The primary purpose of this blog, the mission statement if you will, is to give stubborn truckers a bit of a nudge in the direction of accepting and using technology that enhances the enjoyment of our over-the-road lifestyle. To that end; the other day I waxed eloquently regarding the many virtues, and the value of using, a handy little program known as the Drivers Daily Log. I love the program, I use the program, and I recommend that you at least give it a try.
In my case, because the log auditing program my company uses is, currently (that may soon change), incompatible with any of the available print modules offered by DDL; I use the program, first, to ensure my daily logs are accurate & error free and, two, to take advantage of all the other features contained within the program. I do happen to print out log pages but, because of the way I use it, I wouldn't necessarily have to. You, however, might find that you'll be able to use the program as your one and only method of maintaining daily logs. If that's the case you absolutely, positively, must include a portable printer within the list of gadgets you tote around the country with you.
Now, I know that gadget preference is a subjective thing. If I say that portable printer A is far better than portable printer B I'll be deluged with an email from half my readers (I'm pretty sure I've got at least two) telling me what an idiot I am. Even if I did extensive product testing on several models the results would still be subject to my individual situation and my own bias. So I'm not going to recommend any one printer. I'm going to tell you which printer I use and I'm going to tell you which printers I considered for use; period. Okay, I lied. I'll tell you which printer I bought and then I'll tell you why I didn't buy the others I considered.
The HP Deskjet 460wf Mobile Printer, shown here with the auto/truck adapter, is my printer of choice. Why? No good reason. I just happen to like HP products. Both my home printers and my laptop, which are made by HP, have given me great service and performance so, when it was time to find a travel printer, I looked, first, for an HP product that would do the job. I mean, I DID check out a few online reviews and, in doing so, I found out that the Deskjet 460 Mobile is well regarded by nearly everyone. So I bought one and, now, I'm included in the list of people that regard it well.
The Canon PIXMA i90 is considered one of the best portable photo printers on the market but, for me, photo printing was of secondary, not primary, consideration; and the i90 isn't known for it's text printing prowess. Why, you ask? Simple, the ink cartridges are very small, run dry relatively quickly, and are slightly more expensive, when measured on a per page basis, than those used in the HP Deskjet 460. The i90 though, unlike preceding models, attempts to address this issue by introducing two ink saving features: "Save Black Ink", similar to the Draft mode on other printers, and "Use Composite", which instructs the color cartridge to create pseudo-black when the true-black well runs dry. Unfortunately, when I tried it, I could barely read the text printed in "Save Black Ink" mode so I never even tried the "Use Composite" mode.
I know I make it sound like there's no reason for you to consider purchasing the i90 but that's just not so. If you want to create quality photo prints on the road this printer should jump to the top of your list. Further, even though the per page cost of each text printed page is somewhat higher than that of the HP Deskjet 460, the Canon PIXMA i90 is an extremely well built and reliable travel printer designed for the rigors of the road; well worth your consideration.
Measuring just 10 inches wide, 2.25 inches deep and 1.25 inches thick I was really excited by the Pentax PocketJet 3; then I found out how much it cost and how expensive it was to use. Available from various outlets for prices approaching or exceeding $400, depending on the model and retailer's greed quotient, the high cost of the PocketJet 3 continues long after the initial purchase. Nope, I know you're thinking the ink cartridges are the high-cost culprits but...you're wrong. The PocketJet 3 is a thermal printer so it doesn't even use ink; it uses thermal paper that costs 11 cents per sheet. Yep, you read that right, a ream of precut paper will set you back $55. On top of that, thermal paper emits a faint chemical smell and, if exposed to sunlight, can darken over time; obscuring the printed text or image. Taking all the drawbacks into consideration my initial excitement faded into apathy. You can buy this printer if you want; I just don't care anymore.
There's a few more things to keep in mind regarding Over-the-Road printing but those things will just have to keep for another post.
Remember taking and shaking Polaroid pictures? Yeah, me too. Well, as progress driven fate would have it, the digital age has sent yet another formerly ubiquitous gadget to the growing junk heap of nostalgia. 
Recent Comments