What printer?

[artymac]

Has anyone any advice or experience with a boat friendly, compact, A4, colour inkjet printer to print chartlets from an internet source.
Hope I'm not repeating an existing question, but a quick scan through the forum contents drew a blank.

[offline]

My preference has never been to use an inkjet.. I've found that colors fade quickly. I've always liked laser printers.

That said my Brother PocketJet 6 works well for occasional onboard printing use. AC or battery... I get about 75 pages on battery power alone.

[boatman61]

I use a Canon iP90.... great little machine that fits in my computor bag with my laptop... Canon PIXMA iP90 - PIXMA Inkjet Printer - Canon UK

[PamlicoTraveler]

Would be nice to have a small 12 volt compact printer..

[Fuss]

Originally Posted by boatman61

I use a Canon iP90.... great little machine that fits in my computor bag with my laptop... Canon PIXMA iP90 - PIXMA Inkjet Printer - Canon UK

+1 for the IP90
it runs on battery and you can use it with bluetooth which means absolutely no wires connected to it.

[Chark]

So far so good with an HP h470. Uses Bluetooth or wi-fi, runs with battery or 12V adapter.

[sarafina]

I have used this printer allover the place.

Amazon.com: HP OfficeJet H470 Mobile Printer: Electronics

It has been very reliable and easy to use. It's wireless and can be used with a 12volt adapter, which would be really nice on the boat.

Over all I was surprised by how robust this baby is. Light enough to schlep around (to shore if you are going to a wifi spot and need to print stuff out?) and sturdy enough that it won't crap out on you if it gets jiggled or knocked a bit.

[Matt Johnson]

The biggest issue I have had with any printer is lack of use. It seems that I only need to print something once every few months. Every time I try to use it, the ink has dried and needs to be replaced. Would there be an options for that?

[sarafina]

Remove the ink cartridges, wipe the heads gently with damp tissue and scotch tape the heads. store them in a little plastic bag.

[artymac]

Thanks to everyone for the replies. Since posting the question I've come across further posts in another section. Quite a lot of people like the HP printers. I'm also looking into the smaller Kodak multi function units with fewer ink cartridges. The kit will probably be used via an inverter on a catamaran, so size and robust construction are important.

[Rangiroo]

Originally Posted by boatman61

I use a Canon iP90.... great little machine that fits in my computor bag with my laptop... Canon PIXMA iP90 - PIXMA Inkjet Printer - Canon UK

Absolutely spot on! There is the ip100 out now and the ip90 is discontinued. There is a 12V adapter around that you can buy for this printer. It is compact and prints beautifully....highly recommended.

[Palarran]

I just bought the smallest and cheapest HP flatbed available at our local electronics mega store. It cost $69. I figure if the ink cartridges go bad it's cheaper to throw the printer away then buy new cartridges. The printer is maybe 14" x 10" x 5", so pretty small.

[smurphny]

Also use a HP inkjet, a D4300, but would like to be able to use a simple b&w laser printer. Have a couple of them at home but they will not operate on the pure sine converter on boat. Has anyone had any luck with lasers aboard?

[Doodles]

Originally Posted by Rangiroo

Absolutely spot on! There is the ip100 out now and the ip90 is discontinued. There is a 12V adapter around that you can buy for this printer. It is compact and prints beautifully....highly recommended.

I live aboard and have been using the iP100 for about two years now and no complaints.

Canon PIXMA iP100 Color Ink-jet printer - 20 ppm - 50 sheets

[gettinthere]

there are two styles of printers. One puts the ink nozzle in the printer and one puts the nozzle in the cartridge.

If you do a lot of printing, the nozzle in the printer nets you cheaper cartridges.
BUT, if you don't do a lot of printing, that nozzle will clog from lack of use, and you need to clean the nozzle or replace the printer. Some nozzles are relatively easy to clean, many are not and you waste money on cleaning methods.

If you are not doing printing on a regular basis buy a printer that has the nozzle in the cartridge. When it clogs, you replace the cartridge, not the whole printer. Most, if not all, HP printers are cartridge nozzles. I had a great Epson printer...when it worked. But nozzle cleaning was fruitless and the printer ended up in the trash.

Not sure about Canon or Kodak nozzles...