SiPix Pocket Printer A6

This printer fits in your pocket and weighs just over 1 pound with the included 4 AA batteries. You can print wirelessly from your Palm Handheld or laptop, or use the included serial cable. Because it prints using thermal technology, there are no toner cartridges or ribbons.

I saw this printer and had to have it, and it paid off the first week. I was traveling and arrived at the airport without a printout of my itinerary, but had it in my Palm handheld. I had tried one other time to get through the gate checkpoint by showing the note on the screen, but they just didn't buy it. This time I had the choice of waiting in a line at the ticket counter that would easily take an hour, or simply whip out my Pocket Printer A6 and "beam" the itinerary to a paper print out. The A6's roll paper keeps the paper in a pretty tight scroll form, but after flattening it a bit and checking my ID, I was on my way through X-ray. This doesn't say much about airport security, but loads about the quality and coolness factor of this portable "must have." The only thing that made this even better is that a colleague was there to witness it.

The Pocket Printer is small and light (see specs below) and easily fits into a laptop bag. It comes with a velvet drawstring bag to protect it. It is totally self-contained, running off 4 AA batteries and internally loaded roll of paper. You don't even need to carry the included serial cable if you can rely on the Infrared driver supplied for your Palm OS device. There are also drivers for the Pocket PC and Microsoft Windows for laptops and PCs. An AC power adapter is also included, but I haven't needed to use it yet.

There are no toner cartridges or ribbons because the printer uses a thermal printing method which utilizes a special type of paper. The paper is available at Staples or online at Amazon.com. The paper size is also about half the size as a standard 8 1/2" x 11" we know and love. The width of the sheet paper is 4 1/8" and 5 3/4" long, and sold separately. The printer comes with a roll of paper which loads internally and has about 8 feet of paper which can be torn to length after printing.

The print out is crisp and clear. When printing from standard applications, you can scale your print job to 50% of normal size to look like a reduction of an original. You can't print from every application from a Palm, but most of the internal ones including Memo Pad, Date Book, Address Book, To Do List, and Mail, in varying formats.

The roll paper is cool because it is self contained, but sheet paper is better as it lays flat, although it needs to be manually fed. Because the paper is thermal, it does need to stay away from a direct heat source. I held a print out over a candle, and it quickly turned black. Tip: don't read by candle light.

The SiPix Pocket Printer A6 is ideal for road warriors, gadget enthusiasts and field consultants that need to have hard-copy print outs of information.

Specifications
Weight	14 oz (with batteries and roll paper) 8.75 oz (empty)
Size	5.85" x 4.25" x .992" (150mm x 109mm x 25.4mm)
Print method	direct thermal
Print color	monochrome
Print resolution	400 dpi glossary
Print speed	2 ppm glossary
Paper size	4 1/8" x 5 3/4" Sheet 4 1/8" x 8' 2" Roll
Interface	IrDA 1.0 Serial RS-232
Power source	4 AA alkaline (included) AC adapter 9V, 1.5A (included)
Power consumption	15W