ZUtA Pocket Printer-The future of portable printing

By Jenny Tang on January 27, 2015 • ( Leave a comment )

Wouldn’t it be great to have a printer when and wherever you needed it? We’ve all been there when you need to print something, especially when away from home, but there isn’t always one handy. Take for instance, you could be on holiday and you need to print important documents but sometimes there isn’t a printer available nearby. These days many business travellers, students, journalists and authors travel around carrying their laptops and their smartphones, so wouldn’t it be great if there was a portable printer available that could print from laptops or smartphones by Wi-Fi? ZUtA Labs (Los Angeles, CA) have come up with a solution by making the first mini robotic printer, which will be available later this year.

ZUtA Labs got their first start when they successful crowdfunded the ZUtA Pocket Printer through Kickstarter back in May 2014.

They have now made it possible for anyone to print on the go; for example business professionals can print and sign contracts wherever they meet or students could even print out their essays while enjoying coffee at their local cafe.

The ZUtA Pocket Printer is both portable and lightweight thanks to its simple design. It’s 10.2cm in diameter and weighs only 350grams. Currently it only is available in black but you can’t really complain when it’s small enough to carry around along with your smartphone or laptop. The printer lasts for an hour on a full battery charge, which means you can print up to 60 pages as the printer prints 1 to 1.2 pages per minute. I know it’s not the fastest of printers but when you have the option to be able to print anywhere; it’s not too much of a compromise. It also has; a rechargeable battery, an on/off switch, an ability to directly connect to smartphones or PCs, and allows the user to print on any size piece of paper.

One of the best aspects about this printer is its design, it was designed so that users can line it up with the corner of the paper to make sure their documents come out straight. If we can achieve so much with this portable printer, I wonder what the potential upgrades will be capable of within the next few years? Personally I’m looking forward to when it will be available to print in colour and have the option to personalise your printer with colours, patterns, designs or maybe even photos.

Which devices can I print from?

PCs, Laptops, Tablets and Smartphones with Wi-Fi

What size paper can it print on?

Any standard size of paper.

What colors can you print in?

Currently only black.

How do I change cartridge once it’s finished?

At the bottom of the Pocket Printer there’s a hatch that opens. Simply take the old cartridge out and replace it with a new one.

How do I start printing?

Step 1. Turn the printer ‘on’. Step 2. Align the corner of the printer with the corner of the paper. Step 3. Either click ‘print’, or send the document to our mobile app, and it will start printing.

How do I print several pages?

If you send several pages to get printed, the printer will stop when it gets to the bottom of the first page and wait for you to align it at the top of the next page. Once the printer is placed on the next page, you can tap on the app and it will continue to print.

Where can I get a new cartridge?

By visiting their official website at zutalabs.com

How do you make sure the ink doesn’t leak?

The printer has a little cover.

Specs

Black cover
Size and weight: 10.2 cm diameter, 350 gr
Print Speed: 1 ppm
Print Quality: 300 dpi
One black cartridge included
Approx. 100 pages per cartridge. Still testing.
ConnectivityTechnology: WiFi
Charging: Micro USB
Battery Run Time: 1 hour (60 pages)
Supported OS: Android, iOS, OSX, Windows

The award winning ZUtA Pocket Printer is now available for pre-order by visiting their official website at zutalabs.com

The South by Southwest Interactive Festival will host the seventh annual SXSW Accelerator competition presented by Oracle, March 14-15, during SXSW Interactive Festival’s Startup Village. The Accelerator competition brings together leading startups from around the world to present their innovations to a live audience and panel of experts that includes successful entrepreneurs, investors and industry influencers.

From the more than 500 applications received this year, 48 finalists were chosen across the following six technology categories: Enterprise and Smart Data, Entertainment and Content, Digital Health and Life Sciences, Innovative World, Social and Wearables. The 2015 SXSW Accelerator Category Sponsors are Rackspace (Enterprise and Smart Data Technologies Sponsor) IBM (Innovative World Technologies Sponsor) and Dyn (Social Technologies Category Sponsor), with Prezi serving as the official presentation platform for the competition.

ZUtA Pocket Printer has been selected as a finalist in the category for Innovative World Technologies. You can also check out live demonstrations of the printer in action or try it out yourself at SXSW Interactive 2015.

The 2015 SXSW Interactive Festival will run from March 13 to March 17 in Austin, Texas.