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Unlike the wider one, we think this is slim and light enough to stash in your bag and bring on your travels, and the bigger square size works well for a wide range of shots including landscapes, portraits, close-ups and more. As one of the smallest models we tested, the Fujifilm Instax Mini Link is perfect for on-the-go fun. The app lets you customize prints by applying filters and adding fun captions. You can also buy photo paper with designs already printed on it, to add even more character.
At 4.5” x 3.0” x 1.0”, and 7 ounces, the LifePrint 2x3 Hyperprint was by far the smallest and lightest we tested. It was also the fastest by far, taking around 30 seconds to print a photo. Some of this speed comes from using Zink (Zero-Ink) technology that combines the ink and photo paper. All portable photo printers work by connecting to your smartphone over Bluetooth, and you’ll then be able to send your photos to the printer via an app. They may allow you to add effects or text before you print too. Finally there are Zink printers that use zero-ink paper, embedded with color crystals, that offers the cheapest printing option –with often middling quality that's neither as good as a dye sub print, nor as intentionally lo-fi as an Instax print. Do portable printers need ink? There’s no charging the Kiipix Portable Mini Printer, nor any need to plug it in. Simply load it with Instax Mini film, place your phone face down on the scanner (with the brightness cranked all the way up – trust us), use the reflective mirror to ensure it’s properly aligned, and then you can manually crank out the prints yourself.
The best instant cameras and printers – our full list
The devices we tested a variety of different printing techniques. Three of the printers used dye sublimation, which uses heat to transfer ink from film sheets to photo paper. This process takes time. Each sheet of photo paper passes through the printer four times to lay down each layer of color before the final print emerges. The Instax Mini LiPlay is not marketed specifically as a portable printer, so this one may be easy to miss. Instead, it's one of a new breed of hybrid digital instant cameras that offer the functionality of an instant camera, a digital camera, and a portable printer in the same device.
If what you want to print isn’t well-sized to your printer paper, you can always crop your photos using apps on your smartphone, including your photo printer’s companion app. Battery Life
These printers operate wirelessly, using WiFi or Bluetooth technology –or, in the case of the Kiipix, using a mirror! What paper do these printers take?