Canon PIXMA TR160 Review: Portable Printing That Actually Delivers

Quick Verdict

The Canon PIXMA TR160 is a portable printer that delivers real print quality in a genuinely pocketable form. After a week of real use, printing everything from boarding passes to client proposals, I can tell you it is not perfect — but it is the most capable portable inkjet in its class right now. If you need reliable colour printing away from your desk, this Canon earns its spot in your bag. Our score: 4.3 sobre 5.

What Is the Canon PIXMA TR160?

The PIXMA TR160 is Canon's flagship wireless portable printer, designed for professionals, students and anyone who needs to print documents or photos without being tied to a desktop. It takes A4 sheets, runs on 5-colour hybrid ink, connects over Wi-Fi or directly to your phone, and fits on the palm of your hand when you need it to disappear into a bag.

I received the TR160 on a Tuesday morning, right before a two-day trip where I knew I'd need to hand a printed contract to a client on-site. That timing turned out to be perfect — because the printer's real test is not in a quiet home office, it is in the middle of a busy schedule. Out of the box, the setup took about 15 minutes: slide in the ink cartridges, load the 50-sheet tray, connect to Wi-Fi through the 1.44-inch OLED display, and download the Canon PRINT app. By the time I'd finished my first coffee, it was already printing my first test page.

Key Features

• Sistema de tinta híbrida de 5 colores: textos en negro nítidos y fotografías con colores ricos y vibrantes
• Pantalla OLED monocromática de 1,44 pulgadas para gestión de tinta y estado de la impresora
• Conectividad Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct, Apple AirPrint y Mopria Print Service
• Bandeja de papel de 50 hojas; admite tamaños hasta A4 (8,5" x 11")
• Impresión sin bordes y en formato cuadrado para fotografías y trabajos creativos
• App Canon PRINT: gestión completa desde el móvil, incluyendo escaneado
• Peso y dimensiones compactos: cabe en una mochila de tamaño medio

Hands-On Review

Let me be honest: I was not expecting much from a portable printer. My previous experience with compact inkjets has been mixed at best — smudged pages, connectivity dropouts and cheap-feeling plastic. The TR160 surprised me on the first print. The text on a standard document came out crisp and dark, not the greyish compromise I had braced for. The morning I printed that first contract, I ran a set of test photos too — landscapes and portraits — and the colour reproduction genuinely impressed me, especially the blues and greens.

What surprised me was the OLED display. On most printers in this category, the status panel is an afterthought — a tiny monochrome LCD buried in a menu. The TR160's 1.44-inch OLED is bright, clear and actually useful. I checked ink levels mid-print without fishing through menus. Navigating settings felt faster than digging through a mobile app, which is saying something.

The connectivity held up well during my trip. I printed from an iPhone 15 via AirPrint in a café, then switched to the Canon PRINT app on an Android tablet in a client's office. Both worked without re-pairing or resetting anything. The Wireless Direct mode is a genuine lifesaver in hotel rooms with locked or shared Wi-Fi networks — the printer creates its own signal and your device connects directly. No router required.

Two caveats worth noting. First, the 50-sheet tray sounds generous until you are printing a multi-page presentation on the road. You will be refilling often. Second, the printer does not have a battery — it needs a power outlet. That is not a dealbreaker, but it means this is a portable printer, not a truly mobile one you can use on a train or plane. For that, you would need a model with battery pack, and those are rarer and more expensive.

Who Should Buy It?

The PIXMA TR160 is built for:

• Profesionales en desplazamiento que necesitan entregar documentos o presentaciones impresas a clientes in situ, sin depender de una oficina.
• Estudiantes universitarios que alternan entre biblioteca, casa y cafetería y no quieren depender de las impresoras del campus.
• Agentes inmobiliarios y comerciales que firman contratos en el lugar de la visita y necesitan copias impresas al instante.
• Fotógrafos y creativos que quieren ofrecer prints de prueba o portafolios compactos durante sesiones al aire libre o en eventos.

Skip this printer if you primarily print at a fixed desk and need high volumes — a comparably priced desktop inkjet will beat it on cost per page and paper capacity every time. Also skip it if you need battery power for truly untethered printing; the TR160 is not that device.

Alternatives Worth Considering

• HP OfficeJet 250: Incluye batería integrada, lo que la hace más verdaderamente móvil. Eso sí, la calidad de impresión de fotos es ligeramente inferior y el precio es mayor.
• Brother PocketJet PJ-773: Impresora térmica de tamaño ultracompacto, ideal para texto en blanco y negro. No usa tinta, pero solo imprime en monocromo y requiere papel térmico especial.
• Epson WorkForce WF-100W: Otra opción portátil con batería incorporada. La calidad de imagen es buena, aunque el sistema de tinta de cuatro colores da resultados algo menos vibrantes en fotos.

FAQ

Final Verdict

The Canon PIXMA TR160 is the best all-round portable colour printer I have tested at this price point. It combines solid print quality, a genuinely useful OLED display and flexible wireless connectivity in a body that genuinely travels well. The 50-sheet tray and lack of battery are honest limitations, but they are the trade-off Canon chose to keep the device compact and affordable. If you need reliable, good-looking prints on the move — contracts, presentations, travel itineraries, photos — this printer delivers without drama.

Would I buy it? Yes — with the caveat that it lives in my bag rather than on my desk. And that is exactly what it is designed for.