Phomemo Portable Printers Wireless for Travel, M08F Thermal Bluetooth Printer Support for 8.5"x11" US Letter, Small Inkless Printer Compatible with iOS, Android, Laptop for Car, Office, Home

The media could not be loaded. For one thing, how did Phomemo ever guess there might be such attentive fans of turquoise, the feature which probably lured me as much as anything to their M08F portable printer? Loved the color when I saw it on Amazon, and love it equally well when situated on my tabletop. It's even a bit retro and therefore fits well with our retro 1950's home.Nothing retro about functionality though. For printing from phones that relies heavily upon the free Phomemo app that was easy to download, run, and use to get the printer operational. I was never able to get this printer working connected directly (using the included USB cable which doubles as the charging cable) to my favored Windows 7 laptop. Driver would not work. It was flawlessly plug & play when connected to my wife's Windows 10 laptop of the same model. I do appreciate the USB A-to-C conversion adapter included by Phomemo. That's a lead many more manufacturers of PC-connectible devices should take.From there it was just a matter of finding something actually important to print, being that only 10 pages of thermal paper are included with the printer. Such scarcity sends me into hoarding mode and is responsible for the long time it took to run this printer through the paces. In fact it is so very convenient to tote that over several months it traveled thousands of miles in my company before I finally found occasion to use it. That was to print a boarding pass, mainly for test purposes. I'm old school when it comes to boarding passes, and ALWAYS print as opposed to relying on my evil phone. Maybe nobody else in the world has had it happen, but I am absolutely certain mine will decide to die the minute I get in line to board a flight. And/or I fear the burned-in display will fail to register on the boarding pass scanner and I'll be unceremoniously ejected from the line to have a boarding pass printed anyway. Nope, not trusting THAT tech. Hence my predilection for printing. Still, I have had substandard printed passes fail to scan as well. That has always been inkjet-printed passes, since laser printing always works. So I was eager to know which category this thermal printer would fall into. I'm happy to report that I did not need to resort to my backup laser-printed boarding pass and M08F passed its first hurdle--producing crisp, high definition monochrome output on the demo paper provided.Finally a month later, with the help of a furry assistant, I have finished my testing and the documentation thereof, some of which is attached to this review. You're welcome. Not only did this printer receive a passing grade, but it earned an A+, thanks to the extra credit of its awesome color. I was very impressed with the monochrome print quality as wall as the printer's excellent battery life. The only possible detraction actually turns out be a substantial STRENGTH--the use of thermal paper rather than plain. Was a time when that would have been a deal-killer, but no more. The only alternative in a portable printer is inkjet and, despite their plain paper usage, that design is so problematic in a portable printer that I'd given up on them long ago. I mistakenly thought that was the end of my portable printer days, but this M08F has made me a believer again. I have sourced inexpensive bulk thermal paper that is compatible with this printer (sorry Phomemo), so that is no longer a detraction at all. The fact that it will print flawlessly even after being tucked away for a year or two makes the thermal printing feature a boon--no clogged inkjets!!The video I included demonstrates that patience is a must. The slow print speed and single sheet feeding are a trade-off that's of no concern to me or my assistant. However, she's just like most other females in my life and does not generally appreciate being captured digitally, much less on hard copy. Any disapproval discerned from her is her own problem, not any of this fine printer's. At least she didn't stick out her tongue.

