Mini Photo Phone Printer Battle - Canon Ivy Mini Printer vs Fujifilm Instax Mini Link
When my niece told me she wanted a mini photo printer to make prints from her phone, I of course went straight to the internet. Alas, though there were a few video reviews, none really answered all of my questions. So of course, I had to buy two of the most likely looking specimens and try them out myself.
After a lot of reading a reviewing, I settled on the Canon Ivy Mini Photo Printer and the Fujifilm Instax Mini Link Printer. They represented the two main styles of printing. The Canon Ivy uses Zink paper which is also used by several other manufacturers such as Polaroid and HP. Each uses a variation of the paper, but...you can use any of them in any of the printers. They are all the same size. The cool part is, each one gives a slightly different color grade. So you can choose which you like. The resulting print is pretty clear and with some adjustments, comes out pretty close to your starting photo color.
The Fujifilm Instax Mini Link uses a Polaroid like process in which it develops like real film, all in a cartridge. This process takes about 1 minute to give you a final pic. It's as you remember Polaroids to me. No shaking doesn't make it faster.
Both printers are fairly small and lightweight. I would not notice too much of a difference in weight, but the Fujifilm is a bit bigger and bulkier. Both use a USB mini port to charge.
To use either, you must first download an app. I found both to be pretty easy to use with a minimal learning curve. Both allow you to zoom in and out, make color adjustments and add filters. The Canon allows you to add designs and letters too.
I also looked into cost. Both printers are about $100. For refills, when I looked, they both had a similar cost as well at about $0.50 a print give or take.
Overall, they are both fun toys to have, but in the end, Addy chose the Canon Ivy. I think, if I had my choice, I'd choose it too. It was a bit smaller, the prints come out faster, they are sharper, and truer to color, and you can get a little more creative in the app.
Hope this helps. Let me know if you have questions.
Links below for your convenience, but shop around too. Maybe you'll find a deal. They are affiliate links that give me a tiny amount if you use them.
Canon Ivy Mini Printer
https://amzn.to/2MTbDYn
Fujifilm Instax Mini Link Smartphone Printer
https://amzn.to/2UESk9M
#miniprinter #phoneprinter #CanonIvy #FujifilmInstax #miniphotoprinter