travel color printer reviews

Best portable printers in 2024: Our top picks

The best portable printers let you print at home, at work and on the road

• Best overall
• Best for biz
• Best portability
• How to choose
• How we test

It's fun to be able to print wherever you are, whether you're on a business trip or relaxing on a beach—and the best portable printers make it easy.

I know because my team and I review portable printers from the top companies every year, and we keep an eye out for the real gems that are all-star performers, killer values or just plain perfect for slipping in a bag or purse before a trip.

Most of the time I point people towards the HP OfficeJet 250 because it offers most of the functionality and value of a full printer in a fairly portable package. But if you just need a good portable photo printer at a great value, the Canon Pixma TR150 is our top recommendation for those on a budget.

Read on for the full list of our most recommended photo printers and why, with detailed on-page reviews and results of our testing so you can make a more informed buying decision.

The quick list

In a hurry? Here's a quick list of the best portable printers we recommend.

We recommend the HP OfficeJet 250 as the best portable printer for most because it's fast to copy, scan and print on the go. The color touchscreen is also nice, and though it is a bit pricey we think it's worth the expense.

Read more below

The Canon Pixma TR150 is a great portable printer if you're on a budget because it's $200 or less and small enough to fit in a backpack, yet prints great photos and documents. 

The Epson WorkForce EC-C110 is our most commonly recommended portable printer for business use because it's built for business printing and has a lower cost per page printed than other printers on this list.

Alex Wawro is a lifelong journalist who's spent over a decade covering tech, games and entertainment. He oversees the computing department at Tom's Guide, which includes managing printer coverage.

The best portable printers you can buy now

Why you can trust Tom's Guide Our writers and editors spend hours analyzing and reviewing products, services, and apps to help find what's best for you. Find out more about how we test, analyze, and rate.

The best overall

1. HP OfficeJet 250

Specifications, reasons to buy, reasons to avoid.

This HP OfficeJet 250 maximizes what you can do on the go, offering fast copying and scanning, in addition to fast print speeds—with high image quality across the board. This portable printer is on the pricey side, but it offers a lot of features and performance in a compact package. The most immediate payoff is a large, 2.6-inch color touch screen, which makes for easy operation.

Better yet is a small, 10-page automatic document feeder for copying and scanning. This is the only portable printer we've tested that offers copy and scan functions, but with no flatbed scanner, the printer draws paper through the body of the OfficeJet for scanning and copying. Scans weren't always straight, and the paper path's 60-degree bend left me nervous about it possibly damaging photos. But having scanning and copying capability on the go is well-worth these compromises.

The OfficeJet 250 printed text very quickly from a PC, at 9 ppm. On battery power, text printed at 7 ppm. The OfficeJet 250 also printed quickly our six-page PDF of text and color graphics, taking 1:57, compared with the average of 2:27. Photo printing was extremely fast, as well. A 4 x 6-inch glossy photo printed in just 37.6 seconds, at default settings, and in just under 50 seconds at the high-quality setting. The closest competitor, the HP Tango X, took 1:15. The OfficeJet also was the fastest when printing from an iPhone, making a photo print in 42.9 seconds. 

Copy and scan speeds were fast, making a color copy in 19.5 seconds, compared with the average of 28.7 seconds for desktop inkjets. The OfficeJet made a black-and-white copy in 13.1 seconds, versus the 16-second desktop average. It made a 600 dpi color scan to JPEG in 1 minute and 21 seconds, and a 300 dpi black-and-white scan to PDF in 20.1 seconds (desktop models average 11 seconds).

Best of all, the speed didn't come with any trade-off in image quality. The very high-quality photo prints had rich, well-saturated colors, pleasing midtone transitions, and lots of fine details. Text documents printed with dark letterforms and edges looked quite sharp. Graphics on plain paper were equally attractive. Document scans looked accurate, with only some sharpness lost on text edges. Photo scans were attractive, with accurate colors and plenty of detail.

The HP OfficeJet offers mobile and cloud printing, but there are some quirks. Using the HP Smart iPhone app was problematic—the app turned a five-page .doc file into a four-page document, while the .docx version was reformatted onto six pages. Photos printed from the Box cloud storage service did not print in full. Roughly two-thirds of the photo would print—but the rest of the paper was left blank.

Ink costs for printing text documents are about average for portable printers, at 9 cents each. With standard cartridges, cost per color page is high, at 23 cents per page. Using high-yield cartridges, you can lower this to 17.3 cents, though this is still higher than the 15.5 cents per color page you get with the Canon iP110 when using standard cartridges. You can save even more money by using HP Instant Ink , HP's subscription service for ink refills by mail.

The best value

2. Canon Pixma TR150

Our expert review:

One of our favorite portable printers is the Canon Pixma TR150, a compact inkjet that's small enough to carry in a backpack, but still offers excellent document and photo printing. With a two-cartridge ink system and printing for text documents, graphics and even glossy photos, the Pixma TR150 is a solid choice for portable printing. It doesn't offer copy or scan functionality, but at $199, it's also a great option for your pocketbook.

An optional battery lets you use it when you're away from a wall outlet, but even without it, the Canon Pixma TR150 is one of the most portable and travel-friendly printers out there, weighing less than the HP OfficeJet 250 and offering a more affordable print-only option.

The Pixma TR150 measures a compact 12.7 x 7.3 x 2.6 inches when closed, and weighs just 4.5 pounds – and weighs only 5.1 pounds with an optional battery attached. It opens up to a larger size, accommodating a 50-page paper tray, a basic control panel and plenty of connectivity, so long as you don't need a card slot.

It also offers excellent print speeds, a five-page document in 38.7 seconds, or 7.8 ppm.

In addition to its great mobility, the portable Pixma TR150 made high-quality photos faster than other competing portable printers, and delivered excellent color and detail. It can also handle larger photo prints, but unlike some of our photo printing favorites, there is no copy or scan capability. You do get a solidly-built portable printer with optional battery and even support for Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant voice controls, but we love it for the great photos and low ink costs it offers.

Read our full Canon Pixma TR150 review .

The best for business

3. Epson WorkForce EC-C110

Of the four models outfitted with a battery, the Epson WorkForce EC-C110 is the least expensive. With the WorkForce moniker, this mobile printer is sold by business equipment resellers, and might be the best portable printer for business users. Of the inkjet models here, it is the lightest, weighing just 3.5 pounds.

You lift the lid and lean it back to serve as the 20-sheet input tray. Doing so reveals a small, 1.4-inch color LCD and four-way control buttons. Prints come out a slot on the front panel. You can use the LCD and buttons to change settings, configure Wi-Fi, and so on. You also need it to confirm the paper size, which I was prompted to do every time I loaded paper. 

The EC-C110's print speeds were slower than the average. Text printed at 5.8 ppm, versus the average of 6.9 ppm. Running on battery power slowed the EC-C110 substantially: Text printing slowed to 3.4 ppm. Our six-page PDF of mixed text and color graphics more slowly than any other inkjet in this roundup, taking 3:16, or 1.8 ppm. The average was 2.4 ppm.

The EC-C110 printed a photo at default settings from a PC via USB in 1:11. Printing at high resolution slowed the EC-C110 to 3:59. Over Wi-Fi Direct at high-quality settings from an iPhone was agonizingly slow, taking 5:28 to print one photo; printing a second snapshot took almost 7 minutes.

Print quality was high across the board. Text looked dark and sharp, though the letter edges looked a little rough up close. Color graphics printed with natural-looking colors and sharp details. Glossy photos looked very attractive.

Costs per page are better than the portable printers average. Estimated costs per page are 8.8 cents for text and 17.8 cents for color.

