Instax Square Link Review: Solid Square Film Printer

Price at time of review

$139.95

Today’s Best Price: Instax Square Link

$139.99

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Fujifilm’s Instax printers are some of the best-known portable printers, and for good reason. Compact and easy to use, you can create high-quality photos in just over a minute directly from your smartphone.

Instax has devices for Mini and Wide film formats, but this review will focus on the Instax Square Link, which prints medium-sized snaps in Instax’s Square film format. ‘s last printer was the Instax Share SP-3.

But is it the device for you? Give this portable printer a try and let us help you decide.

design and build

Like all Instax printers, the Instax Square Link has a modern, fresh feel. Available in two colors: Ash White and Midnight Green. I tried the second version. This is a unique shade in the instant printer and camera field.

The body is made of matte ribbed plastic material for a sophisticated look. Furthermore, it is slim and lightweight with dimensions of 105 x 37.5 x 127.5mm and a weight of 236g. It fits easily in a bag or large pocket, and can even stand on your desk if you want to keep it around the house.

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

The power button is in the center with the Instax logo. It lights up in different colors while the device is powered on, paired, printed, and charged. There is also a function button on the left that you can press if you want to reprint the image immediately.

Prints are ejected from the top of the device, while film can be loaded using the switch on the back, but once the pack is in, do not open the cover until all prints have been used. Otherwise, the ink will be ruined.

The charging port is on the right side of the printer. You have to pry the cover off, which can be very annoying. Especially on the first try.

Apps and features

To print photos from Instax Square Link, you need to download the companion app of the same name. This is available for both iOS and Android.

Overall, the app is simple enough for its basic functionality. Occasionally I had to re-pair the printer after charging, but other than that I encountered very few glitches.

However, some parts of the app may have larger text, which could improve navigation. For example, to change print mode from natural to rich (or vice versa), you have to go to settings and you can’t change it directly in edit mode.

Hannah Cowton / Foundry

Instax gives you a wide range of printing options to choose from. Basic Simple Print lets you edit your photos with filters, stickers and rotate/zoom.

You can also print collages or add photos from your Instax library into pre-set frames. This includes seasonal options such as Valentine’s Day-themed frames, but the choices in this section aren’t as extensive as those offered in the Mini Link app.

All of Instax’s portable printers have a little gimmick, the Instax Square Link is an AR print mode.AR (augmented reality) printing lets you add digital animations, special effects, and graffiti to your images via the app.

The printed matter has a QR code. Scanning this takes you back to the Instax Square Link app, downloads the photo, then holds the print in front of your smartphone’s camera to play the special effect.

Of all the social features that Instax has had so far, this is arguably the easiest to use and far more user-friendly than the Mini Link 2’s Instax Air feature. Little use.

The QR code itself is a bit obtrusive in the image. You can move it around the page, but you cannot resize it.

Hannah Cowton / Foundry

There is also an Instax Connect feature. This allows a user to upload and edit images directly from the app and send them to another of his Instax Square Link printers around the world. The user can choose to accept or reject the image before printing.

This section of the app also contains reminders, so the app can send notifications and send images on specific days. For example, add a friend or family member’s birthday to your calendar, and when the day comes, the Instax Square Link app will remind you to send them a Snap.

It’s convenient to create one app instead of several for all Fujifilm products. This is a bit of a hassle if you happen to own multiple Instax printers.

print quality

Instax printers always produce great looking images, and those printed with Square Link are no exception.

Because the prints are real film, they are blank when removed and develop gradually as they are exposed to the environment. It takes approximately 90 seconds to complete the development of the print.

The prints from the Instax Square Link have sharp textures and details and pop colors nicely. Even if you print in black-and-white or sepia, the result is an impressive image. The quality is much better than Zink Paper, which often has blurry lines.

The app allows you to choose to print in natural or rich mode. The former is more true to life, while the latter emphasizes warmer tones and gives a more colorful finish.

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

The Instax Square print measures 62 x 62 mm and has space at the bottom for additional annotations. These prints are a happy medium size, halfway between Instax Mini and Instax Wide films.

It’s small enough to fit in a large sized purse, but still looks great pinned to a board. The square shape is also useful for collages.

Battery life and charging

Fujifilm claims the Instax Square Link can last up to 100 prints on a single charge. However, this depends on your usage. Leaving it running will drain the battery faster. Nevertheless, you can take this printer out for days and not worry about running out of juice.

After asking for USB-C charging for a while, Instax has finally moved to a more universal port. Previous printers from the brand until now used micro USB charging.

As expected, the Switch seems to charge faster. It currently takes about 80 minutes to go from flat to full. It took about 2 hours on my old Instax device.

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

Pricing and Availability

The Instax Square Link is priced at $139.95/£129.99. US readers can purchase from Amazon, B&H, and Best Buy. If you’re in the UK, you can get it from Fujifilm, Amazon and Boots.

This price is a bit higher than the Instax Mini Link 2, but this printer produces smaller images. The Square Link is the same price as the Instax Link Wide, but lacks AR mode and slower Micro-USB charging.

Alternatively, you can consider the Polaroid Hi-Print for under $100/£90. Prints are impressive due to the dye-sublimation process, but they are much smaller than what Square Link produces. You can find more alternatives in our list of the best portable printers. Chart of the best instant cameras There is also

Using a portable printer also incurs running costs. On average, Instax Square film is about 95c/79p per print. This is more expensive than Zink Paper which is around 50c/50p per sheet, but this is not real film.

verdict

If you’re looking for an instant printer, the Instax Square Link is for you. The stylish and functional design is easy to use and allows you to create striking prints in a large square format. The addition of USB-C charging is also welcome.

Running costs are a little more expensive than what you’ll find on Zink printers, but that’s more than compensated for by the overall quality. Nonetheless, there’s no denying that this is Instax’s best instant printer to date.

Instax Square Link Specs

• 105×37.5×127.5mm
• 236g
• lithium ion battery
• USB-C charging
• Print speed about 12 seconds
• Print Size – 62x62mm
• Uses Instax Square Film
• Print levels – 256 levels per color (RGB)
• Supported image formats – JPEG / PNG / HEIF / DNG
• Bluetooth 4.2
• Use the Instax Square Link app