Fujifilm South Africa today launched the Instax Link Wide smartphone printer, which enables users to print images from their smartphone on Instax Wide format film. The prints are twice the size of the regular Instax Mini prints.
This is the first Instax smartphone printer to do so, building on the popularity of the Instax Mini Link (Mini film) and the Instax Share SP-3 (Square film) printers before it. Like its predecessors, the wide printer connects to smartphones through a dedicated app via Bluetooth. The app offers a variety of functionality to take advantage of the larger print size.
The larger Instax Wide print has been available since 1999 when the Instax Wide 100 camera was launched. The Wide prints measure 86mm x 108mm, double that of Instax Mini prints (86mm x 54mm). This makes the Wide-format highly suitable for group photos, landscape photography, or wide-angle shots that benefit from a larger print area.
It’s also the first to feature Instax-Rich mode for enhanced colour saturation. Users are now able to select between this mode or the Instax-Natural mode for Instax’s signature soft tone.
It features a draped design, complemented with stylised metallic touches at the front and top of the device. The printer includes a matching stand to confidently set it up as part of the room décor or to facilitate easy operation. Despite its support of the larger wide-format film, the Link Wide remains compact and lightweight (340g), coming with a hand-strap for enhanced portability.
Fujifilm has specifically designed the dedicated smartphone app to make printing as easy and feature-rich as possible. Once connected, users can instantly transfer an image to the Link Wide by swiping up from the bottom edge of the smartphone screen. It’s also possible to select a favourite moment from a recorded video by scrolling through video frames to select one to print.
Users can add a voice note, website link, location data or hidden text to printed images through the app. This is done via an embedded QR code that’s printed with the photo. By scanning the printed QR code, viewers are able to access the hidden information via smartphone. This QR code functionality has several practical applications, such as using an Instax Link Wide print as a wedding invitation to include, for example, the couple’s wedding website or venue location data.
Availability and Pricing
The Fujifilm Instax Link Wide smartphone printer is ideal for users looking to get the most details from their smartphone photos. The printer is available in South Africa now, in both Ash White and Mocha Grey. It comes with a recommended retail price of R2 499.
Instax Wide White border film will be sold in packs of ten, retailing for a recommended R195 per pack, and the Black border film for R210 per pack.