I ran into a glitch when trying to print 4 x 6-inch photos from a Windows 10 PC. In the print driver, an error said, "photo doesn't fit on selected paper." The online FAQ did not help, but changing the default paper size to 4-x-6 in the Windows 10 printing preferences solved the issue.

When printing with an iPhone, the EC-C110 had a tendency to drop the Wi-Fi Direct connection before I could finish printing. Resetting the connection and re-entering the password seemed to solve this issue.

Cloud printing may not always be seamless. The Epson iOS app reflowed text in .doc files opened from Box, the online storage service, turning a five-page document into a seven-page reflow that would not be worthy of a business meeting.

This Epson WorkForce model delivers below-average costs per page, Wi-Fi Direct connectivity, an LCD and control panel buttons, but low battery life and slower-than-average print speeds limit its appeal.

View our Epson coupon codes to help you save on the Epson WorkForce EC-C110

The best for portability

4. Brother PocketJet 773

The Brother PocketJet 773 offers a convenient way to print documents in a very compact package. It's the smallest and lightest printer in this roundup. Being a direct thermal printer, it prints only in black-and-white and uses special thermal-reactive paper instead of standard printer paper. It does not print onto photo papers. Because it doesn't use ink cartridges, you don't have to worry about running out of ink.

Designed to work in settings such as a police patrol car (for which there is a vehicle mount), the PocketJet 773 works with roll paper and fan-folded paper, in addition to individual sheets. Accessories include rugged cases for roll paper and fanfold paper, and a cigarette lighter adapter. 

The PocketJet 773 prints text documents from a PC with dark letterforms with very sharp edges, however, some text looked lumpy around the edges, reminiscent of a dot-matrix printer.  Text quality was also low in text documents printed from an iPhone. Graphics (converted to black-and-white) looked very pixelated, with obvious banding and flat black shadows.  On occasion, the PocketJet printed pages that were crooked or cropped incorrectly. This may have been due to following a print too quickly with a fresh page (you must feed one sheet at a time).

The PocketJet 773 printed more slowly than the mobile inkjet printers we tested. It was the slowest at printing our five-page text document (1:02). It also was the slowest at printing our six-page mixed text and graphics PDF (3:46), even though it was printing it in black-and-white (the inkjets printed it in color).

Going mobile isn't cheap. A battery runs for $123.99. And be careful when buying the printer online, since it is generally sold on its own, without the power cable or battery needed to power it.

Paper isn't cheap, either. Direct thermal printers require specialty thermal paper, a hundred sheets of which costs  $13.99, or 14 cents per page. But if you don't mind curling paper or folded paper, you have options. A 600-sheet continuous roll of thermal paper lowers printing costs to 10.3 cents per page. Fanfold paper costs 9.5 cents per page. By contrast, desktop inkjet printers offer costs per text page of 7.7 cents with standard cartridges, and 5.9 cents with high-yield cartridges, on average. 

The price is high on this compact thermal printer. But if you need a rugged and unobtrusive printer to generate necessary documents on the go, without fear of running out of ink, the PocketJet 773 is a good place to start.

How to choose the best printer for you

When selecting a portable printer, you'll want to consider a few key factors, such as how you intend to use the printer, what your document printing needs are and what level of portability will be best suited to your circumstances.

Printing needs: Do you need color printing or even photo printing capability? All of the printers listed above are inkjet models, except the Brother PocketJet 773, which is a direct thermal printer and only prints in black-and-white. The HP OfficeJet 250 is the only model with an automatic document feeder for copying and scanning. 

Portability: Portability is largely a question of size and weight. The HP Tango X is the largest of the bunch, measuring 15.3 x 24.4 x 10.2 inches (W x D x H) when printing and weighs 7.5 pounds. The Brother PocketJet 773, meanwhile, is a slim bar of a printer that weighs only one pound. Measuring just 10 x 2.2 by 1.2 inches (W xD x H), it's unobtrusive and very unlikely to get in the way, even in cramped environments, such as a car.

Battery: Most also have optional batteries, letting you print even when there's no outlet to use for power. These are accessories that need to be bought in addition to the printer itself, so plan your purchase accordingly. Many of these printers also offer car-charging options, which are ideal for use in a vehicle while out making sales calls or printing during a road trip.

Functions: Most of these portable models are single-function printers. They are too small to have a flatbed scanner for copying and scanning. One model does scan and copy, however: The HP OfficeJet 250. It has a partial lid that you fold forward to reveal a slender automatic document feeder. In addition, the HP Tango X offers what HP calls "copy" and "scan" functions via the smartphone HP Smart app. However, all this really amounts to is using your phone to take a picture (or "scan" if you will) of a document and then print it (or "copy," in HP Smart parlance). As outlined in our full review of the HP Tango X, the results were sub-par.

Price range: To help you find the right mobile printer, we considered a range of models and chose five products that we felt best represented the variety available. The printers we reviewed are priced from $200 to almost $500 (including accessories, such as a battery). Prices in this article include a battery, in some cases as part of a kit, except for the HP Tango X, which does not offer a battery option.

How we tested these printers

To test portable printers, we performed a variety of everyday tasks. To make the results comparable to desktop inkjet printers, we performed a few of the same printing speed tests, from a Windows 10 laptop: A five-page text document, and a six-page PDF with text and graphics.

While desktop models printed text pages at 8.8 ppm, on average, the portables were not far behind, at 6.9 ppm. The portable printers almost matched the desktop printers' 2.7 ppm average on color graphics, clocking in at 2.4 ppm. This average excludes the Brother PocketJet 773 because it prints only in black-and-white (and even so printed only at 1.6 ppm on this test).

For photo speed, we printed a 4 x 6-inch glossy snapshot. The Brother PocketJet 773, however, does not print on photo papers and was excluded from this test.

To test portability, we focus on the wireless and battery-powered functions of the printer. We perform a wireless network setup, evaluating the ease of use for connecting on the go. We also print from a laptop and smartphone using Wi-Fi Direct, and gauge the differences in performance compared to wired and outlet-powered printing. 

Check out all of our printer coverage:

Best printers | Best all-in-one printers | Best photo printers | Best laser printers  

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Here at Tom’s Guide our expert editors are committed to bringing you the best news, reviews and guides to help you stay informed and ahead of the curve!

Alex Wawro is a lifelong tech and games enthusiast with more than a decade of experience covering both for outlets like Game Developer, Black Hat, and PC World magazine. A lifelong PC builder, he currently serves as a senior editor at Tom's Guide covering all things computing, from laptops and desktops to keyboards and mice. 

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• forrie603 It's barely 2023, how can these be the "best of" the year at this point? Reply
• hedgey I will never get another HP. I have the desk jet and I am not exaggerating when I say I have problems every single week. Either it doesn't print or it doesn't scan or both. I have spent more time on the phone with their "helpers" than I have with my friends in the past year. And each time they swear they have fixed the problem. Then I am able to print for a day or tow, and it's broken again. Never again. Reply
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Best portable printers of 2024

We review the best portable printers for printing on the go.

• Best overall
• Best for photos
• Best for groups
• Best all-in-one
• Best for Mac
• How to choose
• How we test

1.  Best overall 2. Best Epson 3. Best Canon 4. Best HP 5. Best for photos 6. Best for groups 7. Best all-in-one 8. Best for Mac 9. How to choose 10. How we test

The best portable printers are ideal for maximum flexibility, letting you print documents, images, or photos on the go. 

Don't let the size of these portable printers fool you. While they may be more compact than traditional printers, these top models from the likes of Epson , Brother, and HP are packed with technology that won't compromise of print quality. 

