Fujifilm Instax Mini Link Review

While this pint-sized printer doesn't boast high resolution or vivid colors, its vintage paper has a lot of appeal. The INSTAX instant film captures the classic Polaroid look. So, if you're interested in ease of use, instant gratification, and a throwback appearance, this is the machine for you. If you want lots of formatting options and high-quality images, look at desktop printers.

Performance Comparison

Color Prints

We conducted many hours of side-by-side color quality evaluations of the printers in this review. Our critique focused on resolution and overall impression. To put it bluntly, the Instax Mini Link did not perform well in comparison to its peers. Its resolution was poor, its dynamic range was limited, and the whites tended to be blown out. However, the skin tones and color fidelity were reasonably accurate.

While we all want decent resolution in our pictures, for shots of people, color accuracy is arguably more important. This printer also produced a warm tonal cast in the images. This coloring added a vintage appearance as if we had just pulled them out of a dusty photo album. In our opinion, if you are into the old Polaroid look, the shortcomings in image quality add to this aesthetic.

Black and White Prints

If you want to render detailed images in grayscale, this is probably not your printer. As one tester put it, "the resolution is abysmal." Additionally, the dynamic range on the Instax Mini Link is at the lowest end of the class. The resulting lack of tonal transitions leaves out a lot of details as the darkest and lightest areas are washed out.

On the upside, given that we're talking about a mini printer, the color is surprisingly good and keeps with the original image. However, there is a slight magenta cast through light grey, but this kind of warming is present in many mid and full-size printers. As with the color evaluation, this printer is good for candid, social setting imagery and would be great fun at a party.

Print Capabilities

This metric looks at the paper types and dimensions that the machine can accommodate as well as other features like print time and tray capacity. As is the case for all mini machines, the Instax Mini Link prints in only one size, in this case, 1.8" x 2.4". Additionally, the paper capacity is limited to the ten sheets in a sealed pack.

It's not all bad news. This machine kicks out pictures in just 9 seconds. Although the development of this image takes a bit of time, you can immediately start on the next picture. Another cool feature is that, although there is only one type of proprietary paper (INSTAX) that the printer will accept, that paper comes in various border colors — a nice variation on the classic white border look.

Operating Costs

The operating cost metric is how much it costs to maintain the printer. The maintenance cost is expressed in the form of price per print. In the case of mini printers, this is not an estimate because the photo paper is self-developing, and no estimates of ink consumption are required. Thus, the cost of a single piece of photo paper — in this case $0.64 — is the operating cost of the Instax Mini Link.

While 64 cents is not the cheapest cost per print, it's certainly not the most expensive in the class either. There is a catch, though. The mid and full-size printers cost per print estimated was based on a 4" x 6" picture, while the mini printer's images are less than half the size.

Set-up

When you line up mini printers next to their desktop counterparts as we have done here, the mini printers are cast in the shadow of their bigger brothers. However, when it comes to set-up, the mini-printers cast the desktop models in a bad light. These mini printers are so easy to operate, and in their simplicity comes a lot of opportunities to have fun digitally editing the pics before you hit print. So, what does it take to get the Instax Mini Link up and running? If you can download an app and make a Bluetooth connection, you can set up this printer. It's that easy.

Should You Buy the Fujifilm Instax Mini Link?

The Fujifilm Instax Mini Link is among the lowest-scoring printers in this review, and it's priced similarly to all other mini printers. By this accounting, this printer is not a good value. There is only one unique and redeeming aspect of this machine: vintage-style photos. This machine is worthwhile if this look appeals to you.

What Other Photo Printers Should You Consider?

The main appeal of the Instax Mini Link is the throwback Polaroid-like pictures it produces. Aside from that, the award-winning Canon IVY produces much higher-quality photographs for a mini printer and costs the same as the Instax Mini Link. If you appreciate the Bluetooth capability of mini printers but want to produce slightly larger formats, consider the Canon SELPHY CP1300.