Fujifilm Adds Instax Square Link to Printer Line

Over the past year, Fujifilm has updated some of its older Instax SP smartphone printers to a new series, Instax Link. The Square Link printer follows versions that take Mini and Wide format film, giving fans of the Polaroid-style format an upgraded option for smartphone printing. The new printer replaces the Instax Link SP-3 (from 2017) in the series.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

The Link printers use instant film for glossy photochemical prints. It’s an alternative process to many compact photo printers, which instead rely on either thermal Zink paper or three-pass dye sublimation to make photos. Using film chemistry adds a bit of old-school cachet to your photos, and the companion app supports printing from over Bluetooth from Android and iOS devices.

Film cartridges load in the printer just like an instant camera, and an internal battery promises enough power to get through 10 packs of film (100 photos) between charges. We’re happy to see that Fuji has swapped out the out-of-date micro USB port for USB-C with this model; the Instax Square Link is the first entry in the series to plug in via USB-C.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

We haven’t had a chance to test the printer yet, but plan to follow up with a review soon. We expect print quality to be right in line with the older SP-3, but will note the Instax Link companion app offers up some new features that weren’t included in the older model.

Augmented Reality Printing is one, the Link can add a QR code to prints; when you scan it with your phone it shows some special effects on your phone’s screen. These range from animations and background color shifts to doodles and text captions. We’ve not had a chance to try out the new features, but will when we follow up with a hands-on review.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

Other creative features continue. The app lets you add stickers and frames to prints, adjust color, and print in either Rich or Natural color mode to match with your preferences. We really preferred the Instax Rich color profile when we reviewed the feature in the Mini Link 2 earlier this year.

The Fujifilm Instax Square Link goes on sale on Nov. 16 for $139.95 in the US and $179.99 CAD north of the border. Fuji is offering it in two colors: Ash White (pictured) and Midnight Green.