Our team of reviewers have tested all the best printers for the home, office, and on-the-go, and when it comes to compact models, these are the ones we recommend. 

As part of our review process, we check the overall design, portability, weight, connectivity, build quality, and printing costs. We also time print speeds, assess print quality, and check resolutions.  Since mobile connection is vital for any portable printing, we explore how easy it is to connect to computers, phones, and tablets. Where we haven't performed hands-on tests, we've used our own experience, and compared specs and performance to judge the best portable printers for printing any time, anywhere. 

The best portable printer in 2024

Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.

Best portable printer overall

1. Brother PocketJet PJ-773 portable printer

Specifications, reasons to buy, reasons to avoid.

By using inkless thermal print technology, which relies on fewer moving parts, Brother has reduced this portable printer to the size of a small baguette. What’s more, the only consumable you need is the special thermal paper itself, making this pocket-sized device perfect for taking on the road or carrying onto a plane. 

It comes with a power adapter and battery pack so that you can use it anywhere, and while Wi-Fi is built in, you don’t need to rely on finding a network to connect with your device because it also offers Wi-Fi Direct and a mini USB port. It prints quickly enough, with the black and white pages emerging as sharp and detailed as any laser printer. 

This printer will serve you well if you're primarily printing text. But if you want complex graphics and vivid color-accurate photos, you'll want to explore other options. 

Best portable Epson printer

2. Epson WorkForce WF-110

Our expert review:

Epson has managed to distill all of the elements of a color inkjet printer into something small enough to fit in a briefcase and possibly even a handbag. It uses four smaller-than-usual ink cartridges to produce up to A4-size prints at a very crisp and colorful 5,760 x 1,440 dpi resolution. The plastic casing is textured for grip, and when unfolded, it becomes the paper input tray which can hold up to twenty sheets of plain paper. 

The printer has a top speed of 7ppm, and using pigment ink instead of dye ink helps to deliver more smudge-resistant pages. 

The lithium-ion battery can be fast charged with the bundled charger or by connecting the supplied USB cable to any powered USB port. It doesn’t print quickly; unsurprisingly, there is no auto-duplex mode, but this is excellent quality for mobile printing.

Read the full Epson WorkForce WF-110 review

Best portable Canon printer

3. Canon PIXMA TR150 portable printer

Canon has done well to shrink this full-color inkjet printer to a size that will fit easily into a briefcase without compromising print quality. It comes with key features such as Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi Direct connectivity, an OLED screen, and the ability to store custom templates. These could be useful for repeat printing, whatever forms your business uses regularly. 

You can power it from any live USB port, like the one in your car, and an optional rechargeable battery is available. It’s compatible with AirPrint and Google Cloud Print, making it easy to print from your mobile device. 

The TR150 is quite simple to set up. You start lifting the lid and installing the print head, after which you can download the software online or insert the installation disc into your computer. Online setup is swift, you can use your phone to capture the included QR code and launch the installation process.

To save some money on Canon products, check out our Canon coupon codes . 

Best portable HP printer

4. HP OfficeJet 200 Mobile Printer

HP has managed to shrink the inkjet printer to the size of a cigar box while adding a battery compartment. The result is a highly portable device that can turn out crisp color documents at a rate of 10 per minute in mono or 7 in color. 

The portable printer has a 50-sheet paper capacity to hold up to letter-width sheets, and it can print up to 300 pages a month. Unsurprisingly, there’s no duplex mode, but it can handle envelopes and photo paper and any size up to A4. 

With Wi-Fi Direct and a USB port, you can print from anywhere with this ingenious device. However, the OfficeJet 200 doesn't come with a USB cable, and you'll need to have one if you plan to print via USB connectivity. 

Best portable photo printer

5. Fujifilm Instax Link WIDE

This pocket-sized printer will turn your smartphone into an instant camera and one with far superior print quality. Using an evolution of Kodak’s instant film technology, imprints are seared onto special photo paper without using ink cartridges. This eliminates your ink cost and simplifies the printer enough to make it highly portable and battery-powered. 

You will need to buy packs of Instax film rather than paper, and these are not cheap, but Fujifilm ’s new wide format finally yields photos of a decent size and great full-color quality.

The printer uses Bluetooth 4.2 to connect with other devices. There is a micro USB port, but it is only for charging. Although you can link the printer to a computer, you need the Instax Link Wide app on iOS or Android to run the printer.

Best portable printer for groups

6. HP Sprocket Studio

The latest HP portable photo printer line ditches ZINK for an inkjet-based system and prints on the slightly larger 10x15cm format. That means the Sprocket Studio won’t fit in your pocket, but it's also the one with the best image quality. 

The proprietary ink/paper packages are rather pricey, but the system yields vivid results and is lots of fun. 

This printer uses "dye-sublimation" to transfer layers of color onto a medium. Although it’s a slower process than the technology used in standard inkjet printers, the results are better than what you'll get from regular printers.

Up to three users can connect to it over Bluetooth and use the excellent companion app to print from. The app offers many templates and stock images to spice up your photos. 

Read the full HP Sprocket Studio review

Best portable all-in-one printer

7. HP OfficeJet 250 portable printer

This miniaturization marvel combines a scanner and full-color inkjet printer in a device that will fit in a travel bag. It also has a small display, an automatic document feed (ADF), Wi-Fi, and a rechargeable battery. 

Its especially small inkjet cartridges produce a surprisingly high yield, and the print quality and speed equal the average office inkjet. In short, this is a decent all-around desktop all-in-one that happens to have been shrunk to the size of a washbag. 

The OfficeJet 250 has a rear input tray that can hold up to 50 letter-width papers. Similar to the OfficeJet 200, it can print up to 300 pages monthly and supports manual duplexing. This printer can perform one-sided scanning and save scans to PDF, JPEG, PNG, TIFF, and other formats.

Find the best deals on HP printers with our HP discount codes .

Best portable printer for Mac

8. Brother PocketJet 763MFi portable printer

This portable printer could almost slide into a jacket pocket, yet it can print onto A4-sized paper. By using thermal imprinting, instead of impact printing which requires ink and many more moving parts, this battery-powered device requires no consumables other than the special thermal paper. 

What differentiates this model from most portable printers is the addition of MFi (Made For iPhone), making it easier to sync with Mac and iOS devices over Bluetooth. With a battery that lasts for 100 prints and no ink limitations, you really can print from anywhere with this rugged and highly portable device.

You can connect the printer to computers and smartphones through USB or Bluetooth, but since there's no Wi-Fi connectivity, you can't use Apple AirPrint, Google Cloud Print, Mopria, and other connection that rely on Wi-Fi. 

How to choose the best portable printers for you

When selecting a portable printer, you'll want to start by evaluating the machine's size, weight, and printing capacity. Smaller printers are not designed to meet heavy printing needs, so you'll want to check how many pages the printer can deliver a month. 

You'll want to assess the connectivity options. If you want a hassle-free printing experience, use a portable printer that offers wireless connectivity and support for protocols like Apple AirPrint. 

Consider whether you'll print more text-oriented material or image and graphic-oriented files. Check the cost of the ink to get a clear idea of how much you could be spending each month. Some portable printers use thermal paper instead of regular ink, but they'll offer greater portability despite the added cost. 

Lastly, check the printer's speed, multi-function capabilities, and control panel, among other things.

Have a preferred brand? We’ve tested, reviewed, and rated the  best Epson printers , best HP printers  and the  best Brother printers .  

How we test the best portable printers

Our team of expert reviewers have tested a wide-range of printers, including the best small business printers , the best ink tank printers , and the best printers for Mac . So when testing, reviewing, and comparing portable printers, we know exactly what you need to look for. But which ever type of printers we test, our rigorous review process never changes. 

