Canon Pixma iP100 Mobile Printer Review

The design

Canon makes the iP100 body stylish but straightforward, and the matte silver body has curved edges and classy black trim. The overall visual appeal is sharp enough for business meetings and presentations.

The top cover and iP100 paper tray fold neatly into the printer body for easy transportation. If you have a big enough laptop bag, you might be able to shift iP100 next to your PC.

Print Quality and Performance

IP100 print quality ranges from average to spectacular. It creates a text document with mostly clear letters, but sometimes some characters seem a bit more blurred than others.

The photo quality is consistently outstanding. I print 4 x 6 and 8 x 10 images. IP100 provides the smallest detail of a colorful landscape with sharp lines and real colors. The ink doesn’t dry out instantly, but after a minute or two, you don’t need to worry about stains.

IP100 is also fast. It completes one page of a Word document that is laden with text in less than 15 seconds, and it takes only one minute to take out nine more pages.

I print unlimited 4 x 6 photos in 50 seconds and 8 x 10 pictures in 2:46. Both speeds are faster than the previous Canon model, iP90.

Helpful Features

You can connect your PictBridge-enabled camera directly to iP100 and immediately make prints. As an alternative, you can transfer images via IrDa’s infrared capability, or pay $ 50 for optional Bluetooth connectivity.

Canon offers a series of optional accessories to make your iP100 even more useful on the go. The car adapter costs $ 89, or you can choose a $ 99 battery pack that works about three hours before you have to fill it in again.

IP100 Printer: The Bad

The high cost is the biggest drawback on iP100. The printer itself is quite expensive. But ink cartridges are also costly. The small black cartridge sells for $ 12, and the tri-color cartridge is $ 17. In the end, you will spend about 25 cents for 4 x 6 full color and about 3 cents for a letter-sized black and white text.

Without an optional battery, your only power choice is an AC adapter, which is not ideal for many tasks when traveling. So, unless your planned usage includes constant access to electrical outlets, you must take into account the cost of the car adapter or battery.

And if you need very sharp text documents for business use, iP100 is a questionable choice.

Good Overall Value

Portable inkjet printers are exclusive products aimed at people who need prints when traveling. You will sacrifice quality and speed by choosing a mobile printer like the iP100, but very few printers can offer this kind of performance in a compact package.