Pentax PocketJet 3 user reviews

1.0 stars

"Does Size Really Matter?" on January 1, 2008 by alliebabah

Pros: Small and Compact. No ink cartiridges to buy

Cons: Battery life, expensive and out-of-stock thermal paper, back cover protecting battery pops off, trouble communicating with Dell Latitude Notebooks (print errors), overheating

Summary: Over the past 18 months the company I work for has purchased 49 of these units because of the mobility of the unit and it being so lightweight. During this time, over half of the units have been shipped with faulty batteries (either by overheatin or not holding a charge) despite the fact that the initial charging instructions were followed precisely. The battery cover easily pops off and breaks and is costly to order from Pentax. Recently, several of the employees using this printer complain that the print job does not print at all. The following day, the job will print and they cannot clear the memory of the unit. By the time the information prints, it is no longer needed. The batteries are expensive and need to be replaced after the first 9 months to a year after using the unit. However, several units out of the 49 purchased included a inoperative battery. When reading the manufacturer warranty, it states that batteries are not included. How convienent! I rather have a heavier printer to tote around then to have the luxury of this compact printer that is not very reliable. Ordering the thermal paper is a hit or miss...Pentax seems to be out of stock all of the time. When you do find an online retailer who has the paper you need to be prepared to spend between $11 - $13 for 100 sheets. However, PC Connection does have the paper for $9.40. But when having to ship the paper out to field employees, it gets really expensive. As far as I know, there are not retail stores you can walk into and buy the paper. All things considered, Pentax Pocketjet3 equals one big headache.