It’s tough for me to get into the Instax printers. Sometimes they feel a tad gimmicky or there’s something about them I just don’t understand. But, there’s something about the Fujifilm Instax Square Link that makes it almost perfect. While there are a bunch of features I’d never use, Instax Square is one of the best formats Fujifilm has developed. It’s an integral part of why I think the Fujifilm Instax Square Link is so great. However, there are a few fun features I think everyone will like!
The Fujifilm Instax Square Link is perfect for anyone going to a party, a wedding, or who wants to give people portraits on the spot. I’d personally use it all the time in the latter scenario.
The Big Picture
The Fujifilm Instax Square Link is, by all means, an Instax square printer. If you’ve got a previous one and are happy with it, you probably don’t need this. But The Fujifilm Instax Square Link is quite small and they added in some fun new things to play with. You can easily print photos from your phone, but can’t print directly from your Fujifilm camera. You can also make the prints look like they were shot by an Instax camera: a major crowd pleaser for anyone self-conscious about the way they look. It charges via USB-C and you can also do all the augmented reality stuff the previous printers could. Honestly, this one is hard to beat.
The Fujifilm Instax Square Link receives five out of five stars from us. Want one? Check them out on Amazon if you’re interested.
Pros
- Small
- Lightweight
- USB-C charging
- Instax look (Natural Photo mode), or regular look (rich photo mode)
- Can go almost everywhere with you
Cons
- Can’t connect to a camera to print. What’s even the point then Fujifilm has the Instax menu built into their cameras?
Innovations
The biggest innovation here to the Fujifilm Instax Square Link is probably the addition of the Natural Photo mode and the Rich Photo mode. Otherwise, all other features have been available before with Instax printers.
Gear Used
We tested the Fujifilm Instax Square Link, which is a unit provided to us for keeps by Fujifilm. It was used with the iPhone 12 Pro Max (Chris’s own).
Ergonomics
The Fujifilm Instax Square Link is a pretty small printer. As you can see, it’s not much larger than a pack of Instax Square film. It fits into a pocket, quite honestly.
To activate the printer, you’ll press and hold the Instax button a bit. There’s also a special function button too.
Here’s a view of the back of the printer. This is where you load film into the printer. But otherwise, you’ll never look at this side.
Look here and you’ll spot the little door for your USB port. It charges via USB-C, which is a nice, modern upgrade.
And, of course, you’ll get your ejected prints from the top of the Fujifilm Instax Square Link printer. That’s really all there is to this.
Build Quality
The build quality of the Fujifilm Instax Square Link is plastic fantastic. It feels both solid and hollow at the same time. The exterior shell feels durable, but I could probably crush this with pure grip strength (and a lot of bandages on my hand afterward). It’s not weather resistant, so don’t bring it into the rain or around drunk wedding parties.
Ease of Use
The Fujifilm Instax Square Link is very easy to figure out once you’ve got the Square Link app installed on your phone. The app and printer are simple to set up; all you need to do is search for it via Bluetooth. Once that’s done, it’s smooth sailing. From the app, you can print photos, set up the photo mode, add augmented reality experiences via a QR code, and much more. But the really cool things are Natural Photo Mode and Rich Photo mode. Rich Photo mode lets you print the image pretty much as you see it. Natural photo mode give you the look of an Instax camera.
What’s sad is the fact that it cannot connect to a camera to print the photos. I mean, come on! I’d really love to do this! But then more importantly, why is this even an option through Fujifilm’s X series and GF series camera menus?
You can send the image from your camera to your phone and then print it using the Fujifilm Instax Square Link. But that’s like going through a middle man when you don’t need to. I can make my own chai in the morning. I don’t need someone to come over to my apartment and make it for me.
That aside, I think this will be fun for anyone who wants to print Instax photos of what they’ve shot on their phone. I like to beam photos from my hard drive to my phone all the time. So I had fun printing images I’ve shot with real cameras. The results are incredible. And I feel like it can’t go wrong.
Who Should Buy the Instax Square Link?
Anyone who wants to get into Instax and all the fun it provides should get the Fujifilm Instax Square Link. Part of the fun is shooting the photos. But part of it is also conserving film when you can. The printer will help you conserve film and keep the cost down.
If you’re a photographer who likes shooting photos of people and giving them a print, I’d also get this. It’s bound to be a people pleaser.
Tech Specs
The following is from the press release:
Key features of Square Link available through the INSTAX SQUARE LINK App include:
AR (Augmented Reality) Print:
Square Link offers the ability to add Augmented Reality features to images the user can view on their Smartphone, including special effects, text, images, background colors, doodles, and animations. A QR code printed on the INSTAX photo unlocks the augmented reality content that users can then view on and around their print by simply scanning the code with their Smartphone to see the effects in action.
INSTAX Connect:
Using the Square Link App, the INSTAX Connect feature allows users to share INSTAX images digitally by selecting a Smartphone image, adding text content and/or effects, and sending it to any connected device (i.e. another Smartphone, tablet, etc.). Users can add text to their images and get text responses sent back directly on the image. Recipients who are also Square Link users can even print a copy of the image with or without the text included.
Ability to customize your INSTAX prints with Image Modes, Design Frames, and Digital Stickers
Like all products in the INSTAX LINK Smartphone printer lineup, Square Link includes a variety of frame templates, digital stickers, and print mode options that allow the image maker to creatively enhance the Smartphone image. Users can choose between two print mode options – INSTAX-Rich Mode for deep, enhanced colors and INSTAX-Natural Mode for a more classic look. Smartphone images can also be enhanced with artistic filters or by adjusting brightness, contrast, and saturation of the image. Users of Square Link also can combine up to nine Smartphone images on a single INSTAX print via the collage feature of the App.
Lightweight Portability and Speed
Compact, lightweight, and finished with a striped texture, Square Link transfers an image from the user’s Smartphone and commences printing in about 12 seconds, supports continuous printing, and is capable of printing about 100 INSTAX prints per charge seamlessly via Bluetooth. All images develop in roughly 90 seconds.
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