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Old 07-10-2020, 08:32 AM   #1
stang
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Default Portable printing options with hotspot

Not really sure where else to ask...

I run a Motorcross race circuit and with covid we are changing up a lot of how we operate. We used to bring stacks of papers to the track and people filled all out there. Now it’s all online, however when registration ends I need to print it all out.

So now I need a smallish printer. I was thinking a small laser printer would do it, but the wifi ones have now intrigued me a bit. Not having to plug in would be nice as this printer is going to live in our Motorhome, and if it gets left on the kitchen table my wife’s going to hate it. I thought of using an old airport express to make a small network to my PC laptop to print, but the computer is going to need internet access and that would be a pain in the butt switching all the time.

Next option is my phones hotspot. If I hotspot the laptop and hook it to the printer, would that work for printing? Does anyone have experience with this? Does the printer automatically find my hotspot when I turn it on? If I have to fiddle with the printer everytime to get it to connect I may as well just plug in. Any printer recommmendations? Looking at a Lexmark C3224DW just because it’s small and can do color too.
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Old 07-13-2020, 08:53 AM   #2
jwslam
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-How many pages are we talking about?
-How much speed do you need? (PPM = pages per minute)
-Are you using power inside your motorhome? Laser printers draw a lot of amperage to get going... even in my house the bedroom lights on the same circuit flicker on the initial startup of each printing job
-If it's mostly just text you are printing I don't see a problem using your phone's hot spot to print. USB would probably get you the best connection still.
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Old 07-13-2020, 09:57 AM   #3
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Why do you need to print if you have a digital copy? Also, does it need to be full sized?

Depending on requirements, a full sized printer might be necessary, but for practical purposes, I wonder if a mini printer usually reserved for photos would also work fine if the print out was legible. I agree with the previous comment that the printer power draw is a bit high.

A mini printer might also be useful for printing off some pictures of the event on the fly. The paper and ink might be slightly more expensive, but not prohibitively so IMO.

https://www.amazon.ca/Polaroid-Wirel...tag=19ghcan-20

This is smaller than the Lexmark which apparently retails around $210 already.

https://www.amazon.ca/Polaroid-Premi...tag=19ghcan-20

It's about $40 for 50 photos and about $125 for the printer.


For a full size printer this one seems a little more practical than the one you were looking into. It's almost $300 including extra ink. $240 without the extra ink. It also has a built in battery for the printing.

https://www.amazon.ca/Canon-Wireless...9ghcan-20&th=1


I don't have experience with these products, but if you wanted small and cost wasn't a major issue, the above seems smaller and better for your needs for just slightly more in hardware and operating costs.
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Old 07-17-2020, 07:40 AM   #4
stang
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jwslam View Post
-How many pages are we talking about?
-How much speed do you need? (PPM = pages per minute)
-Are you using power inside your motorhome? Laser printers draw a lot of amperage to get going... even in my house the bedroom lights on the same circuit flicker on the initial startup of each printing job
-If it's mostly just text you are printing I don't see a problem using your phone's hot spot to print. USB would probably get you the best connection still.
Speed isn’t an issue. Only be a few pages at a time.

Yes it will be plugged in to the Motorhome power.

Spreadsheets and the like. Mostly just wondering if the extra few bucks for wireless would even be worth it.
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Old 07-17-2020, 08:07 AM   #5
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-I don't think your motorhome will be able to support the power draw on a laser printer, so you'd be limited to looking at inkjet.

-Inkjet printers will dry up if you do not have a high frequency of use i.e. probably need to print at least once / week

-What kind of information is in these spreadsheets, it's probably better to read digitally on a laptop or tablet?

-Wireless printers can be had in the $100 range. What's your budget?
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