What to Expect From Portable Laser Printers
It is a known fact that laser printers have not yet been converted into portable laser printers. The reason why laser printers have not yet been converted to portable is its printing method. A laser printer prints by passing the data of a whole page using a drum. The drum in itself is a large component since it rolls along with the paper and transfers the toner ink simultaneously. However, if a laser printer is to be converted into a portable laser printer, then the following characteristics are what we will normally expect from it.
Portable inkjet printers already exist, so it cannot be helped to expect that portable laser printers should have similar characteristics. First is their size. A portable laser printer should be packaged in a size that is comfortable to carry. It should also weigh not more than 5 lbs. Any more than that will make it uncomfortable for weak people to carry. The closes thing to a portable laser printer is the Samsung ML-1630. It is advertised as a laser printer since it is currently the smallest in the laser printing industry. However, it still weighs around 14lbs. That’s almost three times the recommended weight.
Since laser printers are generally faster than inkjet printers are, they should maintain this feature even when they are converted to portable printers. The fastest inkjet printers are in the range of 60+ pages per minute while the fastest laser printer is at 200ppm. Portable laser printers should at least have the same advantage over portable inkjet printers. If we maintain that ration, since the fastest portable inkjet printer prints at a pace of 22ppm, relatively, the fastest portable laser printer should perform somewhere around 80ppm. This incredible speed for a portable printer is enough to allow you to do heavy tasks even if you’re not in your office.
Similar to desktop laser printers, portable laser printers should be able to maintain their low printing cost per page. Because their toner cartridges provide higher yield compared to inkjet printers, the cost to print a single page using a laser printer is cheaper than using an inkjet printer. The fact that it is converted into portable printers should not affect this property of laser printers.
Desktop laser printers normally have hotter temperatures when printing. This is because of the existence of fusers that help bond the toner to the paper. This increase in temperature should be minimized with portable laser printers. The heat should be contained so that it should not make anyone comfortable to its touch. It is a portable gadget and one would expect it to be held even when it is running or operating.
Portable laser printers should at least be able to interface with various portable products such as PDAs, laptops and mobile phones. Portable inkjet printers are capable of doing this so the same should be expected from portable laser printers.
One really expects a lot from a device that will certainly push portable inkjet printers to obsolescence. However, one should still expect these things to be far more expensive than inkjet printers. After all, you’re putting all the good characteristics of a desktop printer into one small package.
