Rongta Portable Printer F81 Review

In the late 1990’s I was working for the government and teaching aircraft maintenance classes to Active Duty Navy and Marines.  I taught the class all over the world and printing class rosters and certificates was troublesome.  You couldn’t just hook any computer up to the Navy network which meant printing needed to usually occur in the hotel.  Hotel offices weren’t much better.  And then I found a portable printer that would fit in my suitcase.  Fast forward to 2025 and now I have really found a printer that will fit in any backpack or purse.   Enter the Rongta Portable Printer F81 (currently $132.99 with a 30% off coupon at Amazon. In addition you can stack an additional 30% off by using the code DXF3Q6ND.  That brings the price down to $63.03.  That really makes this a no-brainer.

The Rongta F81 is a thermal printer which means it never needs ink.  But it does need thermal paper.

Leading Particulars

Some quick specs:

• 203 dpi
• Compatible with US Letter/A4/A5/B5 paper
• USB/Bluetooth/WiFi connectivity
• Power Input 5V (USB-C)
• 7.4V 2400 mAh battery
• 15 mm/s print speed
• Windows/Mac/IOS/Android compatible
• 268 mm long, 30 mm high and 58 mm wide
• 128 x 128 pixel screen (very cool)

The size is really quite small and the printer is simplistic with only one button.

Rongta Portable Printer F81 Connections

USB is self explanatory but to use the printer via WiFi or Bluetooth you must download an app named “SOPRINT”.  Once opened it will detect your printer.  From there you can connect via WiFi or Bluetooth from inside the app.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The only way to access either method is within the Soprint app.

That is basically about it.  Included in the box is a USB thumb drive which contains drivers for the printer for Mac and Windows.  When connected via USB it shows up as a printer under your settings.

Print Quality

Because it is a thermal printer I have found that print quality is a bit on the light side albeit totally acceptable.  While the F81 comes with a few sheets of paper I recommend purchasing some high quality thermal paper.  Let’s take a look at a print.  Before we do that let me point out one thing.  When loading US Letter sized paper I have noticed that it is a challenge to get the paper to feed perfectly straight.

As you can see from the picture above the right side of the paper is protruding slightly and is not perfectly even with the left side.   Okay, now let’s print.

Also I should state that the print quality has improved since I first tested the machine.  I guess the thermal module needs to get a little workout before it lays down nice text and graphics.  I’m happy with the results that I’m getting.

Who Is This For?

If you are a Road Warrior and travel and require the ability to print on the road, this is a no-brainer. It fits in a backpack and they even give you a soft case with a drawstring to protect it.

However, if you require meticulous prints that pop off of glossy paper you might need to go the inkjet route.   The Rongta F81 is way more than adequate for what most people need to print out in this world of easy sharing of PDF files and photos.

If you travel, even to the work site, and you need to print ANYTHING……..this is your Huckleberry.

I love this printer and am only sad I am retired and can’t use it on my trips.  Actually, I’m not sad that I’m retired.   But I sure could have used this thing back when I was working.  And I can sure use it now.  I actually needed to print the license in my YouTube video above.

Final Thoughts On The Rongta Portable Printer F81

This printer is small and lightweight and produces good quality results.  It has a soft case for protection and can be connected via USB, Bluetooth, or WiFi.  That is all of the bases, folks.

God, I wish I had this printer a few years ago.

JOHN’S TECH BLOG HIGHLY RECOMMENDS THE RONGTA PORTABLE PRINTER F81