There’s a particular kind of quiet desperation that sets in when you’re 2,000 miles from your office and a client says, “This looks great. Can you just print out a hard copy for me to sign?” My heart used to sink. It meant a frantic search for a hotel business center with a printer that wasn’t from 2005, wrestling with outdated drivers, or paying exorbitant per-page fees at a copy shop. As a consultant who spends more time in airport lounges than my own living room, the ability to produce a crisp, professional document on the spot isn’t a luxury; it’s a lifeline. The world has gone mobile, but the need for paper hasn’t entirely disappeared. This disconnect is the precise problem the Canon PIXMA TR150 Wireless Portable Printer with Battery Pack was built to solve. It promises to turn your car, hotel room, or café table into a fully functional remote office, severing the last cord that ties you to a physical workspace.
- Take your printing on the go with the PIXMA TR150 Wireless Mobile Printer.
- Print without wires - even on the go - thanks to multiple WIRELESS PRINTING options
What to Consider Before Buying a Portable Inkjet Printer
A portable inkjet printer is more than just a gadget; it’s a key solution for professionals who demand operational freedom and flexibility. It bridges the gap between digital convenience and the physical world’s demand for hard copies, whether that’s a contract at a client’s site, an invoice for an immediate payment, or study materials in a remote location. The main benefits are empowerment and efficiency. You’re no longer at the mercy of third-party services, saving both time and money, as many users who travel frequently can attest. This category of printer eliminates logistical hurdles, allowing you to maintain a high level of professionalism no matter where your work takes you. You can see its full feature set and user reviews to understand the scope of its capabilities.
The ideal customer for this type of product is someone constantly on the move: the road warrior salesperson, the traveling paralegal, the field service technician, the artist needing to print sketches, or even the full-time RVer who needs a compact office setup. It’s for anyone whose “office” changes daily. Conversely, it might not be suitable for those who need high-volume, rapid printing for a busy office, as stationary printers will always offer a lower cost-per-page and faster speeds. It’s also not the primary choice for professional photographers who require gallery-quality, wide-format prints. For those users, a dedicated photo printer or a more robust all-in-one machine would be a more economical and effective choice.
Before investing, consider these crucial points in detail:
- Dimensions & Space: True portability is defined by size and weight. Look for a device that can genuinely fit into a backpack or briefcase alongside your laptop without turning your bag into a sack of bricks. The Canon PIXMA TR150 weighs just over 2 kg and has a slim profile, making it a prime example of a design that understands the traveler’s burden. Consider its footprint when open and ready to print, ensuring it can operate on a small hotel desk or even the passenger seat of a car.
- Capacity/Performance: Performance in a portable printer is a balancing act. Key metrics include print speed (PPM for both black and color), battery life (how many pages on a full charge), and ink cartridge yield. Don’t expect the blistering speeds of a desktop laser printer. Instead, focus on whether it’s fast enough for your typical on-the-go jobs of a few pages at a time. The included battery pack is a non-negotiable feature for true mobility, so its endurance is paramount.
- Materials & Durability: A portable printer will inevitably face more bumps and jostles than its desktop counterpart. The chassis is typically made of durable plastic to keep weight down, but the quality of that plastic matters. We looked for a solid feel, with tight seams and sturdy covers that don’t feel like they’ll snap off after a few trips. A robust build is essential for a device intended to live in a travel bag.
- Ease of Use & Maintenance: When you’re in a hurry, the last thing you want is a complicated setup process. Modern portable printers should offer multiple, reliable wireless connectivity options, including Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi Direct for when a network isn’t available. A simple, intuitive on-device interface, like an OLED screen, is a huge plus. For maintenance, consider how easy it is to swap ink cartridges and the availability of those cartridges.
This niche is all about finding the right tool for a very specific job. It’s about buying freedom, not just a piece of hardware.
While the Canon PIXMA TR150 Wireless Portable Printer with Battery Pack is an excellent choice, it’s always wise to see how it stacks up against the competition. For a broader look at all the top models, we highly recommend checking out our complete, in-depth guide:
- Print, Copy, Scan: The PIXMA TS3720 is a true colour printer scanner copier all in one that is compact, versatile and easy-to-use with a 60 sheet rear tray that reduces the need to refill paper as...
