While there are many things in our culture seem to get bigger year after year, tech gadgets seem to do the opposite. Even going back to when I was a child, which was not a terribly long time ago, I couldn’t have imagined today’s modern cellphone, and I had a pretty vivid imagination (believe me). Back in elementary school, my house was considered high tech by my friends because we had a cordless phone. It could only be used inside of the house, or within a tiny radius outside, and it was the size of a cement block. Now, cellphones can be used anywhere (kind of), and they are designed to fit in standard jeans pocket. These cellphones also play music, record video and hold thousands of games. It’s phenomenal. As it happens, printers have also gotten smaller as well. Because of the advent of laptop computers, tech companies found a way to create printers that could be transported with the same relative ease. It’s a relief to me, being someone who frequently found himself in college writing a paper, but forgetting to print it (or so I told my professors). Here are some of the best of these portable printers on the market.

Brother PocketJet 6 Plus

The Brother PocketJet 6 Plus is generally regarded as topflight in the industry. The company states that it is mostly designed for in car use and truck drivers, but the fact of the matter is that it is just as useful in an office or anywhere really. Even though it is a thermal printer, the PocketJet does not produce the same poor image quality and foul chemical stench that a majority of similar models do. In fact, the paper used has the look, feel and odor of standard plain paper. But the most impressive thing about this printer is its portability. Weighing in at a measly 1.1 pounds (1.3 with the rechargeable battery) and measuring at 1.2x10x2.2 inches, this printer can easily slip in with a standard laptop case. It’s almost something of an afterthought.

HP Officejet 100 Mobile Printer

The HP Officejet 100 Mobile Printer may not be as portable as the PocketJet, but the quality of the printing is unrivaled by just about anything else in the industry. It’s also notable for its high-yield cartridges that allow for printing a higher than normal amount of pages without running out of ink. But it’s the output quality that is this printer’s strongest characteristic. The text quality matches, probably even bests, most inkjets, and the photo cartridges allow for picture quality better than even your standard drugstore prints. Some consumers have bemoaned the printer’s relatively slow speed, and it is heavier than most portable printers, weighing in at 5.1 pounds (5.5 with the rechargeable battery). But if you’re looking for high quality prints, this is what you need.

Polaroid Grey Label GL10 Instant Mobile Printer

If you need a portable printer strictly for photos, the Polaroid Grey Label GL10 Instant Mobile Printer is one of the best on the market. It’s slightly larger than most models, with measurements of 1×4.5×5.8, but it still can be carried around with relative ease. One of the best features of this printer is that you can print from just about any device, an industry rarity. And the ease at which it can be setup is viewed as a major asset by photographers on the move. The downside of this machine is that it can only produce on 3×4 inch photo paper. It’s still a wonderful machine in all other respects. Plus, the sleek design was conjured up by none other than Lady Gaga. That’s just great trivia to throw around at inquirers.

Of course, there are other phenomenal products available. These are just some of the most widely regarded models in the industry. Given the speed in which technology progresses, I can’t wait to see the advances we’ll have even five years down the road.

Author bio: Sabina Cao has a B.A. in Journalism and writes on the topics of business, technology, and design. She currently blogs for inkfarm.com, who specialize in Dell printer cartridges