We assess all our printers on our printing test bench and compare the results against the other printers we've tested. We print a standard ten-page document across all the printers to get a clear idea of their performance. The test pages have fonts of different sizes and colors, with some pages containing both images and text. 

We also calculate the running costs of the portable printers and evaluate their design, portability, build quality, connectivity features, and multi-function capabilities. For those printers we haven't had hands-on testing time, we've used our own experience with other models, dug deep into the specs, technical guides, and other literature to identify those worth considering. 

Find out more about our process in How we test, review and rate printers on TechRadar Pro .

We've tested the best photo printers - and these are the ones that made images really stand out

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The 10 Best Portable Photo Printers for 2024

Print your favorite travel photos on the go.

In This Article

• Our Top Picks
• Tips for Buying

Frequently Asked Questions

• Why Trust T + L

Travel + Leisure / Marcus Millan

Portable photo printers allow us the freedom to print our favorite images while traveling, with some models able to even print stickers, notes, or labels as well. Whether you’re on a family vacation, friends’ trip, or a wedding abroad, having a portable photo printer on hand adds the ability to share photos instantly with your whole crew. The images serve as souvenirs you don’t need to buy, and ensure that pictures don’t remain trapped on one person’s smartphone only. 

Portable printers come in all different forms, so finding a balance of desired price point, quality of photos, and portability will help dictate what kind of model you need. To help out, we’ve researched and rounded up the best options that offer a wide variety of features and while remaining user friendly.

Best Overall

Fujifilm instax mini link 2 smartphone printer.

It combines all of the best features in one pocket-sized printer.

The prints are a little pricier per sheet than other models.

Compact and lightweight, the Fujifilm Instax Mini Link 2 Smartphone Printer is an all-around best bet portable photo printer for its ease of use, fun features, and travel-friendly size. It connects wirelessly to your phone via Bluetooth and prints 2-by-3-inch photos using thermal technology in approximately 15 seconds. It’s perfect for gifting to friends and family or for decorating your own space with memories. With such an easy set-up, you can get right to printing your photos. Download the free app to print and customize your photos so you can add personalizations with decorative features, stickers, and filters like neon colors, text, spray paint, glitter, bubbles, and more. You can even print a still capture from your favorite video. The new Instaxair feature allows you to add drawings and shapes to your images as well. For printing your smartphone photos on the go, this is our top pick.

The Details: 3.6 x 1.2 x 4.8 inches | 7.4 ounces | Bluetooth | Micro USB

Best Customizable

Polaroid hi-print pocket phone printer.

You can easily customize photos with stickers, frames, and more via the app.

The photos don’t stick that well.

The Polaroid Hi-print Pocket Photo Printer is our favorite pick for personalizing photos before printing easily via Bluetooth. Add that special creative touch with the multitude of stickers, filters, frames, text, and more that can be applied in the app. This pocket-sized printer is an ideal travel companion for any situation where you want to capture the memories for a physical souvenir. One of the best features of this very portable printer is how easy it is to use. The prints are vivid thanks to the dye-sub cartridge technology used in printing, and each high-quality photo is created in less than a minute. 

The Details: 7.28 x 5.43 x 3.98 inches | 1 pound | Micro USB

Best for Smartphones

Kodak wireless mobile photo mini printer.

It’s palm-sized and connects easily to your devices for printing.

The photos print with a warmer, yellow tint.

The Kodak Step Wireless Mobile Mini Color Printer connects to any iOS or Android smartphones, as well as tablets using Bluetooth or NFC (Near Field Communication), making it a breeze to print your photos on the go. The small, lightweight device is built to travel and produces high quality photos that are resistant to smudges, rips and tears, and moisture so you can transport them worry-free. With Zink (zero ink technology) you don’t ever need to replace ink cartridges, either. Download the free Kodak app and get your creative juices flowing, adding borders, filters, frames, and more to your photos for a more personal touch on these wallet-sized images. Photos print in under a minute, and the peel-and-stick back makes it easy to attach them to your fridge, notebooks, locker, or anywhere you’d like to display your memories.

The Details: 3 x 5 x 1 inches | 8.8 ounces | Bluetooth or NFC | Micro USB 

Most Lightweight

Liene mini instant portable photo printer.

It’s ultra lightweight and portable.

The app is a bit limited.

Clocking in at less than half a pound, the Liene photo printer is our pick for the most lightweight. This will take up minimal space in your bag, making it perfect for traveling. Print your memories from your phone on the 2-by-3-inch Zink paper with the simple-to-use Bluetooth connection. The sticky-backed photo paper allows you to decorate your space or items with your favorite images, and the Liene app makes it fun to add some personality as well. Use the filters, frames, text, and more to customize your photos for yourself or friends and family and color or mono (black and white) photo paper is available for purchase. We also love that you can choose to print your photos with a border, borderless, or polaroid style. Print up to 30 photos before needing to recharge the battery on this printer, too. 

The Details: 4.92 x 3.35 x 0.98 inches | 6.4 ounces | Bluetooth | USB-C

Best for Larger Photos

Lifeprint mobile printer.

Larger 3 by 4.5 inch photos give your travel images more stunning real estate.

The battery life isn’t as good as other models.

Most portable printers produce small, wallet-sized photos, but if you’re looking for your images to be a bit bigger, the Lifeprint 3 x 4.5 Portable Photo and Video Printer is our top choice. This user-friendly printer is easy to use via Bluetooth or Wi-fi connection and the Lifeprint app. We also love the social feature within the app which allows you to connect with friends and family members to share photos from anywhere. Print a still shot from a video and use the built-in Hyperphoto technology, an Augmented Reality feature that embeds the video in the photo print and can be watched using your smartphone when held over the image. Add effects, filters, text, and more within the app to personalize your photos before printing as well.

The Details: 1.9 x 5.3 x 7.5 inches | 12 ounces | Bluetooth and Wi-fi | Micro USB

Best for Wallet-size Photos

Hp sprocket select photo printer.

It creates wallet-sized prints that are smudge, water, and tear-resistant.

Some photos might have a pink or blue tint to them when printed.

We love the HP Sprocket Select Portable Instant Photo Printer for creating wallet-sized photos (2.3 x 3.4 inches), and quickly. Set up is very straightforward, making it easy for anyone to use. Vibrant images are printed without ink using the Zink technology and can be customized in the HP Sprocket app with frames, filters, and text. Another fun feature is the ability to turn your drawings into stickers that can be added to your memories for even more of a personalized touch. The printer itself has a slim, sleek design that won’t weigh your bag down or take up too much space, making it a fantastic travel companion. The sticker-backed photo paper means you can put them virtually anywhere from your wall to a scrapbook.

The Details: 5.13 x 3.48 x 0.69 inches | 10.8 ounces | Bluetooth | Micro USB

Best for Wide Photos

Fujifilm instax link wide printer.

It’s great for landscape or group photos.

It only takes Instax Wide Instant Film.

Most portable printers produce small prints and it can be tricky to get everything in frame. Enter the Fujifilm Instax Link Wide Printer, our top choice for printing wide, polaroid-style photos that measure 3 by 5 inches. Easy to use with the free Link Wide app, printing is a breeze directly from your smartphone via Bluetooth. Within the app, you can add a personal touch, resize and crop photos, and add text or filters. Print a still shot from your favorite videos and enjoy adding a QR code to view the full video or a specially recorded message, right from the physical photo. Another excellent feature that makes this wide printer so unique is the ability to choose from two different color output options: “natural mode” or “rich mode” depending on the aesthetic you’re going for. This device is compact and lightweight as well, making it perfect for bringing along to events and on vacations.

