Fujifilm Instax Mini Link Review

Pros: Vintage film look, portable, simple
Cons: Poor image quality, high price per print
Manufacturer: Fujifilm
Our Verdict
Compare to Similar Products
![]() This Product
Fujifilm Instax Mini Link | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Awards | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | |
Price | $100 List $99.95 at Amazon | $800 List | $500 List | $350 List | $100 List |
Overall Score ![]() |
|||||
Star Rating | |||||
Pros | Vintage film look, portable, simple | Broad print dimensions, vast print mediums, low print costs, fantastic image fidelity | High resolution, vivid colors, great dynamic range | Consistent color, easy set-up, broad format options | Easy to use, decent resolution, prints common sizes |
Cons | Poor image quality, high price per print | Huge footprint, expensive | Hard to set-up, big footprint | Microbanding in grayscale, relatively low definition in dark areas | Microbanding in larger formats, off skin tones, over saturation |
Bottom Line | A machine that will kindle the fun and freedom of instant printing in a ventage format | This near-professional quality machine leaves little to be desired | This is a top-tier, professional level printer at a reasonable price | This printer yields high-quality images at a reasonable price | A quality mid-size machine that will appeal to the casual user |
Rating Categories | Fujifilm Instax... | Epson SureColor P600 | Canon PIXMA Pro-100 | Expression Photo... | Canon PIXMA TR4520 |
Color (35%) | |||||
Black And White (35%) | |||||
Print Capabilities (15%) | |||||
Operating Cost (10%) | |||||
Set Up (5%) | |||||
Specs | Fujifilm Instax... | Epson SureColor P600 | Canon PIXMA Pro-100 | Expression Photo... | Canon PIXMA TR4520 |
Resolutioin (dots per inch) | 318 | 5760 x 1440 | 4800 x 2400 | 5760 x 1440 | 4800 x 1200 |
Max photo deminsions (inches) | 2.4" x 1.8" | 13" x 129" | 13" x 19" | 13" x 44" | 8" x 10" |
Cost per print (4" x 6" or mini print) | $0.64 | $0.36 | $0.40 | $0.45 | $0.58 |
Machine deminsions (HxWxD inches) | 1.3" x 3.5" x 4.9" | 9" x 24.2" x 14.5" | 8.5" x 27.2" x 15.2" | 6.3" x 18.7" x 14.5" | 7.5" x 17.2" x 11.7" |
Printing technology | In paper 3-color exposure with OLED | Inkjet (Piezo DOD) | Inkjet (Theromal DOD) | Inkjet (Piezo DOD) | Inkjet (Theromal DOD) |
Print time per 4" x 6" (or mini print) | 9 seconds (plus developing time) | 63 seconds | 55 seconds | 34 seconds | 128 seconds |
Color palette (ink cartridges) | N/A | Matte Black, Cyan, Vivid Magenta, Yellow, Light Cyan, Vivid Light Magenta, Light Black, Light Light Black | Black, Gray, Light Gray, Cyan, Photo Cyan, Magenta, Photo Magenta, Yellow | Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black, Gray, Red | Black plus color cartridge |
LCD screen | No | Yes | No | Yes | No |
Touch Screen | No | Yes | No | No | No |
Battery | Yes | No | No | No | No |
Memory cards supported | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Ink type | N/A | Pigment-based | Dye-based | Dye-based | Pigment (black) and dye-based (color) |
Roller paper | No | Yes | No | No | No |
Connectivity | Bluetooth, USB (charging only) | Apple AirPrint and Google Cloud Print support; USB 2.0, Wireless n1, Wi-Fi Direct1 and 100Mbit Ethernet, Hi-Speed USB 2.0 (1 port), 100Base-T Ethernet (1 port), Wi-Fi CERTIFIED (802.11n only), Wi-Fi Direct Epson Connect 4: Epson iPrint Mobile App, Apple Airprint, Google Cloud Print |
Wireless LAN (IEEE 802.11 b/g/n), Ethernet Hi-Speed USB, PictBridge (Cable not included) |
iPad, iPhone and Android tablets, Alexa and smartphones; Ethernet networking, andard Connectivity: Hi-Speed USB, USB Host, Wireless 802.11 b/g/n5, Wi-Fi Direct 5, Ethernet 10/100 |
Hi-Speed USB Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n wireless networking, 2.4 GHz) |
Operating system requirements | Android and iOS | Apple macOS 10.13.x-10.12.x, OS X: 10.11x-10.7x & Microsoft Windows®: 10, 8.1, 7 (32-bit, 64-bit) |
Windows 7, Windows 7 SP1, Windows Vista SP1, Vista SP2, Windows XP SP3 32-bit Intel processor Mac OS X v10.5.8 - 10.9.x7 |
Windows 10 8/8.1/Windows 7 (32-bit, 64-bit) Windows Vista (32-bit , 64-bit) Mac OS X 10.6.8 — macOS 10.12.x6 |
Windows:20 Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows 7 SP1, Mac:21 Mac OS X v10.10.5 - macOS v10.13 (High Sierra) Mobile Operating Systems:22 iOS, Android, Windows 10 Mobile, and Fire OS (Amazon Fire) devices |
Scanner | No | No | No | No | Yes (bed and feed) |
Touch Screen | No | Yes | No | No | No |
Our Analysis and Test Results
The Fujifilm Instax Mini Link is not the best printer, nor is it the best mini printer for that matter. This might show our age, but the entire review staff loved the vintage look of the prints that this machine produced. The colors were off, the resolution was a bit blurry, but the images still looked really cool to us. In a time where professional-quality photo technology is available to the layperson, a printer like this reminds us that there is more to photography than high resolution.
Performance Comparison
Color
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 Fujifilm 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 they had just been pulled out of a dusty photo album. In our opinion, if you are into the old Polaroid look, the shortcomings in image quality actually add to this aesthetic.
Black and White
If you want to render detailed images in grayscale, this is probably not the printer for you. 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 in 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 of the mid and full-size printers as well. As with the color evaluation, this printer is good for candid, social setting type 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 of the mini machines, the Fujifilm prints in only one size, in this case 1.8" x 2.4". Additionally, the paper capacity is limited to the 10 sheets that come 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 a variety of border colors — a nice variation on the classic white border look.
Operating Costs
The operating cost metric is an assessment of 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 then you can set-up this printer. It's that easy.
Value
The Fujifilm Instax Mini Link is among the lowest scoring printers in this review and yet it's priced similarly to all the other mini printers. By this accounting, this printer is not a good value. There is only one unique and redeeming aspect of this machine, and that is the vintage-style photos it renders. If this look appeals to you, then the machine will have value.
Conclusion
The main appeal of the Instax Mini Link is the throwback Polaroid-like pictures it produces. That, and it is easy to set-up and operate. Aside from these notable characteristics, this machine has limited capabilities and relatively low image quality. That said, if the Polaroid cameras of old appeal to you, this printer is worth a gander.
— Nick Miley, Jason Peters and Austin Palmer