Review on Fujifilm Instax Share SP-1: Instant Smartphone Printer for High-Quality Photo Prints by Shawn Jimenez

The Instax SP-1 is basically a printer that uses Instax film (like the one used in Instax cameras). This allows you to print photos from your smartphone or camera* without using your Instax camera. The printer is nice and compact. it's as small as it gets and fairly durable. I've seen a few slim cases for this, but I don't think they're needed. The printer uses Instax Mini film (not WIDE film) and loads in the same way as Instax cameras. When it is on, it shows 2 sets of indicators: remaining film time and battery level. The battery is rated for 100 prints but use 2 CR2 batteries which are not very common. After loading the film, you must print all 10 exposures before opening it. Opening the printer/film drawer before all 10 exposures have been used will ruin the rest of the roll. I mention this to point out that you cannot print 5 exposures and then move the film to an Instax camera. Once it's on, it's on. When on, it transmits a Wi-Fi (INSTAX) signal. Connect your smartphone to this signal, open the app and select/edit the photo you want to print. It takes about 10-15 seconds to print and about 5 minutes to develop. I found the print quality to be worse than a photo taken with an Instax camera - this is probably due to how the printer transfers the image to the film. You have the opportunity to see the photo before you print it. With an Instax camera, you can't see it until it's printed and you could lose exposure if it doesn't work. On the other hand, one of the nice things about film is that you don't know what it looks like until you print it. There is no SD card, no card reader and no USB input. You must use an app (or a newer Fuji camera) to print to the SP-1, which limits its use. It also means that if the application is uninstalled or gets a bad update (creation error), the printer becomes unusable. Film is also a bit expensive. Typically the sheet costs the equivalent of $0.75 (sold in packs of 20), trial and error can be expensive. Compared to other small printers like Polaroid's ZINC, the SP-1 has the advantage that the photo is absolutely sharp, it's an instant film with poor color and clarity. Weird selling point, but great effect/look. You lose originality with SP-1. With the Instax camera every print is unique, with the SP-1 it's just reprinting images (as many times as you want) which reduces the appeal. In general I am satisfied. It's a bit pricey (printer and film) and limited (app required).