Instax Square Link Review: Solid Square Film Printer

Best Prices Today: 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. They’re compact, user-friendly and produce good quality photos in just over a minute, straight from a smartphone.

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

But is this the device for you? I took the time to test this portable printer to help you decide.

Design and build

Like other Instax printers, the Instax Square Link has a fresh, modern feel. It is available in two colors, Ash White and Midnight Green. I tested the second version, which is a unique shade in the instant printer and camera space.

The body is made from a matte ribbed plastic material, which looks refined. Moreover, it is slim and light, measuring 105×37.5×127.5mm and weighing 236g. It can easily slip into a bag or large pocket and can also stand on a desk if you prefer to keep it around the house.

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

The power button is in the center where the Instax logo is. This lights up different colors to indicate when the device is turning on, pairing, printing, and charging. There’s also a function button on the left that you can press if you want to instantly reprint an image.

Prints are ejected from the top of the device, while film can be loaded using the switch on the back, but once a pack is inserted you don’t have to open the lid until that not all prints are used, otherwise you will waste the ink.

The charging port is located on the right side of the printer. You have to open the lid for this, and it can be quite tedious, especially on the first try.

App and features

To print photos from the Instax Square Link, you will need to download the corresponding application of the same name. This is available on iOS and Android.

Overall, the app is quite simple for basic functions. I sometimes had to reconnect the printer after charging, but otherwise I had almost no problems.

However, the text could be bigger in some parts of the app and the navigation could be improved. For example, to change the print mode from Natural to Rich (or vice versa), you have to go to the settings, and cannot do it directly on the edit mode.

Hannah Cowton / Foundry

Instax offers a wide range of printing options to choose from. On a simple basic print, you can edit the photo with filters, stickers and rotating/zooming.

You can also print collages and add photos in pre-made frames from the Instax library. This includes seasonal options such as Valentine’s Day themed frames, although the choice in this section isn’t as extensive as what’s on offer on the Mini Link app.

Every Instax portable printer has a little gimmick, and the Instax Square Link is its AR printing mode. AR (Augmented Reality) Print lets you add digital animation, special effect, or doodle to an image through the app.

The print then comes out with a QR code. When you scan this, it takes you back to the Instax Square Link app, uploads the photo, then plays the special effect when you hold the print in front of your smartphone camera.

Of all the social features Instax has included so far, this one has been the easiest to use, and it’s certainly much friendlier than the Instax Air feature of the Mini Link 2. That said, it loses its charm after the first few uses.

The QR codes themselves are a bit of an eyesore on the pictures. Although they can be moved around the page, the size cannot be adjusted.

Hannah Cowton / Foundry

There is also the Instax Connect feature. This allows users to upload and edit an image directly through the app and then send them to another Instax Square Link printer around the world. Users have the option to accept or reject an image before printing it.

This section of the app also includes reminders, so the app can send you a notification to send an image on a certain day. For example, you can add a friend or family member’s birthday to the calendar, then when the day rolls around, the Instax Square Link app will remind you to send a snap.

It would be helpful if Fujifilm created a single app for all of its products, rather than several. If you have multiple Instax printers, this will get a bit inconvenient.

Print quality

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

The prints are real films, so when ejected they come out pristine and gradually expand as they are exposed to the environment. It takes about 90 seconds for a print to finish developing.

Textures and details are crisp on prints from the Instax Square Link, and colors pop well. Even when printing in black and white or sepia, images remain impressive. The quality is significantly better than what you’ll find on Zink Paper, which often has blurry lines.

In the app, you can choose to print in natural mode or rich mode. The former has undertones that look larger than life, while the latter boosts warmer tones and gives a more colorful finish.

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

Instax Square prints are 62 x 62mm, with space at the bottom for adding annotations. These prints are a happy medium size, falling between Instax Mini film and Instax Wide film.

They’re small enough to fit in a larger sized wallet, but would also look great pinned to a board. The square shape also means they are handy for gluing.

Battery life and charging

Fujifilm claims the Instax Square Link can last up to 100 prints on a single charge. However, that depends on how you use it – if you leave it running, the battery will drain faster. Still, you should be able to take this printer out for several days and not worry about it running out of juice.

We’ve been crying out for USB-C charging for a while now, and Instax has finally made the jump to the more universal port. The brand’s previous printers have so far used Micro-USB charging.

As expected, this switch seems to have improved charging speeds. Now, it takes about 80 minutes to go from flat to full – old Instax devices took about two hours.

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

Pricing & Availability

The Instax Square Link costs $139.95 / £129.99. US readers can buy it at 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 more expensive than the Instax Mini Link 2, but this printer produces smaller images. The Square Link is priced the same as the Instax Link Wide, which produces larger prints, but lacks AR mode and has slower Micro-USB charging.

Alternatively, you can consider the Polaroid Hi-Print which costs less than $100 / £90. Although the prints are impressive due to the dye sublimation process, they are much smaller than what the Square Link produces. You can find more alternatives in our list of the best portable printers. We also have a table of the best instant cameras.

Having a portable printer also incurs running costs. On average, Instax Square film costs around 95c/79p per print. It’s more expensive than Zink paper, which costs around 50c/50p per sheet, but it’s not real film.

Verdict

If you’re looking for an instant printer, the Instax Square Link is a solid choice. It has an elegant and functional design, is user-friendly and produces impressive prints in a large square format. The addition of USB-C charging is also welcome.

Running costs are a bit more expensive than what you’ll find on Zink printers, but that’s offset by the overall quality. The app could also make some adjustments in its layout. Still, there’s no denying that this is Instax’s best instant printer yet.

Instax Square Link Specifications

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