Brother MW-145BT

Brother MW-145BT

There's no denying it: One of the strongest arguments for the Brother MW-145BT ($399.95 direct) is pure gadget appeal. That's what you get with a printer that's about the size of a notepad, at 0.7 by 3.9 by 6.3 inches (HWD), weighs 11 ounces complete with paper and rechargeable battery, and prints on paper about the size of a large Post-It note. It's not for everyone, but if you want portability above all and will be satisfied with the small-sized paper for printing, say, e-mails while you're on the go, it may be just right. And it's simply fun to watch something this small do its work. In many ways, the MW-145BT is a smaller, even more portable version of the Editors' Choice Brother MW-260 ($549.95 direct, 4 stars) that I recently reviewed. Both are thermal printers that are limited to using smaller than letter-size paper, but the most important difference between the two is the size paper they use. The MW-260 prints on A6 size paper (4.1 by 5.8 inches). The MW-145BT prints on A7 size paper (2.9 by 4.1 inches). The smaller paper size makes the MW-145BT suitable for fewer applications. But if you don't need a larger paper size, the 145BT may be the better choice.