Big news from Fujifilm South Africa, the much-loved instant photography brand has just announced the launch of the Instax Link Wide smartphone printer in the republic. The highly-anticipated smartphone printer offers snap-happy consumers the ability to print larger, wide prints for those big occasions. With the Instax Link Wide printer, users can now print images from their smartphone on Instax Wide format film, which is twice the size of the regular Instax Mini prints.
This is the first Instax smartphone printer to offer this printing format, building on the popularity of the Instax Mini Link (Mini film) and the Instax Share SP-3 (Square film) printers before it. Much like its predecessors, the Instax Link Wide connects to a smartphone through a dedicated app via Bluetooth. The app, specifically designed for the Link Wide, offers a variety of functionality to take advantage of the larger print size and is sure to excite instant photography fans who have long been wanting a larger format printing option.
The new printer will also be the first to feature Instax-Rich mode for enhanced colour saturation. Users are now able to select between this mode or the Instax-Natural mode for Instax’s signature soft tone.
Elegant style for the home, or on-the-go
But the innovations don’t stop with the printing format alone, the new device from Instax is beautifully stylish as well. Link Wide offers a unique draped design, complemented with stylised metallic touches at the front and top of the device. The printer includes a matching stand to confidently set it up as part of the room décor or to facilitate easy operation.
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Despite its support of the larger wide-format film, the Link Wide remains compact and lightweight (weighing just 340g), and also features a hand-strap for enhanced portability. Thanks to a rechargeable built-in battery, the smartphone printer can be carried along to wherever the fun is. The Link Wide can be recharged via a USB cable, eliminating the need for an unsightly AC adapter.
A wide print for big occasions
The larger Instax Wide print format was first made available in 1999 when the Instax Wide 100 camera was launched. Now, this exciting print format can be accessed by anyone with a smartphone thanks to the new Instax Link Wide printer. The Wide prints measure 86mm x 108mm, double that of Instax Mini prints (86mm x 54mm). This makes the Wide format highly suitable for group photos, landscape photography or wide-angle shots that benefit from a larger print area.
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In addition to the classic Wide white border film, Fujifilm will also launch the new black Wide-format film in South Africa, giving consumers even more options for their prints. The black frame, with its dark border, helps accentuate each photograph and really make the colours pop. This exciting new film option is sure to be a popular choice with consumers looking to play around with border colours and printing styles.
Enhanced functionality via the app
But the fun doesn’t stop there. Fujifilm has specifically designed the dedicated Link Wide smartphone app to make printing as easy and feature-rich as possible. Once connected, users can instantly transfer an image to the Link Wide by swiping up from the bottom edge of the smartphone screen. It’s also possible to select a favourite moment from a recorded video by scrolling through video frames to select one to print.
Also read: 5 Essentials for Setting up a Photography Studio at Home
Interestingly, users can add a voice note, website link, location data or hidden text to printed images through the app. This is done via an embedded QR code that’s printed with the photo. By scanning the printed QR code, viewers are able to access the hidden information via smartphone. This QR code functionality has several practical applications, such as using an Instax Link Wide print as a wedding invitation to include, for example, the couple’s wedding website or venue location data. (See the QR functionality in action in this video demonstration.)
To help spice up images, there are a total of 29 design templates, including designs perfect for special events such as birthdays or celebrations. The colours and fonts in the templates can be freely adjusted to create a perfect greeting card on demand. Users are also able to decorate images with the emojis that come with their smartphone’s operating system, or use some of the 100 design stickers from the app.
The Instax Link Wide app will be available for free for both Apple and Android devices in the respective app stores. What’s more, Fujifilm shooters using the X-S10 mirrorless camera will be able to bypass the app by printing directly from the camera to a connected Link Wide.
Availability and Pricing
The Fujifilm Instax Link Wide smartphone printer is ideal for users looking to get the most details from their smartphone photos. The printer will be available in South Africa from 22 October 2021, in both Ash White and Mocha Grey at a recommended retail price of R2,499.
Instax Wide White border film will be sold in packs of ten, retailing for a recommended price of R195 per pack, and the Black border film for R210 per pack.
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