A new printing device that makes portable printing possible from a smartphone, is now available in South Africa.

The compact palm-top printer weighs 200 g and creates instant prints from a smartphone camera roll. An application (app) and Bluetooth functionality is used to connect a smartphone to the printer. The app gives users access to a variety of features, while Bluetooth provides for the transfer of images.

Users can activate different modes depending on the positioning of the printer. A vertical position activates the Print Mode, allowing users to print images from a smartphone or select and print a frame from a video. When the printer is placed horizontally, the Fun Mode option gives users access to features such as Party Print, Collage Print and Match Test.

The INSTAX Mini Link smartphone printer from FUJIFILM includes features such as:

• Light weight, portability and speed: The device transfers a print in about 12 seconds, supports continuous printing and is capable of printing about 100 prints per charge.
• Video Print functionality prints a selected frame from smartphone video: The user can scroll through smartphone video frames to select a shot and then print it.
• Party Print creates a single picture with photos sent from multiple users: This function connects up to five smartphones to the app, combining a selected picture from each device into one collage print. An option within this function is Surprise Mode to keep the final image a secret until the print starts developing.
• Customised prints with design frames: The app contains a variety of design frames that can be overlaid onto images and then printed. Smartphone images can also be enhanced with artistic filters or by changing the brightness, contrast and saturation of the image. The app can also be used to combine up to eight pictures into a print collage. 
• Dedicated app designed for intuitive operability: The INSTAX Mini Link app has been designed specifically for the printer. It includes operational features such as swiping up on the smartphone screen to transfer a picture for printing. The printer can also receive picture data from FUJIFILM’s X Series and GFX System digital cameras via the Camera Remote app to produce prints.

In addition, the app allows the printer to be used to remotely control the smartphone camera. For example, a user can zoom in by facing the printer down, zoom out by facing it up and release the shutter by pressing the power button. Users can also print multiple copies of a picture by holding the printer upside down and pressing the power button.

The smartphone printer is available in three colours - dusky pink, ash white and dark denim.