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Nov/Dec 2005
Evaluation: PocketJet 3 Plus ultra-portable direct thermal printer - Pentax
Our impression Mobile printers are useful for printing customer copies of orders, service reports and delivery acknowledgements, but often take up valuable space in the vehicle. The PocketJet 3 Plus is the latest in Pentax's range of ultra-portable direct thermal printers. The printers in this range retain the same compact size and light weight as the older 200-series printers, weighing just 500g, and are easy to hold in one hand. Standard connection to the portable computer is via either integrated USB 1.1 connection or infra-red (IrDA). An optional Bluetooth model removes the line-of-sight requirement demanded by IrDA, but is still in short supply in Europe. Setting up the printer drivers is straightforward, although not strictly necessary for IrDA printing, and you can control the printing process via your notebook computer, as you would a conventional printer, including the print density. 
The battery can print 100 pages on a full charge and at 5 per cent density; the lighter the density, the more pages can be printed between charges. Recharging a completely discharged battery takes two hours. To preserve battery life, the printer can be set to turn off automatically after 10 or 30 minutes. There is room in the printer casing for a spare battery. Maintenance is simply a matter of cleaning the print head and platen roller every 500 sheets with the black cloth provided. Paper-print quality The big issue with thermal printers is, of course, print and paper quality. Pentax recommends 20gsm paper as a minimum. The company reckons it has enhanced quality by adopting direct thermal technology in which the heat of the printing head determines the print quality, and by developing its own range of high-quality thermal paper. This is said to offer print quality comparable to that of an inkjet printer, but without running or smudging. The PocketJet 3 Plus's 200-dpi print quality is comparable to mono laser output, while the 3 Plus's 300-dpi print will reproduce graphics such as company logos better. The Pocketjet software incorporates an end-of-print feature that uses only the amount of paper needed for the job, so you can use a paper roll rather than single A4 sheets. The printers will also accept cheaper-quality fax-type thermal paper. You might imagine jamming could be an issue, but we saw no evidence of this. Given that the cost of the thermal paper is the biggest in-service cost for thermal printers, we asked distributor RGI Mobile Solutions what paper they would recommend. They point out that the cost of thermal paper is directly related to the length of time the image is guaranteed to last; there is no point paying for paper which will retain an image for eight years if you're going to scrap the document in three months' time. Even high-quality thermal paper works out at about 7.5p per sheet (less in roll format), says RGI, and there are no other consumables such as ink or ribbons to pay for. Our verdict The sheer portability of the PocketJet 3 Plus makes it an attractive proposition for mobile printing. Thermal technology eliminates the risk of ink spills in the vehicle and the need for in-service consumables such as ink cartridges. Use of fewer moving parts than a conventional printer reduces the risk of having to return the printer for servicing, too. If you use Pentax's own paper, the print quality is good and the paper offers more than an acceptable quality, with an eight-year image life. For short-life documents, use 20gsm thermal paper.
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