The media could not be loaded. Disclaimer: I was compensated for the cost of the printer by the manufacturer without any request other than to provide feedback directly to them on what would make this printer better which I also offer here.Phomemo M08F Letter Size Thermal PrinterStraight-to-the-Point Overall UsabilityGreat portable printer for the times when you absolutely must have a hard copy a non-intricately detailed document. Works well for text and line art in non-permanent things like tickets or event signage which I happen to print often enough. Since this printer uses thermal paper, I would not recommend it for long-term legal documents (Quick Guide states 7-10 year print viability if kept dry, at room temperature, and out of sunlight) but if you need a semi-permanent document, it completely fits the bill. You will likely want to purchase additional thermal paper to do any appreciable printingLikes• Compact• No ink - no mess• Easy to use hardware• Easy to use Android app• Easy to print on Windows with driver installation• Relatively quick for a non-industrial thermal printer• Great quality prints for the right use-cases• Great battery lifeDislikes• Paper can get misaligned on insertion every now and again• Difficult to cancel or know if a print job has been cancelled• Noisy prints if on a resonant surfaceThings to consider• Prints can be expensive at 15¢ to 26¢ per page• Photos and very small text are not the intended use for the printer• Color graphics should be converted to grayscale before printingIn the Box• Printer carefully supported in foam• Two Quick Start Guides (one more graphical and the other more text laden)• 2 ft. USB-A to USB-C for computer connectivity and charging• USB flash drive of computer drivers• Velvet carry bag• 5 sheets Phomemo thermal letter paper which are creased in thirds from being packed in the box and best to flatten a bit before useBuild QualityAs with all the Phomemo products I own, the quality is tops. There is no wasted space in the case and the entire printer feels sturdy if not a bit heavy (721g / ~1.6lbs). The hinge and hinge opening buttons, which allow for paper release or roller and thermal head cleaning, have a good feel without any play. The printer has two rubber feet which do a good job of preventing printer movement but they do little to address one of my few complaints about printing.Phomemo App (Android)I have used and generally like the Phomemo label printer Android Apps ‘Print Master’ and ‘Labelife’. The eponymously named ‘Phomemo’ App is no different. In app, it is easy to connect the printer with Bluetooth or the QR code on the printer’s top sticker, change settings (Auto Shutdown – I recommend setting to at least 30 mins.), and print all or individual pages from various sources of documents (browse the filesystem or Share to ‘Phomemo’ from an open document. There is even an available library of line art drawings over a range of categories for simple sign or coloring sheet printouts. The one thing that wasn’t entirely clear with the app was the best method for cancelling a multi-page print and what I found to work for me was powering off the printer and force stopping the app.Windows 10 DriverThe ‘Phomemo’ App, Quick Start Guides, and the printer’s top sticker all make it easy to locate the drivers form Windows and MacOS. I only have Windows machines and had no issues finding, downloading, and installing the M08F driver. Printing was as simple as connecting the printer to the computer with the USB-A to USB-C cable and choosing the printer by name in any print dialog.PrintingMy test prints were done from a 100-sheet pack of Phomemo branded letter thermal paper that was on-sale for $20.99 (21¢ per sheet, a 200-sheet pack is available for $29.99 for 15¢ per sheet). Inserting paper and getting it to be properly aligned in the printer can be tricky if done too slowly. Make sure the thermal paper is oriented with the correct side up (‘This side should face up.’ is labeled on one side) and insert it as straight and swift as you can until it butts up against the roller bar inside. An improperly aligned sheet will print but the page can be skewed and the page edges torn ragged (only 2 of 20 printed sheets). If a sheet is inserted incorrectly, it is possible to open the printer and re-insert the sheet again. I printed using both Medium and Heavy darkness settings and observed a minimal difference in quality for most documents. If you have very small details or text (8pt or less) the Heavy darkness setting will make those parts more legible. Be warned that 6pt or smaller font can be spotty or illegible. All linear bar, Data Matrix ,and QR codes on tickets that I printed scanned with ease using my cellphone. The average time for a full sheet print was ~25 seconds.Battery Usage and ChargingWhen unboxed, the printer had 97% charge. I printed 20 sheets, 18 at Heavy darkness, and that only took the charge to 84%. I cannot envision many scenarios that would have this printer use more than 25% charge. Charging back to 100% took about 30 minutes and, as stated in the text heavy Quick Start Guide, had to be done using the 5V 2A power which I had on my computer’s USB hub. Neither my Samsung Fast or Super Fast phone chargers nor my Anker 20W or 45W chargers would charge the printer.Recommendations to Phomemo to Improve the Printer• Adding pop-out or fold-out paper guides could ease proper paper alignment on insertion• Adding thicker or more dampening rubber cushions on the bottom of the printer could reduce the amount of resonant sound generated by the printer• Depending on the desired typical usage per charge, the battery size could be halved and still allow for 50+ pages per charge while likely taking the weight of the printer to less than a pound

Great for on the go. Im always finding myself away from office and running out of documents or need a reference page on the fly. This has been well worth the money saved on ink and time

Great size for portable printer. It will easily slide into backpack for use at the library or on campus. Easy to set up and it's truly grab and go. I haven't printed yet, so can't speak to the print quality but the printer quality is there and functionality as everything is easy to access and use.

The software isn't very user friendly, and the print quality is not great. It will print, it will not work for higher definition black/white images or logos. The print is very pixelated. However if just need a very basic printer and don't mind using their app it wouldn't be bad.

I use this everyday to print delivery receipts in my work truck. Love it! Just be sure to get flat, folded paper. It works better in this printer than rolls and has a better outcome. I prefer to avoid handing people rolled 🗞️ scrolls. Lol. The rolls will work but I prefer the flat.Also, I prefer the 10-15 year flat paper because, a little known thing about thermal printer paper is that the image will fade. Usually in around 3yrs. If you get good flat, 10-15 year paper you're good to go for a decade at least.Also, thermal printer paper is often made with harsh chemicals that aren't good to handle. The good paper (available here on Amazon) also avoids that little pitfall.But as for the printer itself.... It's Great! Lasts a month or more between charges with daily use of one or two sheets and has given me no problem at all.