- Innovative Cartridge-Free Printing ― No more tiny, expensive ink cartridges; each ink bottle set is equivalent to about 80 individual cartridges (2)
- FROM CANADA'S MOST TRUSTED PRINTER BRAND – The DeskJet 2855e is perfect for homes printing to-do lists, letters, financial documents and recipes. Print speeds up to 5.5 ppm colour, 7.5 ppm black.
First Impressions: A Sleek, Purpose-Built Printing Powerhouse
Unboxing the Canon PIXMA TR150 Wireless Portable Printer with Battery Pack feels like unveiling a piece of serious business equipment. Everything is packed efficiently, with the printer itself having a dense, premium feel that belies its compact size. The matte black finish resists fingerprints and looks professional. At just 12.7 cm wide and 2.6 cm tall when closed, it’s remarkably slim. The star of the show, the included LK-72 Battery Pack, clips seamlessly onto the back, adding minimal bulk while transforming the device into a truly untethered tool. This integration is a huge step up from older models where batteries were often clumsy, optional afterthoughts. The small 1.44-inch monochrome OLED screen is bright and crisp, providing clear status updates without the need to constantly check an app. Setting it up, we found all necessary components included: the print head, starter ink tanks (PGI-35 Black and CLI-36 Color), a power cord, and a USB-C to USB-A cable, offering modern connectivity right out of the box. It immediately gives the impression of a product designed with a clear purpose and a deep understanding of its target user. You can explore the design and included accessories further here.
Key Benefits
- Truly exceptional portability and compact, lightweight design
- Included battery pack enables complete wireless freedom
- Surprisingly sharp and professional text document quality
- Versatile connectivity with Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct, and USB-C
- Onboard storage for up to 5 custom templates
Limitations
- Aggressive auto-shutoff feature requires manual power-on and has slow reconnection times
- Lacks support for modern 5 GHz Wi-Fi networks, limited to 2.4 GHz
- No output tray to catch printed pages
Deep Dive: Canon PIXMA TR150 Performance in the Field
A portable printer lives or dies by its real-world performance. It needs to be reliable, easy to connect to, and produce quality prints without a fuss. We put the Canon PIXMA TR150 Wireless Portable Printer with Battery Pack through its paces, simulating the exact scenarios it was designed for: printing from a laptop in a makeshift workspace, from a phone in a vehicle, and from a tablet in a client’s office. Here’s our detailed breakdown of how it performed.
Unleashing True Portability: Design, Build, and Battery Life
The first thing we noticed is that Canon absolutely nailed the physical design for portability. Weighing in at 2.04 kg (about 4.5 lbs) with the battery attached, it’s substantial enough to feel durable but light enough that carrying it in a backpack with a laptop is not a strain. Many users confirm this, with one noting it “fits easily even in a small backpack.” Its slim profile is its greatest asset; when closed, it’s a sleek black box that slips into a bag’s laptop sleeve without a fight. The plastic construction feels robust, and the lid snaps shut with a reassuring click, protecting the internal components during transit.
However, there’s a small but significant design oversight that we, and several other users, immediately noticed: the lack of an output paper tray. As one user bluntly put it, “your papers just fall.” When printing multiple pages, you have to be ready to catch them as they emerge, or they’ll unceremoniously slide off the table. It’s a minor annoyance but one that feels out of place on such a well-thought-out device.
The real game-changer is the LK-72 battery pack. This isn’t just an accessory; it’s central to the printer’s identity. In our testing, we found the battery life to be excellent. Canon rates it for approximately 330 pages on a full charge via AC power, and our experience supports this for standard text documents. Printing color-heavy documents or photos will drain it faster, but we comfortably printed dozens of multi-page contracts and reports over a full day of use without needing to hunt for an outlet. The ability to charge via the included USB-C cable is another modern convenience, allowing you to top it up with the same power bank or charger you use for your laptop or phone. This truly untethered printing capability is what separates it from less portable competitors.
The Setup Saga: Connectivity and Usability Quirks
This is where our experience with the Canon PIXMA TR150 Wireless Portable Printer with Battery Pack became more complex. While the promise of effortless wireless printing is there, achieving it can be a tale of two very different experiences. For some, like one user who said their “Wi-Fi connection was quick and easy,” it’s a breeze. For others, it’s a source of significant frustration. Our testing revealed why.