The Details: 6.1 x 2.8 x 7.6 inches | 12 ounces | Bluetooth | Micro USB

Best for Stickers

Canon ivy 2 mini photo printer.

It’s loaded with customization options like stickers, special effects, and collage layouts.

The battery life is short.

We love the user-friendly Canon Ivy 2 Mini Photo Printer for its portability and creative sticker options. This version has upgraded photo quality, with optimized skin tone colors, contrast, and sharpness. With Zink technology, no ink is needed for printing, and images print with a sticky back so you can use the photos to decorate any space you choose. Customize your sticker photos with the collage, circle, or regular rectangle printing shape, and add fun drawings and artsy stickers, text, and more within the Canon Mini Print app. With this travel-sized printer, creativity is the name of the game.

The Details: 4.7 x 0.8 x 3.3 inches | 8.8 ounces | Bluetooth | USB-C 

Best Square Prints

Canon selphy square qx10 compact photo printer.

The prints have a coating to protect against moisture and fading.

It requires an ink cassette and only comes with an included sample size to test print three photos.

For the Instagram square print-style aesthetic, the Canon Selphy QX10 Portable Square Photo Printer is our top choice. It’s easy to set up and use, and produces vibrant, high-quality photos perfect for crafting, gifting, or decorating. Its compact size makes it portable for tagging along on your adventures and sharing the memories. Downloading the free Canon Selphy Photo Layout 2.0 app allows your creativity to flow, with stamps, stickers, a variety of borders, text, date, frames, filters, and even a painting tool so you can personalize your images. It takes about 30 seconds to print, and then you’ll have a nice physical souvenir of your favorite photos.

The Details: 1.23 x 4.02 x 5.65 inches | 15.52 ounces | Bluetooth | Micro USB

Best Budget

Huijukeji bluetooth smart pocket inkless thermal printer.

The printer comes in a fun selection of pastel colors.

It only prints in black and white.

The HuiJuKeJi Bluetooth Smart Pocket Inkless Thermal Printer is our top choice for a budget-friendly option to print photos on the go. Portable and easy to use, you can connect this device to your smartphone via Bluetooth to produce small black and white prints. The ‘Tiny Print’ app allows you to customize and print a wide variety of items, from photos to labels, shopping lists, and notes to drawings or stickers. Also within the app, features like AI painting, portrait to anime, and line art encourage creativity. The printer comes with 11 rolls of paper for printing. For a portable printer that can create more than just black and white photos, this one gets the job done at a great price point.

The Details: ‎3.2 x 3.2 x 1.77 inches | 15 ounces | Bluetooth | Micro USB

Tips for Buying Portable Photo Printers

Decide the best printer size for your needs.

A portable photo printer should be compact in size and lightweight so it’s easy to transport in your bag of choice when traveling, such as a tote, purse, or backpack. You don’t want something bulky to bring with you on the go. Portable printers are designed to produce small prints and photo stickers. If you’re in the market for a photo printer that can create high-quality, full-sized prints, you’ll need to consider something other than a portable printer.

Look at ease of connectivity and printer speed

No one wants to fumble around with cords and encounter issues with connectivity when trying to print images from a smartphone. Finding a portable model that’s user-friendly and prints at a decent speed should be a priority. Most of the top printers will connect via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, and require a free app on your smartphone to edit and print directly. If you will often be in areas where Wi-Fi is unreliable or nonexistent, consider a portable printer that connects via Bluetooth so that sending documents to print isn’t an issue. Printer speed is also a key feature to research when shopping for your portable printer, as you’ll be printing photos on the go. You don’t want to have to wait around for minutes to print just one photo. Typically, most portable printers have the ability to print one photo in under 30 seconds to one minute.

Consider print quality and ink technology

With your portable photo printer, you’ll want images that produce sharp, high-quality photos with high-resolution, if possible. Some models offer more of a vintage, polaroid look, while others print clearer and more vibrant photos. One of the aspects to look at when deciding on a portable photo printer is the ink and printing technology. Many models use Zink technology (zero ink) which has embedded crystals within each sheet of paper that prints vibrant photos using evenly distributed heating. Typically, this and dye-sublimation ink are known to offer fade-resistant prints that are also resistant to tearing and smudging. Dye-sublimation technology produces vivid, clear prints and uses ink and heat to create the image. While purchasing a printer that requires ink cassettes or cartridges might be more affordable, it’s an extra item to tote around and they are known to smudge. Thermal printers are another type of inkless printer, but they don’t produce the most high-quality or rich in color prints.

Review the paper requirements

Each photo printer will require its own type of specific photo paper based on the printing technology used as well as size. This is crucial to your photo printer working correctly (or at all). Some brands like Kodak and Fujifilm Instax sell paper made per printer model, such as if you have the wide photo printer vs. 2 by 3 inch wallet-sized. It’s key to evaluate how expensive refill packs of photo paper are when calculating the overall cost. Some photo printers do come in a bundle deal with a good starter pack of paper as that can be a more economical choice as well.

Choosing the right portable printer for your specific needs and mobility depends on many factors. While the main issue surrounds the size of the printer you’ll bring along on your travels, there are several other things to consider, too. If you plan to use your printer while out and about all day, you’ll need one with good battery life. Look at ease of use, and think about how creative you want to be with editing or customizing your photos in the app. Certain apps offer more flexibility with built-in tools and features like filters, text, frames, borders, stickers and even painting or drawing. It’s also important to decide if you want to print in color or black and white, or would like the option to do both. Additionally, the size of the prints you prefer will dictate the type of photo printer you’ll want to purchase. Most print wallet-sized or similar sized images, but there are options for wide, or even a bit larger photos (within reason). Some photo printers allow for printing stickers, drawings, labels and more, so it’s important to evaluate the capabilities that you’d like your printer to have. It’s also key to look at the ease of use and whether or not you’ll need to replace ink cartridges, regularly.

Many portable photo printers have the option to print via Wi-Fi, however it’s not necessary. Really, you just need a connection between the device you want to print from and the printer itself. Many offer Bluetooth, USB, or their own wireless connection platform within the device. Bluetooth is the most common, and is an easy way to print from your smartphone, laptop, or tablet once connected. This makes a portable photo printer truly mobile for whatever your needs are and wherever your travels take you.

Why Trust Travel + Leisure

A writer and travel photographer, T+L contributor Lauren Breedlove used her personal experience with finding the right portable photo printers for travel in order to curate this list. She also scoured the internet, researching and selecting the best portable printers to suit a wide array of needs.

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Related Articles

The 10 Best Portable Printers That Can Print Anytime, Anywhere

These models from Canon, HP, and Kodak can deliver documents and photos on the go.

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The best portable printers can be a solid alternative for those who rarely use their bulky office printer. These compact and lightweight devices offer convenient features like wireless connectivity and rechargeable batteries, allowing users to print documents and photos from a laptop or smartphone while on the go. They’re perfect for remote workers, frequent travelers, or anyone on your gift list needing occasional printing outside the office.

These days, printers can feel like a relic of a bygone era, as more people are sharing documents and photos online. Still, even as our lives are increasingly digital, physical copies hold relevance. With these handy devices, documents can be shared with coworkers, on hand to annotate, and easily kept for archival purposes. Printing photos also offers a more tactile and enduring way to preserve memories, allowing you and your family to share and reminisce without relying solely on digital screens.

While the best portable printers offer the flexibility to print anytime, anywhere, it’s important to be aware of their limitations compared to traditional desktop printers. Major brands typically only offer a few portable options, and these models often prioritize portability over features and top-of-the-line print quality. A portable printer might not be the best choice if you or your recipient needs to print complex documents or high-resolution photos. However, for situations where portability is key and users only require basic printing capabilities, portable printers can be a valuable tool.

