Instax Square Link Review: Solid Square Film Printer
Expert rating
pros
- Portable and stylish design
- Impressive prints
- USB-C charging
- Decent range of editing options
Minuses
- Operating costs accumulate over time
- The app could be made with some improvements
- QR codes on AR are printed on the larger side
Our verdict
The Instax Square Link has everything you need from a portable printer, with a smooth surface and a range of editing tools. However, the app could be improved a bit.
Price under consideration
$139.95
Best Prices Today: Instax Square Link
$139.99
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Fujifilm Instax printers are some of the most famous portable printers out there, and with good reason. They are compact, easy to use and take good quality photos in just over a minute directly from your smartphone.
Instax has devices for both Mini and Wide film formats, but this review will focus on the Instax Square Link, which prints medium-sized shots in Instax Square film format. Fujifilm’s last printer to support this film size was the Instax Share SP-3.
But is this device for you? I took some time to test this portable printer to help you decide.
Design and assembly
Like other Instax printers, the Instax Square Link looks modern and fresh. It is available in two colors: ash white and dark green. I tested the second version which is a unique shade in the instant printer and camera area.
The case is made of matte ribbed plastic, which looks sophisticated. In addition, it is thin and light, measuring 105×37.5×127.5mm and weighing 236g. It will easily fit in a bag or large pocket, and can also stand upright on a desk if you prefer to keep it at home.
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
The power button is in the center where the Instax logo is. It lights up in different colors to indicate when the device is turning on, connecting, printing and charging. There is also a function button on the left that you can press if you want to immediately reprint the image.
Prints are ejected from the top of the unit, while film can be loaded using a switch on the back, although once the package is in you should not open the lid until all the prints have been used or you will ruin the ink.
The charging port is located on the right side of the printer. You have to open the lid for this, and it can be quite tricky, especially on the first try.
Application and features
To print photos from Instax Square Link, you need to download the companion app of the same name. This is available on both iOS and Android.
Overall, the app is fairly simple for the basic features. Sometimes I had to reconnect the printer after charging, but otherwise there were practically no failures.
However, in some parts of the application, the text may be larger and navigation may be improved. For example, to change the print mode from Natural to Rich (or vice versa), you must go into settings and cannot do it directly in edit mode.
Hannah Cawthon / Foundry
Instax offers a wide range of printing options. On basic simple printing, you can edit photos with filters, stickers, and rotate/zoom.
You can also print collages and add photos to pre-installed frames from the Instax library. This includes seasonal options such as Valentine’s Day themed frames, although the selection in this section is not as extensive as in the Mini Link app.
Every portable printer from Instax has a little trick, and the Instax Square Link has an AR print mode. AR (Augmented Reality) Print allows you to add digital animation, special effects or drawings to an image through an app.
Then comes the print with a QR code. When you scan this, you return to the Instax Square Link app, upload a photo, and then play a special effect when you hold the print in front of your smartphone’s camera.
Of all the social features Instax has included so far, this one has been the easiest to use, and it’s certainly much more convenient than the Instax Air feature on the Mini Link 2. However, it loses its charm after the first use. few applications.
QR codes themselves are a bit annoying for images. Although they can be moved around the page, they cannot be resized.
Hannah Cawthon / Foundry
There is also an Instax Connect feature. This allows users to upload and edit images directly through the app and then send them to another Instax Square Link printer around the world. Users have the option to accept or reject an image before printing it.
This section of the app also includes reminders, so the app can send you a notification to send an image on a specific day. For example, you can add a friend’s or family member’s birthday to your calendar, and then when the day arrives, the Instax Square Link app will remind you to send them a picture.
It would be helpful if Fujifilm created one app for all of its products instead of multiple. If you have multiple Instax printers, this can be a little annoying.
Print Quality
Instax printers always produce great images, and the ones printed by Square Link are no exception.
The prints are real film, so they are blank when removed and will gradually develop as they are exposed to the environment. It takes about 90 seconds to finish developing the print.
Textures and details are crisp in prints with Instax Square Link, and colors look beautiful. Even when printed in black and white or sepia, images still look impressive. The quality is noticeably better than Zink Paper, which often has fuzzy lines.
In the app, you can choose to print in natural or rich mode. The former has hues that appear more realistic, while the latter enhances warmer tones and gives a more colorful finish.
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
Instax Square prints are 62 x 62mm and there is room at the bottom to add any annotations. These prints are a happy medium size, sitting somewhere between Instax Mini film and Instax Wide film.
They are small enough to fit in a larger purse but will also look great on a board. The square shape also means they are great for making collages.
Battery life and charging
Fujifilm claims that the Instax Square Link can do up to 100 prints on a single charge. However, it depends on how you use it – if you leave it on, the battery will drain faster. However, you can take this printer for a few days and not worry about it running out of power.
We’ve been asking for USB-C charging for a long time, and Instax has finally moved to a more versatile port. Previous printers from this brand have so far used Micro-USB charging.
As expected, this switch seems to have improved charging speeds. It now takes about 80 minutes to fully charge – older Instax devices took about two hours.
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
Price and availability
Instax Square Link costs $139.95 / £129.99. US readers can buy it from Amazon, B&H and Best Buy. If you are in the UK, you can purchase it from Fujifilm. Amazon and Boots.
This price is slightly more expensive than the Instax Mini Link 2, but this printer prints smaller images. The Square Link runs at the same price as the Instax Link Wide, which produces larger prints but lacks an AR mode and has slower Micro-USB charging.
Alternatively, you can consider the Polaroid Hi-Print, which costs less than $100/£90. While the prints are impressive thanks to the dye-sublimation process, they are much smaller than what Square Link produces. You can find more alternatives in our list of the best portable printers. We also have a chart of the best instant cameras.
Having a portable printer also comes with operating costs. On average, Instax Square film runs around 95c/79p. per imprint. This is more expensive than Zink Paper, which costs about 50 cents/50 pence. per sheetbut it’s not a real movie.
Verdict
If you are looking for an instant printer, Instax Square Link is a good choice. It has a stylish and functional design, is easy to use and produces impressive prints in a large square format. The addition of USB-C charging is also welcome.
The running costs are a bit more expensive than Zink printers, but the overall quality makes up for it. The app can also make some changes to its layout. However, there is no denying that this is the best Instax instant printer right now.
Features of Instax Square Link
- 105×37.5×127.5mm
- 236 g
- Li-ion battery
- USB-C charging
- Print speed approximately 12 seconds
- Print size – 62 x 62 mm
- Uses square Instax film.
- Print levels – 256 levels per color (RGB)
- Supported Image Format – JPEG/PNG/HEIF/DNG
- Bluetooth 4.2
- Uses the Instax Square Link App
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