How many times have you taken a picture with your cell phone and wanted to print and share it right away? Or how handy would it be to print movie tickets and coupons from your car when at the theatre or store. How nice would it be to print out a personalized business card when on a business call? When we think of printers we still think of the desktop kind that are big, plugged in and bulky. However, a new generation of portable photo printers makes it easy to print when in your car, at a store, at a party, on vacation, etc.

There are several ways you can compare the quality of portable photo printers: resolution, speed (at this time anything under a minute is excellent), color quality, and the number of prints it can print between ink refills. You should also compare the editing tools that come with your printer, such as the ability to crop photos and adjust brightness levels. Also, make sure the model you are looking into is truly portable; anything over five pounds is not really.

Some portable printers are wireless and others are not. Obviously the wireless printers are more handy, but they do burn through batteries quickly and can be slower. The versions that plug in almost always come with a car adapter. All of these printers do not need to be attached to a computer in any way, but some allow you to insert a CD and print directly that way.

Portable photo printers can be used at home in a pinch as well. If your printer jams, or your power goes out, for example, you can still print if you have a portable model. In addition, these printers can come in handy when you have an "ink emergency" and your desktop printer can't print what you want it to.

As portable printing technology matures it is certain that the price and size of these units will come down. They are already small enough and inexpensive enough to warrant your consideration, though, and as you experience their many uses, and the ways they can make your life easier and simpler, you will be convinced not to wait.

There are many reviews of portable photo printers on line. You are likely to find that they differ a lot in the dimensions previously mentioned. Know what you want from your printer - how you are going to use it, what features you need, and what exactly you'll be printing - before you go to the store to buy one. If you do choose to buy one, you will enjoy this handy little machine!

For more information about portable photo printers, please see http://www.portablephotoprinters.net. Coming soon: An article about mini laptops which can be the perfect compliment to portable printers. For now, please see http://www.minilaptops.org for more information.