Fujifilm instax Link WIDE Printer Review

This printer feels well-built. Despite its all-plastic construction, its body and hinge feel sturdy. Design-wise, there's a lot to love. It comes with a convenient hand strap to carry the printer around. The film pack is easy to remove and replace with a new one, and the film door locks shut to keep the film safe from light. The power button offers good, tactile feedback so you know when you've pressed it, and there's also a reset button next to the USB port in case of malfunction. It does have some pain points, though. Printed pictures come out from a slot at the top of the device, which lacks any protective covering, meaning dust can get in and accumulate over time. Moreover, there's no warning on the printer noting the risk of light exposure for the film; light exposure will ruin the sheets and make them unusable. Finally, there's no cover for the micro-USB port, risking damage or clogging from foreign objects.

Note: The weight includes a film pack, as removing it would ruin the film.

This printer requires very little maintenance. The film pack is easy to load, and each pack contains ten sheets. As light exposure ruins the film, waiting until the camera is empty to load a new pack will allow you to avoid wasting sheets. There's also a reset button in case of malfunction. You can access the user's manual on the instax website.

While there's no display, the LED-lit 'instax' branding on the power button pulses when charging or printing.

You can purchase color or monochrome film; monochrome film is only available with a white border, but color film is available with either a white or black border. Monochrome film only comes in packs of 10 sheets, but color film is available in a variety of quantities depending on whether you want a white or black border. The compartment holds ten sheets at a time.

• User guide
• USB-A to Micro-USB charging cable
• Stand
• Hand strap

Note: The printer doesn't come with any film.

This printer has an advertised charging time of 80 to 120 minutes, but charging time may vary depending on the ambient temperature and battery level remaining.

This printer can't print documents.

The cost-per-print is high because the film is expensive. The graph represents the cost for a pack of 20 sheets. Larger packs will likely reduce the cost per print.

This printer produces photos very quickly; it doesn't score well because it doesn't print documents and can't perform double-sided printing. It prints faster from a mobile device than from a computer, taking 40 seconds and 50 seconds, respectively. While the printer expresses the photo rather quickly, you'll have to wait around 10 minutes for photos to fully develop, much longer than the manufacturer's claim of 90 seconds.

Note: The printed photos in this review have been scanned using the Epson V600 rather than having a photo taken of them. This is due to the characteristics of the film, which has a reflective sheen and a tendency to curve, distorting the printed image when photographed. Here is an example of the Granger chart when photographed.

There are two printing modes available through the Instax WIDE app that impact the printer's color gamut. By default, the printer is set to the Instax-Rich Mode, which is the setting the photos are printed in for this review. The color gamut is decent in the Rich mode. Colors look fairly saturated, and there's enough range to produce details from contrasting colors. However, it still struggles to produce smooth gradients. The other option is called Instax-Natural Mode, which narrows the color gamut significantly and gives photos a much duller appearance. If you're curious about what photos look like in the Natural mode, check out the Color Gamut section of the Fujifilm instax mini Link 2 review.

Overall, the color accuracy is good. Some colors, like pinks and some skin tones, are very accurate, while others are visibly off, like greens.

This printer resolves small details poorly. The image looks soft, with blurred edges, and the low resolution is noticeable even on such a small photo. Nevertheless, the image looks better than most portable photo printers; while it can't compare to desktop inkjet printers, this kind of resolution is normal and desirable as it contributes to a vintage film aesthetic. Check out the Polaroid Hi-Print Generation 2 if you want a portable printer that's better at reproducing small details.

This printer uses instax WIDE films, which measure 2.4" x 3.9" (62mm x 99mm).

You can only connect to the printer via Bluetooth, either with an Android or iOS smartphone, a Windows device, or any Fujifilm camera. When you connect the printer to a Fujifilm camera, there's an additional menu on the camera that lets you select the print mode (Natural or Rich). You can only print photos taken with the camera, and the file has to be in a JPEG format. You can only connect to one device at a time, and the Micro-USB port is for charging only.

The Fujifilm instax Link WIDE includes a simple app for photo printing. It can only print JPG files. In addition to basic printing, there are options to use templates for adding frames to photos, making collages, and editing photos with filters, stickers, etc. There's also a sketching function that allows you to use your mobile device's camera to scan a sketch or drawing and add it to a live or existing photo. You can also generate and embed a QR code in your photos to perform a variety of functions included with the app. You can use the QR code to link your photo to a website (like your social media accounts), record and play sound from your photo, pin the photo to a location, or even use it to reveal a hidden message. Finally, the app also provides you with basic information about the printer, such as battery life or remaining prints, allows you to update its firmware, and gives you access to FAQ and support pages.

While you must manually install drivers to use this printer on Windows devices, it's great to see this compatibility as it's normally lacking for portable photo printers. By contrast, despite listing support for macOS and ChromeOS, you can't use either macOS or ChromeOS devices with this printer at the time of publishing.