Few people, when packing for a trip, would consider bringing along a printer.
Big and bulky printers don't make good travel mates.
But, like so many other technology products, printers have gotten ever smaller and lighter, and plenty of viable choices for portable printers have appeared in recent years.
Whether you need to print contracts, invoices, reports, photos, or labels, you can find one that will do the job, and be convenient enough to take with you anywhere you may need it.
A Printer for Every Device
The growth in the number and variety of portable printers has also been spurred by the huge number of portable devices—whether laptops, tablets, or smartphones—with which you can view documents or photos.
With the skyrocketing popularity of mobile devices have come mobile printers that can handle varied input, including files received over various wireless protocols, from traditional Wi-Fi to peer-to-peer connections such as Wi-Fi Direct that don't require the use of a Wi-Fi network at all.
Some printers, both photo and document models, can print on odd-size paper.
Business travelers should consider the traditional (if petite) document printers designed to output letter-size content from computers, at a quality you'd expect from desktop inkjets.
Consumers who want to print and hand out snapshots at parties or other events will want a photo printer that can churn out 4-by-6-inch (and, in some cases, 5-by-7-inch) prints from memory cards or USB keys, or from computers or mobile devices over a wired or wireless connection.
Portable All-In-One Printers
A small handful of portable all-in-one printers—which can print, scan, and copy while being compact enough to easily fit in a travel bag—are available, too.
If you can't do without both a printer and a scanner while on the road, now you no longer have to worry about lugging around two separate devices.
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Most of these devices offer batteries (standard or optional), so you need not be near a wall outlet to print.
Some of the smallest models can wirelessly print wallet-size photos exclusively from smartphones or tablets.
Then there are label makers, some of which print from label programs installed on a computer, and others that are standalone models.
Whether you need something that can spit out photos, generate documents, or print labels while you're on the go, one of these portable printers should fit the bill.
If you're looking for a full-size printer, check out our overall top recommended models or our top-rated laser printers.
In the market for a more specialized printer? Read about the best photo printers or even the best 3D printers.
