Polaroid hasn’t lost sight of their dominance in instant printing that ran from the 1960’s until handheld digital devices and low cost, high-quality inkjet printers took over by early 2000’s. Their latest entry (or re-entry device) combines users’ mobile device and the Polaroid Zip (Zink Instant Photoprinter).
“Smartphones have become the go-to tool for sharing our favorite memories digitally, but there is something special about sharing a physical photo. The Polaroid Zip photoprinter brings the Polaroid experience into the mobile age allowing users to quickly and easily print and share their favorite photos anywhere.” – Scott W. Hardy, President and CEO of Polaroid.
Engineered To Fit In A Pocket
The Polaroid Zip, one of the smallest and lightest portable printers in today’s market is approximately the size of a smartphone. It weighs just 186g (.41lbs) and can be taken anywhere, adding a whole new dimension to the mobile experience. The device measures 2.91” x 4.72”, just less than one inch thick and despite its wealth of features, the only physical control is a power button which has been seamlessly integrated into the unit’s boldly simple design. It is the latest Polaroid product designed by the renowned design firm Ammunition, which is led by industrial designer Robert Brunner. Ammunition is the design studio behind many award-winning consumer products such as the Polaroid Cube, the Beats by Dr. Dre line of headphones and speakers, and the Square Stand from Square.
Enhancements, Filters and Frames
The Polaroid Zip photoprinter features a free app for iOS and Android and connects to mobile devices via Bluetooth 4.0 or NFC. These dedicated apps are 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 wide range of creative filters, effects and controls, including:
- Enhancements to brightness, contrast, saturation and tint as well as 12 color filters including sepia, retro and HDR.
- A collage mode that allows users to feature up to 9 images on one single print.
- The ability to draw in various colors using the paint mode as well as the use of frames, stickers, stamps, emojis and animations make the image distinctive.
- A unique business card creator allows users to choose from several templates and add in their image and personal info for a creative leave behind.
- The option to 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, will reveal the final image complete with add-ons and creative effects.
ZINK Zero Ink® Printing
The Polaroid Zip photoprinter uses the revolutionary 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 and with a protective polymer overcoat. Before printing, the dye crystals are colorless making ZINK Paper® look like regular white photo paper. The ZINK-enabled Printer uses heat to activate and colorize these 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 in just under a minute so consumers can instantly share the photo with their friends and family. Additionally, because ZINK Paper® is adhesive backed the photo can be used as a sticker as well. The Polaroid Zip photoprinter includes an internal, rechargeable lithium-ion battery that’s capable of printing up to 25 ZINK® photos on a single charge.
The Polaroid Zip photoprinter is currently available for pre-order for $129.99 in the US at online at B&H Photo and Amazon.com
. It will begin shipping to consumers on May 1. For more information, please visit www.polaroid.com.
