I've owned several Canon portable printers in the past, including the Canon BJC-70, the BJC-80, and two Apple StyleWriter 2200's (BJC-70 bearing the Apple logo). I've also owned several portable printers made by other companies, none really as satisfying as the Canon printers.
I'm now using the Canon i80 (HP zd7000 & Windows XP). This printer clearly evolved from those earlier Canon printers, improving in some ways and not in others. On the positive side, print quality and speed is roughly on par with many desktop printers within this price range. Canon has also greatly reduced, and perhaps even elininated, the problem of the ink jets drying and clogging between print jobs (on earlier BJC models, the ink jets would dry out if the printer wasn't used for a week or so). And, unlike the i70, this printer comes with the multi-voltage power supply needed by international travelers.
Other things have not improved. Like those earlier printers, the i80 suffers from paper feed problems, ranging from paper not feeding at all (unless forced), to multiple sheets of paper feeding at the same time, to paper not feeding straight. Of course, this is more pronounced with very thin or very thick paper (thick envelopes are especially troublesome, often only solved by sharply creasing the envelope edges before using). All this is more of a nuisance than a serious problem, so should not automatically rule out this printer from purchase consideration. It doesn't happen all the time, or even most of the time, and can be reduced with experience.
The price continues to be high, especially with accessories often included with other portable printers (cables, battery attachments, batteries, and so on). If on-site portable printing is truly needed, requiring the purchase of accessories, I would have to recommend another printer with built-in battery. However, if one only needs to easily move a printer between hotel rooms, business meetings, or offices, the performance and convenience of the i80 wins out.
Some things are a mixed bag. The case design of the i80 has improved over earlier Canon models. The paper holder/cover now completely covers the printer, protecting it from dirt/dust or while packed in a bag. However, at the same time, Canon switched that case from a neutral near-black to an oddball copper/tan color which doesn't match any computer I've ever seen. Of course, this doesn't really affect performance, but it is distractingly noticable.
Finally, some things have gotten worse compared to earlier models. The i80 does not properly print some web pages in Internet Explorer without an external plug-in (Easy Web Print), which adds another IE toolbar complete with bright red Canon logo and buttons not matching other toolbar icons. Without this plug-in, the right side of some web pages are cut off. Canon either needs to reduce the intrusiveness of this plug-in or integrate this capability into the print driver as other companies do (the three other printers I now own handle these same web pages properly without a plug-in). Luckily, printing everything else with the i80 is entirely painless.
In conclusion, all portable printers are a compromise offering portable convenience with some inconveniences. The Canon i80 is no exception. However, the inconveniences associated with the i80 are minor, easily outstripped by overall convenience and performance. As such, I can comfortably recommend this printer to any fellow road warrier.
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