Have you ever taken a printer as a travelling companion? They’re like people addicted to home comforts –who take their widescreen TV though it means carrying miles of extension cord. They might be fantastic people, but the baggage they insist on means they’re better left at home.
Until now.
We can’t recommend buying new friends when you go travelling. However, we can point to PlanOn’s PrintStik PS905ME: the world’s smallest printer. The PrintStik measures 2x2x11 inches – less than a 30cm ruler. Were it a person, you’d call it anorexic.
What’s more, the PrintStik weighs only 1.5lb – including the rolls of thermal paper and ink cartridges. Holding the Printstik is like holding a pebble - managed even by the weediest print-needy person. Jack the Printstik to your laptop or PDA, and you’re print happy anywhere.
Of course, all this portability doesn’t come without a cost. Paul Jasper of PCWorld.com writes that the Printstik print-outs recall an ‘old fashioned fax machine.’ This is because the Printstik forgoes inkjets in favour of thermal heating – convenient, but not very pretty.
Moreover, the Printstik’s cartridges generate only 20 sheets before they wither – and cost $25 for a packet of 3. A speedy deduction (or copying someone that’s already done the work) tells you that’s 33c for each printout. The printout from an average inkjet is roughly 10 times cheaper.
On the greener side, the Printstik uses rechargeable Lithium-ion polymer batteries. These beauties: (1) keep the landfills manageable and (2) use less energy than plug-in printers. You can print green while printing on the green!
Whether printing anywhere compensates for the Printstiks’s quality the buyer must judge for themselves. PlanOn’s website lists the Printstik at $199-$349 – depending on whether you opt for a Nylon case and car charger. The Printstik won’t replace your inkjet, but might beat a 50 mile extension cord.
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