portable printers

larry l

I travel a lot for work in very remote areas (right now I'm in Afghanistan) and have a lot of great opportunities for photos. I love to take pictures of the people I work with and encounter and, of course, they always would love to have a copy. Sometimes I can make this work by finding a place that can print from a cd or flash drive but it's always an immense hassle.

Does anyone know of a very portable (and I do mean very portable) printer that can print photos (even moderate quality is quite acceptable) and is not horrible on ink consumption?

Thanks in advance for any assistance or suggestions.

pathfinder

For remote unsupported travel, would you consider a Polaroid?? A fairly simple camera and printer all in one.

Most of the 4x6 portable printers are not very small and I doubt would fare well carried on someone's back in a humid climate.

cmason

Canon Selphy printers are very compact, and very easy to travel with. Prints are fabulous, you can not distiguish between this and standard snapshot prints (walmart, target, eckards, etc).this is a 4x6 printer only, btw.

I keep my Selphy 400 in my camera bag, along with a tray of paper (30). The printer itself is roughly the size of two VHS cassettes, perhaps just a tad shorter. This is a dye-sub, so the ink in on a roll, and a roll of ink lasts for a tray of paper. A pack of 100 sheets and ink is $30, so it is economical to use.

You can plug it into your camera and print from it, via Pictbridge, and I believe they may a model that is battery powered... highly recommended.


edit: here is a review of the battery powered model: http://www.steves-digicams.com/2005_reviews/cp600.html

Antonio Correia

I had the ideia of taking pictures of people and offer the picture at once.
People are so happy that they allow you to shoot 15 photos in a row.
Polaroid can be a solution.
But the pictures don't last long...
May be these from the Canon machine will last longer.
It' an affordable solution and very kind.

One more stuff to carry around and more problem in the airports with the ink.
Specialy if you are not Americam and travel to or, in USA...

pathfinder

cmason wrote:

Canon Selphy printers are very compact, and very easy to travel with. Prints are fabulous, you can not distiguish between this and standard snapshot prints (walmart, target, eckards, etc).this is a 4x6 printer only, btw.

I keep my Selphy 400 in my camera bag, along with a tray of paper (30). The printer itself is roughly the size of two VHS cassettes, perhaps just a tad shorter. This is a dye-sub, so the ink in on a roll, and a roll of ink lasts for a tray of paper. A pack of 100 sheets and ink is $30, so it is economical to use.

You can plug it into your camera and print from it, via Pictbridge, and I believe they may a model that is battery powered... highly recommended.


edit: here is a review of the battery powered model: http://www.steves-digicams.com/2005_reviews/cp600.html

Pretty cool. I missed this.

30 cents per print!! Wow !!!

larry l

very cool solution, any others
This looks very cool and I may order one. Any others? Anything that may offer print capabilities as well? This may be hard to beat, thanks for the information.

cmason

larry l wrote:

This looks very cool and I may order one. Any others? Anything that may offer print capabilities as well? This may be hard to beat, thanks for the information.

There are several models to choose from, all print essentially the same. Epson makes a similar system as well, though it is not as compact, and uses ink jet. Sony makes a model as well I believe.

I'll try to post some pics of the printer, so you can see the size of it. The prints are fabulous, and the printer puts a smudge-proof and waterproof clear layer over the print as a final step, so they are very durable.

larry l

CMason, thanks a lot. You're the type of person who really makes this forum great - I do plan to order one when I get back and it will probably be this system as I like its compact size and print system.

Most of the time the people really do love to have their picture taken and the camera can be a great ambassador. However, so often folks promise to send a print but simply cannot deliver or just never do it. This strains credibility and makes it harder for the next photographer as well as being unfair and unkind. I must say, though, that when time allows getting prints made in foreign countries can be a real adventure. Yesterday we spent most of an afternoon getting around 30 prints of locals made and it was a trip. It took us an hour and a lot of walking (not something very advisable in Kabul) to find a place and then about 2 hours to get them printed. It was fun, very interactive and we came away with some great gifts.

Thanks to all who have responded to date. If anyone has more information, please jump in.

cmason

Here are some pics to help you judge the size:

This showing the photo sheet tray attached, and the USB ports open...



This one showing the size of the printer, compared to a VHS tape and CD box (love Mr. Bean!)




And finally, the printer at home in my backpack..this is a Lowepro Computrekker AW.

Antonio Correia

Mason,
Thank you for all the information provided.
I think I am going to Morrocco next month and I have to search the cost of this equipmment in this country.
:

larry l

Mason, thanks again, I just ordered one.