Your iPhone photos should be printed, and these printers get the job done!
We snap a bunch of photos with our iPhones every day. Sometimes, we actually want to print those memories out on, you know, paper so we can stick them into an album or frame. There are plenty of photo printers out there that let us connect wirelessly with our iPhone to print photos to slap them into a photo album or just on the fridge. Still, we think the Fujifilm Instax SHARE SP-3 Mobile Printer is one of the best photo printers for iPhone for most people.
Best Overall: Fujifilm Instax SHARE SP-3 Mobile Printer
The best photo printer for your iPhone is the Fujifilm Instax SHARE SP-3. This miniaturized printer is a perfectly portable size, so you can print out memories wherever you happen to be. It uses INSTAX SQUARE instant film, printing pictures in the classic 2.4 x 2.4-inches size.
Like all things Fujifilm, colors and sharpness are enhanced. If you want to take that a step further, you can. Filters are built-in, allowing you to adjust brightness, contrast, and sharpening. You can even transform color photos into beautiful black and white or sepia filters. Photo output is superb and on par with some of the best photo printers today.
The Instax SHARE SP-3 has its own Wi-Fi network. It instantly connects to your iPhone or iPad, doesn’t need Bluetooth, or requires you’re near home Wi-Fi. How cool is that? My one complaint: the free iPhone app is finicky. If you have an older iPhone, it tends to lock up periodically. For most, this is one of the best photo printers for iPhones.
Pros:
- Compact
- Prints beautiful photos
- Has an internal Wi-Fi network
- Photo edits are easy to make
- Works with iPhones and iPads
Cons:
- Finicky app
Best Overall
Fujifilm Instax SHARE SP-3 Mobile Printer
Simple and affordable
The Fujifilm Instax SHARE SP-3 connects over Wi-Fi, delivers superb photos, and is small enough to take anywhere.
Best for All Ages: Kodak Smile
Some portable printers come with a manual a mile long, and they’re still confusing to use. The Kodak Smile Instant Digital Bluetooth Printer is different. Whether you’re a newbie or a seasoned photographer, you can snap pics on your phone and transfer them over to the Kodak Smile with the free Kodak app and print anything in seconds.
The Kodak Smile outputs shiny, bright pics on 2×3 Zink paper. Photos are editable in the Smile app. You can adjust color, lighting, crop pics, and apply fun effects before printing or posting to social media. The only possible miss here is that photos have an antiquated look. This is intentional but may not be for all.
The Kodak Smile is a mini printer that’s simple and fun to use. It charges in less than two hours and prints up to 40 pictures per charge. Get it now in white, blue, black, red, or green.
Pros:
- Easy to use
- Edit photos in the app
- Available in four colors
- Connects via Bluetooth
Cons:
- Photo colors not for all
Best for All Ages
Kodak Smile
Fun and beginner-friendly
The Kodak Smile works over Bluetooth, outputting antique-looking instant prints in seconds.
Best Size: Polaroid ZIP
When it comes to iPhone photo printers, the smaller they are, the better. The Polaroid ZIP is one of our favorite mobile printers. It clocks in at 0.87-by-2.91-by-4.72 inches, so it’s fairly small and compact enough to carry around daily, and the rechargeable battery prints 25 photos on a single charge. It connects to your iPhone via Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and all you need is the free Polaroid mobile app, where you select and edit the photos to print out or connect it to your social media accounts. The app also lets you add fun things like stickers, filters, borders, create a mini collage, and more.
Prints from the Polaroid ZIP come out on 2×3 ZINK Zero Ink paper with sticky backs, which are the perfect size for scrapbooks, refrigerators, albums, and notebooks. Since the prints are on ZINK paper, there is no need for film, ink, toners, cartridges, or ribbons. Just connect, select, print! All printed photos come out colorful, bold, and lifelike while also being water-resistant, tear-resistant, smudge-proof, and dry within seconds.