The printer offers several ways to connect: a standard USB-C cable, connecting to an existing Wi-Fi network, or using Wi-Fi Direct (which Canon calls Wireless Direct). The direct connection is often the most reliable on the go, as it has the printer create its own network for your phone or laptop to join. This worked flawlessly for us with an iPad using AirPrint, just as an artist reported using it to print Procreate sketches. However, many users, including a long-haul car hauler, noted that the included documentation is unclear. The secret, as we discovered, is that you must first use the printer’s small OLED screen to navigate the menu and set a password for the direct connection. Without this step, devices simply won’t connect. A quick search on YouTube provides clear tutorials, but it’s a hurdle that shouldn’t exist.
More critically, we confirmed a major limitation pointed out by a frustrated user in 2024: the printer only supports 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi networks. It cannot see or connect to modern 5 GHz or combined mesh router networks. This is a baffling omission for a modern device and can be a dealbreaker if your home or office network doesn’t support the older band. A further annoyance is the printer’s hyper-aggressive power-saving mode. If left idle for a few hours, it shuts down completely. Unlike most printers that go into a standby mode and wake on-demand, you must physically walk over and press the power button. One user noted this turns into a “longer than 10 minutes” wait for it to fully power on and reconnect to the network. We found this to be the single most irritating quirk, turning a quick print job into a frustrating waiting game. Despite its excellent on-the-go features, this is a significant drawback for home office use.
Print Quality in the Field: Documents, Photos, and Speed
Once connected, the print quality of the Canon PIXMA TR150 Wireless Portable Printer with Battery Pack is genuinely impressive for its size. The maximum resolution of 4800 x 1200 DPI translates into exceptionally crisp, clear text documents. We printed contracts and invoices, and the black text was sharp and professional, with no feathering or smudging. It easily matches the quality of a good desktop inkjet. The print speed of 9 pages per minute (ppm) for black and white is brisk enough for mobile needs; a 5-page report is ready in under a minute.
Color printing is more of a mixed bag, which aligns with the user feedback we analyzed. For business graphics—charts, logos, and presentations—the color is vibrant and accurate, producing professional-looking materials. We found it perfect for printing sales flyers or client handouts on the spot. Where it falters slightly is in high-resolution photo printing. As one user mentioned, color printing can be “somewhat sloppy” when viewed with a critical eye. While it supports borderless 4×6 photos, the output is best for proofs or casual snapshots rather than gallery display. Another user noted seeing “pixels are crooked” on some prints. This isn’t a dedicated photo printer, and its performance reflects that. It’s a mobile workhorse that can handle color, not a specialized photo lab. The versatility is still a major plus, and for its intended purpose, the print performance is more than satisfactory.
What Other Users Are Saying
Across the board, user feedback paints a picture of a highly capable but quirky device. The positive sentiment is overwhelmingly centered on its core mission: portability and convenience. A user who travels 330 days a year called it a “very good purchase,” praising its small size, light weight, and ease of connection (once figured out). Another, a paralegal, lauded it as a “winner” for printing documents at the courthouse, highlighting its speed and great print quality. This sentiment is echoed by many who celebrate the freedom from hotel business centers, with one user exclaiming it saves them “hundreds of dollars.”
However, the criticisms are just as specific and consistent. The most prominent complaint revolves around the connectivity and power management. One user updated their review to lower their rating, saying “I kinda hate this printer more and more each day” due to the mandatory manual power-on and the subsequent long wait to reconnect. Another user perfectly captured the frustration with the Wi-Fi, stating, “I can’t believe that here we are In 2024, and this thing is only good for USB printing?” because of its inability to connect to modern 5 GHz or mesh routers. This feedback is critical: while the printer excels in the field, its daily usability in a modern home or office network environment can be a significant source of friction.
How Does the Canon PIXMA TR150 Compare to the Alternatives?
The Canon PIXMA TR150 Wireless Portable Printer with Battery Pack is a specialist. To understand its value, it’s crucial to compare it not just to other portable printers, but to the stationary alternatives a potential buyer might consider. These alternatives prioritize different features, such as all-in-one functionality or lower running costs, at the expense of portability.