Best Portable Printers For Printing On-the-Go

• Best Overall: Canon PIXMA TR150 Wireless Mobile Printer
• Best Budget: HP Sprocket 2x3-inch Portable Photo Printer
• Best All-in-One: Electronic Features - US" data-vars-ga-link-treatment="(not set) | (not set)" class="body-link product-links css-1n88myu e1aq0z090">HP OfficeJet 250 All-in-One Portable Printer
• Best Basic: Epson WorkForce WF-110 Wireless Portable Printer
• Best Thermal Printer: Brother PocketJet PJ883

What to Consider

Like home office printers , there are different types of portable printers to consider, including document printers, all-in-one printers, and photo printers. Each type of portable printer serves distinct purposes, but the features to look for are generally the same. The one thing they all have in common is that they run on battery power. Whether you're shopping for yourself or buying a gift for a loved one, the portable printer you choose will depend on the specific tasks you need it for and your personal preferences.

It's important to note that owning a portable printer, similar to a home office printer, comes with ongoing expenses beyond the initial purchase price. The most significant ongoing cost is replacing the ink and paper. Photo printers typically use more expensive paper compared to standard printers. These costs can vary depending on the brand, size, and quantity you purchase.

Printer Size

The name “portable printer” can be relative, as some options, while significantly smaller than office printers, are still not ultra-compact. For instance, the Canon Pixma TR150 measures 12.7 inches wide and 7.3 inches deep, allowing it to print standard 8.5 x 11-inch documents. While this size makes it suitable for travel, it’s certainly not pocket-sized. Conversely, many portable photo printers are small enough to fit in your pants pocket.

Power Source

While the portable printers on this list boast the convenience of battery power, it’s important to note that you may have to purchase a battery kit separately, increasing the overall cost. To ensure your chosen printer meets your needs, consider whether a battery is included and how long the battery will last on a full charge. Manufacturers usually specify the estimated number of pages a printer can print on a single charge. For example, HP estimates its Sprocket portable photo printer can print 35 photos before its battery needs to be recharged.

Paper Handling

Due to their compact size, portable printers generally have limited paper-handling capabilities compared to traditional office printers. Paper tray capacities are typically smaller, often holding around 10-50 sheets at once. Additionally, some models might only accept specific paper sizes, like standard letters or A4, and may not handle thicker card stock or envelopes. The same applies to portable photo printers—they generally only work with a specific paper type and size.

How We Selected

As we mentioned earlier, your options are relatively limited when it comes to portable printers. To put this list together, we researched models from the industry’s leading brands — Canon , Epson , HP , etc. — ensuring they met our criteria outlined above. We vetted each product based on size, features, and price while analyzing user reviews and insights from expert publications. Our process ensured we put together a diverse range of options, each catering to specific needs and preferences.

Canon PIXMA TR150 Wireless Mobile Printer

The Canon Pixma TR150 offers the best balance of features, quality, and price—and it’s relatively portable, weighing 5.1 pounds with the optional battery attached. The inkjet printer can print documents and photos in various sizes, from 3.5 x 3.5 inches up to 8.5 x 11 inches; it also supports various paper types, including plain, glossy photo paper, greeting cards, and U.S. #10 envelopes. The rear paper tray can hold 50 sheets of plain paper, according to Canon.

The Pixma TR150 produces excellent results, whether you’re printing text pages or graphics, even handling complex documents like a PowerPoint project. It can also turn out decent photos in a pinch despite not being a dedicated photo printer.

Compared to similar models on this list, Canon's printer is smaller and lighter while still supporting a wide range of paper sizes and types. Its battery is also rated higher than the similarly-sized printer from HP and Epson. Canon rates the printer’s maximum duty cycle at 500 prints, which is the estimated number of pages it can print in a month without experiencing significant wear and tear.

Meanwhile, the Pixma supports many of the same features as an office printer, including support for templates like prescription forms, application forms, and consent forms. The 1.44-inch monochrome OLED display and controls make it simple to navigate the printer and change settings. According to Canon, the Pixma can print up to 330 pages on a full charge, which should get you plenty of use outside the office. Unfortunately, the battery is sold separately , raising the printer’s price if you want to go mobile.

If you're looking for the best portable printer with the most features, this one's it.

HP Sprocket 2x3-inch Portable Photo Printer

The HP Sprocket is an affordable pocket-sized printer about the size of a modern smartphone, making it easy to slip into your purse, backpack, or pocket. It utilizes Zink (zero ink) technology, so you don’t need to replace ink cartridges. If you’re unfamiliar with Zink, the technology uses heat to transfer colors onto special Zink paper, creating smudge-proof and tear-resistant prints that dry instantly. Zink paper has a sticky backing, allowing you to stick your photos on various surfaces.

HP offers a Sprocket app that allows you to edit your images with stickers, frames, and text overlays before printing. These features enable you to personalize your photos further beyond tweaking the colors. Speaking of colors, the Sprocket is available in a handful of shades, including Luna Pearl, Blush Pink, Lilac, and Black Noir. Each one features a speckled texture that adds a touch of sophistication, ensuring the printer is fashionable and fun. Even with all these features, the Sprocket is the most affordable model on this list, making it an excellent budget option.

HP OfficeJet 250 All-in-One Portable Printer

The HP OfficeJet 250 All-in-One Printer was chosen by our editors as one of the best all-in-one printers , and it’s making another appearance here. While it’s not quite as compact as our best overall pick, HP’s model boasts more capabilities, including printing documents and photos, scanning, and copying, essentially making it a mobile office in a portable printer. It also features an auto document feeder, simplifying tasks like scanning multi-page documents.

The main reason why this didn’t nab the best overall spot is the price. At $400, the HP OfficeJet 250 is a more expensive option. Unless you absolutely need the all-in-one capabilities, you’re better off going with our top pick. That said, it’s hard to argue the undeniable convenience and versatility it offers. For those who prioritize all-in-one functionality and are willing to invest in a slightly bulkier and pricier option, the HP OfficeJet 250 is a compelling choice.

Epson WorkForce WF-110 Wireless Portable Printer

When it comes to the best portable printers on the market, the Epson Workforce WF-110 is a compact and light mobile printer ideal for business travelers. Its 1.4-inch color LCD display simplifies setup, navigation, and operation. Plus, wireless connectivity lets you print directly from your smartphone or laptop, eliminating the need for cables. Epson estimates the printer can churn out roughly 7 standard monochrome text pages per minute, making it suitable for printing basic documents on the go.

The printer’s built-in battery will last for roughly 100 monochrome prints before it needs to be recharged. Epson offers an add-on external battery that can bump that up to around 500 prints. You can also run the portable printer on AC power when it’s available. Additionally, an SD card slot allows for convenient printing directly from memory cards, giving you more versatility. Whether you need to print occasionally at home or while traveling, the Epson WorkForce WF-110 is a capable option for light-duty tasks.

Brother PocketJet PJ883

The Brother PocketJet PG883 is a nice option for those who prioritize ultimate portability. The ultra-compact monochrome thermal printer weighs just 1.34 pounds with the included battery (rated for an impressive 600 pages) and measures 10.04 x 2.17 x 1.18 inches, making it highly portable. Despite its size, it boasts an array of connectivity options, including Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and USB, ensuring you can print from various devices on the go.

There are some trade-offs to consider with the PocketJet PG883. It requires a special thermal paper, offered by Brother in various formats like rolls, single sheets, and fanfolds. While thermal printing eliminates the need for ink cartridges, it limits what you can print. Brother’s model is limited to monochrome, so it’s not suitable for photos or graphics. That said, it’s a solid option if you need to print simple text documents like receipts or shipping invoices on the go. Like a few other options on this list, the battery is sold separately .

