Have HP Printer Will Travel

Amazing to think how portable we've become. First we had to train ourselves to always have a digital camera at our side so that we'd be prepared for life's photographic moments. Now HP is grooming us for toting our printers with its introduction of two new compact photo printers, the state of the art A626 and the more budget conscious A526. And for good measure, HP is releasing an All-in-One printer solution that lets you turn your home into a photo kiosk.

Just announced and my favorite of the bunch, the HP Photosmart A626 Compact Photo Printer has a built-in 4.8-inch color touch screen—the first touch screen I've seen built into a portable printer. Using the touch screen you can walk through the entire print product and do simple photo editing. You can select 4x6 or 3x7 printing. You can even make creative projects: Create a frame or border, add a special effect, or build an album.

One of the most fun touches is a stylus that lets you annotate the photo on the touch screen, adding drawings or a caption—a very cool way to put a personal touch on a photo. If you hate your handwriting, then use the touch screen's built-in virtual keypad. For wireless printing there's a Bluetooth adapter kit available from HP.

The whole unit collapses into a case the size of a large lunchbox with its own built-in handle, fold-up tray, and optional battery. The printer is available this September and the expected price is $179.

Budget mobile users can look at the HP A526. It has a smaller preview screen and doesn't have the photo editing and creativity options that the 626 does. But it costs only $99.

Gina Hughes just looked at another new HP offering, the HP Photo Center A826, the mother of this new series. More of a tabletop size than a portable, this printer turns your table into a personal photo kiosk, printing photos from just about any media type you feed it. It uses a 7-inch touch screen and has all the cool features of the A626.

Anyone who carts one of these printers off to a Halloween party, a Thanksgiving dinner, or other event will be elevated in the eyes of their family. Wedding shots in real time, birth announcements from the bedside…a printer in hand could be a great addition on many occasions.

PS: I've yet to check out how quickly these printers pour through ink, but after seeing them demonstrated I can attest for a quick and smudge proof print.