1. Epson Expression Premium XP-7100 Wireless Photo Printer
- Epson strongly recommends the use of genuine epson inks for a quality printing experience non epson inks and inks not formulated for your specific printer may cause damage that is not covered by the...
- This printer is designed for use with epson cartridges only, not third party cartridges or ink; cartridges described as compatible, re manufactured, refilled or refillable may not work properly or at...
The Epson XP-7100 is a compact all-in-one designed for home and photo enthusiasts. Its key advantages over the Canon are its versatility: it can print, scan, and copy, and it includes a 30-page auto document feeder. With a five-color ink system, its photo quality is significantly higher than the TR150’s, making it a better choice for creative projects and family photos. However, it is not portable. It requires a constant AC power source and is much larger and heavier. A user would choose the Epson XP-7100 if their primary need is high-quality photo printing and scanning in a fixed location, like a home office or craft room, and they have no requirement to print on the go.
2. HP Smart Tank 5102 Wireless All-in-One Ink Tank Printer
- FROM CANADA'S MOST TRUSTED PRINTER BRAND – The Smart Tank 5102 is perfect for families printing a variety of color documents in high volumes. Print up to 12 pages per minute black and 5 pages per...
- FULLY LOADED WITH SAVINGS – Best for low-cost, high-volume printing—up to 2 years of Original HP Ink included; get up to 6,000 black or colour pages right out of the box
The HP Smart Tank 5102’s primary selling point is its incredibly low cost-per-page. By using a refillable ink tank system instead of cartridges, it can print thousands of pages with the ink included in the box. This makes it an economic powerhouse for families or small businesses with moderate to high printing volumes. Like the Epson, it’s an all-in-one with scan and copy functions. Its main tradeoff against the Canon TR150 is the complete lack of portability. It’s a stationary desk machine through and through. A buyer would opt for the HP Smart Tank 5102 if their main concern is minimizing long-term ink costs for regular document printing and they don’t need the ability to take their printer with them.
3. HP Smart Tank 7602 Wireless All-in-One Printer
- FROM CANADA'S MOST TRUSTED PRINTER BRAND – The Smart Tank 7602 is perfect for families printing a variety of color documents in high volumes. Print up to 15 pages per minute black and 9 pages per...
- FULLY LOADED WITH SAVINGS – Best for low-cost, high-volume printing—2 years of HP Ink included; get up to 8,000 color pages or 6,000 black pages right out of the box
The HP Smart Tank 7602 is a more powerful version of the 5102, aimed squarely at the demanding home office or small business user. It also features the economical ink tank system but adds crucial business features like an auto document feeder (ADF) and fax capability. It’s designed to be a central office hub, handling a variety of tasks efficiently. It represents a different philosophy entirely from the Canon TR150. While the Canon is about decentralizing printing to any location, the HP 7602 is about centralizing all document-handling tasks to one highly efficient, cost-effective machine. This is the choice for someone who needs a true workhorse for a fixed office and values features and low running costs above all else.
Final Verdict: The Right Tool for a Very Specific Job
After extensive testing and analysis, our verdict on the Canon PIXMA TR150 Wireless Portable Printer with Battery Pack is clear: it is an outstandingly effective, but highly specialized, tool. It is not trying to be the one printer for everyone. It makes deliberate sacrifices—lacking scanning functions, a paper output tray, and modern 5 GHz Wi-Fi—to achieve one thing with excellence: true, untethered, high-quality mobile printing. For the road warrior, the field agent, the RVer, or the professional living out of a briefcase, this device is nothing short of revolutionary. The combination of its slim design, excellent battery life, and crisp document output solves a real, persistent problem for mobile professionals.
However, its quirks, particularly the aggressive auto-shutoff and dated Wi-Fi, mean it can be a frustrating choice for someone who only needs a compact printer for a small home office. If you don’t need to print away from a power outlet, one of the stationary alternatives will likely serve you better. But if your office is wherever you happen to be today, the freedom this printer provides is invaluable. It’s a purpose-built machine that, for the right user, is worth every penny. If you are that person, we wholeheartedly recommend it. You can check the latest price and availability for your mobile office here.
Last update on 2025-11-07 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API