Canon SELPHY CP1500 Compact Photo Printer

The Canon Selphy CP1500 is a fantastic portable photo printer that uses a dye-sublimation process to create high-quality prints. It’s compatible with Canon-made dye-sub dry ink cartridges and can print at a 300 x 300 dpi resolution, which is fine for smaller images. The Canon Selphy CP1500 is the printer you want if you plan to make photo albums or send out postcard-sized pictures to friends and family.

The whole process is more playful than your average photo printer. The Selphy Layout app (Android or iOS) gives you more creative opportunities. You can edit photos, apply filters, overlay text, and create collages. A 3.5-inch LCD and physical controls allow you to print directly from a USB-C flash drive or microSD flash card. Unfortunately, the battery is sold separately (and it’s a pricey $99). Still, the Selphy CP1500 is a reliable portable photo printer that you can use if you want to print beautiful 4 x 6-inch images.

Fujifilm Instax Link Wide Printer

The Fujifilm Instax Link Wide portable printer allows you to print using instant film, giving images a charming retro aesthetic. It’s a fun alternative to buying one of the brand’s instant film cameras. The printer pairs perfectly with the robust companion app, which boasts a range of filters, templates, and editing tools to elevate your photos from snapshots to cherished keepsakes.

The wide format of the Instax Link Wide complements the retro feel across Fuji’s line of products, including Fujifilm’s recent X100VI , which looks like a vintage camera and offers built-in “recipes” to simulate the look of film photography. The biggest consideration with the Instax Link Wide is the cost of instant film, which can add up quickly at roughly $1 per print. However, if you’re captivated by the unique charm of old-school photos, the Fujifilm Instax Link Wide will transport you back to the golden age of instant film photography.

Canon Ivy 2 Portable Photo Printer

The Canon IVY 2.0 is another zero ink (Zink) photo printer that makes 2 x 3-inch pictures. The big draw of Canon’s snapshot printer is its diminutive size; it measures 0.8 x 3.3 x 4.7 inches, making it small enough to stow in your pocket. Print resolution is 313 x 512 dpi, and images come out borderless. The sticky-backed Zink paper allows you to stick your images on most surfaces, making it a fun way to decorate a fridge or personalize notebooks and scrapbooks.

The Canon Mini Print app helps elevate the printer, allowing you to edit images, add text, and decorate frames, and more. You can even “tile” a photo by joining multiple prints together to create a larger image or collage. While the Canon IVY 2.0 doesn’t have the style of the Fujifilm, its small size and robust app features make it a fun option for parties and family gatherings.

Kodak Mini 3 Retro

The Kodak Mini 3 Retro is another compact photo printer in the same vein as the Canon Ivy 2.0 and HP Sprocket. The difference is that the Kodak printer produces square (3 x 3-inch) prints that look like they came straight out of a Polaroid camera. Similar to the Canon Selphy CP1500, the Mini 3 Retro uses dye-sub technology with a four pass method, with each pass applying a different color dye for more vibrant, detailed images. The final pass laminates each photo, making them water and dust-resistant.

The Mini 3 Retro is available in three colors, including Kodak’s iconic yellow. Like the other mini printers on this list, you can download an app to edit your images. You can customize the border with a number of templates and even create a collage with up to four photos on a single print. According to Kodak, the images you print should last up to 100 years.

HP Sprocket Panorama

When it comes to the best portable printers, the HP Sprocket Panorama is a unique portable printer that breaks the mold of traditional photo formats. What’s neat is the printer uses a roll of Zink paper that allows you to create panoramic prints up to nine inches long. You can print a sprawling landscape image or even create a photo booth-style strip, perfect for capturing memories with friends and family. The Sprocket Panorama lets you print these expansive moments right from your smartphone.

You can pair the printer to your smartphone with the HP Sprocket app, which gives you tools to edit your photos and add text, drawings, and more. In addition to printing photos, the Sprocket Panorama can create stickers and labels, great for scrapbooking. When a print comes out of the printer, the button on top cuts the paper; it’s a fun little touch that adds to the overall experience.

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The best portable printers for 2024, tested and reviewed

By Brandt Ranj

Updated on Aug 8, 2024 9:45 AM EDT

Best overall

Canon PIXMA TR150

Best splurge.

HP OfficeJet 250

Best budget.

KODAK Step Wireless Mobile Photo Mini Color Printer

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A portable printer may seem like an anachronism in a world where you can instantly share digital photos and documents around the world in seconds, but there’s still merit in having a physical copy. Sometimes, a legal document requires a physical signature or a less tech-savvy family member needs a picture from your wedding. Inevitably, these requests come at the most inopportune time, either when you’re traveling or don’t have a permanent office in which you can stash a full-sized printer. The best portable printers—like our best overall, the Canon PIXMA TR150 —will allow you to accommodate these requests, and many are small enough that you can actually take them on vacation with you if necessary.

• Best overall: Canon PIXMA TR150
• Best splurge: HP OfficeJet 250
• Best for photos: HP Sprocket Studio Plus
• Best battery-powered: HP Sprocket Panorama
• Best budget: KODAK Step Wireless Mobile Photo Mini Color Printer

How we chose the best portable printers

Our portable printer recommendations are based on a mix of hands-on testing and research. We evaluated printers on their overall size and whether they were designed for mixed-use (printing anything) or a specific use case (printing photos). You’ll have to accept the limitations of portable printers—slower print speeds and limited page size support chief among them—but these downsides are mitigated by how convenient they are to use. Our recommendations support wireless printing (a must-have feature for any printer as far as we’re concerned), and there’s even a model that can print and scan documents and photos.

The best portable printers: Reviews & Recommendations

There’s nothing like the tactile feel of printed photos, whether you need them for work, like playing human photobooth at a party, or just want to share vacation shoots quickly. Prepared to print from locations both near and far? These portable printers cover a wide range of use cases and price points.

Brandt Ranj / Popular Science

• Size: 7.3 x 12.7 x 2.6 inches
• Weight: 4.5 pounds
• Battery power: Yes (Optionally)
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi, USB
• Full-sized prints
• Can run on battery power
• Durable design
• So-so for photography

If you need a fully-featured printer in a compact package, you won’t find a better option than Canon’s PIXMA TR150. The printer, which we’ve tested ourselves, checks all the right boxes: It can run on battery power (a battery is sold separately), create full-sized prints, and is easy to set up and use. Plus, the printer was so small we actually packed it on a long trip abroad, where it survived a trip within a checked bag. While its small screen is less sophisticated than the ones we’re used to on full-sized printers, it was still perfectly serviceable. We could still use the physical buttons next to it to punch in our Wi-Fi password, and the display showed the state of our prints clearly.

When printing documents—both grayscale and color—the TR150 was indistinguishable from any full-sized printer we’ve tried. When printing photos , though, the TR150 struggled to capture the vivid colors from a scene. Plus, it runs on small ink cartridges instead of ink tanks—which is normal for portable printers—so you’ll have to replace them with greater frequency. You’ll need to make this tradeoff when using a “full-sized” portable printer. If this limitation doesn’t bother you, there’s no reason to pass over the Canon TR150.

