Printer News

Polaroid launched a new product at CES last week: the wireless ink-free Zip mobile printer. This new printer connects wirelessly via Bluetooth 4.0 or NFC to a smartphone or a tablet and using the app (available for iOS or Android). It lets users instantly print 2x3-inch color photos from virtually any image on their Apple or Android device.

Approximately the size of a smartphone, the Polaroid Zip mobile printer weighs just .41lbs and is small enough to be taken anywhere. It measures 2.91 x 4.72 inches and is less than an inch thick. The app is full-featured and give users the ability to express their creativity and enhance their prints.

Users can capture a photo or select and edit an image from their gallery, applying a variety of creative filters, effects and controls including:

• Enhancements to brightness, contrast, saturation and tint

• 12 color filters including sepia, retro and HDR

• Collage mode that allows users to feature up to 9 images on one single print

• Draw in various colors using the Paint mode

• Use frames, stickers, stamps, emojis and animations

• The business card creator allows users to choose from several templates and add their image and personal info

• Make edits private and only viewable using the app’s Secret View mode. Secret view will print the original photo with an individual QR code that—when scanned—reveals the final image complete with add-ons and creative effects.

The Polaroid Zip mobile printer uses ink-free Zero Ink Printing technology developed by ZINK Imaging. The key to the ink-free system is the patented ZINK Paper, an advanced composite material embedded with cyan, yellow and magenta dye crystals with a protective polymer overcoat.

Before printing, the dye crystals are colorless making ZINK Paper look like white photo paper. The ZINK-enabled Printer uses heat to activate and colorize the crystals. The result is full-color, high quality, long-lasting and smudge-proof images without ink cartridges, ribbons or toner.

The 2x3-inch photo prints are ready in under a minute so users can share the photo. The ZINK paper is adhesive backed and the photo can be used as a sticker. The printer includes an internal, rechargeable lithium-ion battery that’s capable of printing up to 25 ZINK photos on a single charge.

The Polaroid Zip mobile printer will be available this Spring for $129.99.

More info on the Polariod Zip mobile printer here.