 scaling, media auto-detection and binary, dither and error diffusion for graphics.

The Spotsnap software comes with templates and integrated text, image, calendar and table editors, and you can also capture and import any part of your PC screen.

With a resolution of 300 x 300 dots per inch (dpi) the monochrome print quality is like a fax machine - a virtue of the M-Print's direct thermal print head.

While images look rather mottled, text is sharp from 8point upwards. On average, print speed is around 3.8 pages per minute for text, but this drops for photographic images - our test image took 34 seconds.

Even given the nature of the print quality, the M-Print is a triumph in miniaturisation, and should appeal to mobile professionals.

SPECS

• Direct thermal print head technology
• 300 x 300dpi resolution
• 100page battery life
• 15secs/page print speed at seven per cent coverage
• 300g
• 100 x 160 x 18mm (w x d x h)
• USB and infra-red connection
• Windows 98, upwards and Pocket PC

£249 (£211.91 ex VAT)

Contact: Brother 0161 931 2354
www.brother.co.uk

SCORE ***