• Size: 14.96 x 7.8 x 3.6 inches
• Weight: ‎6.51 pounds
• Battery power: Yes
• All-in-printer
• Print size legend
• Color touch screen
• Not as portable as other recommendations

If you can get over its $400 price tag, you won’t find a more feature-complete portable printer than HP’s OfficeJet 250. Setting up the OfficeJet 250 only took a few minutes and didn’t require us to download the HP Smart mobile app, though you have the option to use that software if you’d prefer. Instead, we opted to use the OfficeJet 250’s touchscreen to input our Wi-Fi password and run through any initial calibrations. We experienced no technical hiccups with this printer after its initial setup. It maintained a solid connection to our Wi-Fi network and was always recognized by multiple computers running macOS. The OfficeJet 250 is larger and heavier than our other recommendations, but this is also the only model that can scan and copy in addition to printing.

The OfficeJet 250 printed up to nine pages of text or one full-sized color image per minute in our tests. That’s speedy for a printer that isn’t plugged into a wall and especially impressive given that it creates 8.5 x 11-inch prints just like a traditional all-in-one office printer would. Text looked sharp, and we were especially pleased with the quality of our color print, which was vibrant even on regular printer paper. It may not be called out as a photo printer , but the OfficeJet 250 can be used that way in a pinch—though we recommend having proper photo paper on hand. While we opted to test the printer using 8 x 11.5-inch prints, you can adjust the OfficeJet 250 to accommodate B5, A5, and 4 x 6-inch printer paper.

The photos and documents we scanned looked very good, and only took a few seconds to show up on our computer. You can use HP’s scanning software, but we opted to use the Preview app that comes pre-loaded on MacOS. Our scans weren’t quite at the same level as HP’s premium home printers , but that’s to be expected given its more compact size. The only technical feature we found ourselves missing when using this printer was double-sided printing. Outside of that missing feature, we could happily use the HP OfficeJet 250 as our only printer. If you’ve wanted an all-in-one printer but have limited desk space, travel between a couple of offices, or even want to take a personal printer with you when working abroad, HP’s OfficeJet 250 is worth its high cost.

• Size: 5.45 x 8.5 x 3.9 inches
• Weight: 3 pounds
• Battery power: No
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi
• Impressive print quality
• Clever compact design
• Fast prints
• Requires an A/C adapter

We chose HP’s Sprocket Studio Plus as the best portable photo printer and stand by that recommendation here. The Studio Plus’ design feels well thought out, especially its print tray, which sits on top of the printer and then attaches to the front with a satisfying click when you’re ready to print. A trio of LEDs on its front side indicate whether it’s powered on, connected to Wi-Fi, and encountered a problem when printing. All three functions are helpful to see at a glance.

Setting up and managing the printer requires HP’s Sprocket App, which is available on iOS and Android. Once installed, it’ll find and connect your device to the printer over Wi-Fi. You have the option to give the Sprocket app access to your entire photo library or a selection of your favorite shots. Printing on the Sprocket Studio Plus is refreshingly straightforward. You’ll begin by placing the included photo paper inside the printer’s print tray and clicking it in front of the printer’s body. Then, select a photo from the Sprocket app and hit print. The printer will pop out a 4×6 in under a minute.

The Sprocket Studio Plus’ compact size is its biggest strength—It’s easy to take the photo printer to a party and have people send prints to it as mementos, but you will be limited to 4×6 prints. That’s a common size for photos, and the Sprocket Studio Plus is easy to stash in a bag when you go on a trip, but you won’t have the option to print an 8 x 10. That’s not a dealbreaker, and we can still highly recommend picking one up. If it’s photos you’re most interested in printing, this is your best value.

It’s also worth noting that this is a dye sublimation printer and doesn’t use traditional ink, so the prints won’t smudge if you pick them up as soon as they’re done.

• Size: 5.5 x 3.25 x 3.13 inches
• Weight: 1 pound
• Connectivity: Bluetooth
• Solid color reproduction
• Wide aspect ratio
• Bluetooth connectivity
• Very small prints

HP’s Sprocket Panorama has most of the features we liked about Studio Plus but in a significantly smaller form factor. Setting up the Sprocket Panorama requires downloading the HP Sprocket app, allowing you to pair the printer with your iOS or Android device over Bluetooth. Bluetooth allows you to print to the battery-powered Sprocket Panorama anywhere, not just when connected to a Wi-Fi network. This feature is one of the main reasons we’ve chosen Sprocket Panorama as the best battery-powered portable printer. The other reason is that you can fit this printer in a small bag—or even a cargo-shorts pocket.

The big tradeoff of choosing an ultra-portable printer is the size of your prints. You’ll end up with a photo that’s just two inches wide, which means you’ll see a lot less detail compared to a larger mains-powered printer. True to its name, you can print a photo that’s nine inches wide. Though our photos were small, we were pleased with how well the Sprocket Panorama’s prints looked, especially the vibrancy of the colors, and there was no denying how cool it looked for it to slowly come out of its front slot. It looked like a tongue beginning to stick out, and slicing the photo with a physical button on top of the printer was also fun. The amount of time it took to create a print depended on its size, but all of our prints took under a minute from start to finish.

If you take a lot of panoramas, this portable printer’s biggest drawback won’t matter much. One feature the Sprocket Panorama shares with the larger Studio Plus is the use of zero ink technology, which means you can handle its prints immediately without the risk of smudging.

• Size: 3 x 5 x 1 inches
• Weight: .55 pounds
• Ultra-portable
• Battery powered
• MicroUSB charging

If you’d like the freedom to print your photos anywhere but don’t want to spend more than $70, Kodak’s Step is the right portable printer for you. The pocket-friendly battery-powered printer connects to your smartphone via Bluetooth using Kodak’s iOS or Android app and can spit out up to 30 2- x 3-inch prints on a single charge. The Step uses the same zero inc technology as HP’s portable printers, which means you can touch your prints immediately without the risk of them getting ruined. Our only complaint with this portable printer is that it needs to be recharged using a MicroUSB cable rather than USB-C. This means you’ll likely need to bring an additional cord with you, which can be a little annoying if you’re taking it on vacation. That doesn’t impact the Kodak Step’s performance, so it can be easily forgiven.

What to consider when shopping for the best portable printers

There are many factors to consider when deciding which portable printer is right for you. Below are the factors we considered most important when writing this guide:

The word “portable” is ultimately subjective. Still, our largest recommendation is just over a foot long (this is necessary for making full 8.5- x 11-inch prints), under eight inches deep, and under four inches tall. This is remarkably small for a fully featured all-in-one printer, which can easily be two to three times deeper and taller. Our smaller printer is under five inches deep, three inches wide, and one inch tall, which is practically pocket-friendly.

If you’re going to be taking your portable printer out of the house, weight is a critical factor to keep in mind when choosing the best one for you. Our heaviest portable printer recommendation clocks in at six and a half pounds, while the lightest is just over half a pound.

Battery power

Some of our portable printers can run off a battery, meaning they’re portable rather than just physically small. This is a neat feature, but you must remember to keep the battery charged for it to work. We’d recommend keeping a power cable around, just in case.

Connectivity options

All of our portable printer recommendations support wireless printing over either Wi-Fi or Bluetooth . Many of the printers above can also be connected to a computer using a USB cable if you’d prefer.

Yes. All printers require ink to create prints.

It depends on the printer. Portable photo printers that we recommend use special paper, while the larger general-use portable printers in this guide can use standard paper.

A portable printer is worth it if you don’t have a lot of space in your home office or absolutely have to print when you’re away from your desk.

This depends on its size and feature set. Our recommendations range in price between $400 and $70.

Final thoughts on the best portable printers

Portable printers have come a long way over the years, thanks to the miniaturization of technical components, improvements in battery technology, and the rise of wireless tech accessories. You can easily get a model that suits your printing needs, space requirements, and budget. Portable printers are so good we can even recommend replacing an aging full-sized model with one of our higher-end recommendations for the sake of clearing off a big chunk of your desk.