HP Officejet 100 Mobile Printer: Compact printer with battery

Judging by the size alone, the HP Officejet 100 Mobile Printer is about as mobile as putting a handle on a standard computer case and calling it portable. There are simple compact inkjet printers that are as small or smaller. The vaguely loaf-shaped device fits into a shoe box, but can still be cumbersome to carry around. However, it is unusually light, with a weight like a normal-sized notebook.

Almost smartphone friendly
Print quality is clearly acceptable for office printing, but don’t think you’ll get any further results with photo prints, even though it can run photo paper. They become both flaky and slightly grainy. Considering the minimal ink cartridges, one black and one for colors, you probably don’t want to burn them out with photos anyway.

In addition to USB connection, the Officejet 100 Mobile Printer also has Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. With the latter, you can print from mobile devices. But unfortunately you need a special app, which is only available for Windows Mobile, Blackberry, Symbian and PalmOS. Let’s hope HP expands this with support for iPhone and Android smartly, otherwise it’s a rather pointless feature for nine out of ten smartphone or tablet users.

Folded, the Officejet 100 is about the size of a well-baked loaf. With the app magazine unfolded, it becomes significantly larger.

Pull out the cord
What then makes the printer seriously mobile is that it has room for a battery that sits at the back, and which gives it a certain operating time without you having to plug it into the wall. Not an impressive amount of time though. In standby mode, the printer draws 2.3 watts, which allows it to run for about ten hours. During printing, of course, it draws more, but it is usually in short bursts with long pauses in between, so it is difficult to calculate an exact battery capacity for it.

All in all, it’s a small machine that works as it should and does what it says on the label. It is not amazingly good as Mobile and not amazingly good as Printer. But as a Mobile Printer, it is a clearly interesting gadget that can certainly solve the printing needs of those who spend their whole lives on the go.

HP Officejet 100 Mobile Printer
Manufacturer: HP, www.hp.se
Printer technology: Ink jet.
Number of cartridges: 2 (Black and cmy).
Resolution, office printing: 600 x 600 dpi.
Resolution, photo printing: 4800×1200 optimized dpi.
Max paper size: 21.6 x 35.6 cm.
Paper tray: 50 sheets.
Double-sided printing: Manual.
Borderless printing: Yes, up to 4 x 6 inches.
Interface: Usb to computer, usb to camera/memory, bluetooth.
Size including battery: 34.5 x 19.5 x 8.5 cm.
Weight incl. battery: 2.6 kg.
Guarantee: 1 year.
Approx price: SEK 2,300.

Plus: Good quality plain paper. Battery drtift. For smartphones.
Minus: Somewhat expensive. Sad photo prints. Lacks support for iPhone and Android yet.
Grade: (6 out of 10)

HP Officejet 100 Mobile Printer