Pros:
- Small and compact
- Prints 25 photos on a single charge
- Connects via Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
- High-quality prints on sticky-backed ZINK paper
- Very affordable
Cons:
- Only comes with 10 sheets of paper
- Paper refills can be expensive
- Prints only in 2×3 size
Best Size
Polaroid ZIP
Great value and quality
Polaroid ZIP is a popular choice because it is compact, easy to use, and the ZINK prints are good quality.
Best Large Prints: Kodak Dock Instant Photo Printer
Many portable photo printers only print out in the small 2×3 size, which isn’t ideal if you want to frame them to display. If you want larger prints, like the standard 4×6 size, then the Kodak Dock Instant Photo Printer is a good option.
While it is not as compact and even a bit bulky, it’s worth it for the 4×6 printing capability. The Dock connects directly to your iPhone via an adapter (and charges it while printing), or you can connect via USB cable or Wi-Fi. The Kodak Printer Dock app lets you put stickers, filters, card templates, and more on your photos for extra fun.
As far as prints go, the Kodak Dock uses thermal transfer technology, so there isn’t ink to deal with, but you need to get the photo cartridges. Prints will be vivid in color and high resolution, so fine details should appear. The thermal print won’t bleed or fade, so it’ll last quite a while.
Pros:
- Prints 4×6 size
- Simultaneous charging of multiple devices
- Connects via Dock adapter, USB cable, or Wi-Fi
- High-quality prints
- App lets you customize and edit photos before printing
Cons:
- Not very compact
- Requires photo cartridges
Best Large Prints
Kodak Dock & Wi-Fi Portable 4×6-inch Instant Photo Printer
Large prints from home
Kodak Dock can do 4×6 size prints. The Dock also charges simultaneously, and you can connect via USB or Wi-Fi.
Best Innovation: Lifeprint Portable Photo and Video Printer
Looking for a printer that can do more than just print photos? If so, then consider Lifeprint — it does some wickedly cool Harry Potter magic to your prints to make them come to life through augmented reality (AR).
The Lifeprint printer is small and compact enough for you to take anywhere and wow your friends, as long as you’re connected through Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on your iPhone. With Lifeprint, you can print photos from your device from the Lifeprint app or just connect it to your social media accounts and print directly from there. The app also lets you share your real photos with friends and family (as long as they have the app), so they can print your photos from wherever they are too.
Prints with Lifeprint use ZINK technology, so you don’t need ink cartridges or toner. The 3×4.5 size Lifeprint printer also means you get larger prints than the standard 2×3 sizes of other printers, though Lifeprint also comes in a smaller size if you want.
The real fun with Lifeprint lies behind the AR technology. This works by having the app embed a video inside your photo print, and then you can view the video as you point your device’s camera at it through the Lifeprint app. Think of the moving pictures in the world of Harry Potter because that’s what this is similar to.
It’s definitely different, but the added AR element spices things up from the norm.
Pros:
- Small and compact size
- Big, beautiful prints
- Unique AR element
- Connects via Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
- Uses ZINK technology
Cons:
- Definitely “gimmicky”
Best Innovation
Lifeprint 3×4.5 Portable Photo and Video Printer
Creative prints
Lifeprint’s AR implementation lets you be more creative. It’s pricey but a lot of fun to use.
Bottom line
There are plenty of great portable photo printers to work with your iPhone, but our favorite is still the Fujifilm Instax SHARE SP-3. It’s not a new product, but it works very well and is a trendy pick in the market for good reason. The prints from it are high in quality, and it’s compact enough to be carried around everywhere you go.
Photos are bright and colorful and come out on high-quality glossy photo paper. Best of all, the Instax SHARE SP-3 is so small that you can slide it in your pocket or back and hit the road.
The Instax SHARE SP-3 connects over its own Wi-Fi network, and it works smoothly with iPhones and iPads. We think this is one of the best photo printers for iPhone today, with fun filters and frames and a price that won’t shock your wallet.
Credits — The team that worked on this guide
Christine Romero-Chan is a big fan of iPhone photography and loves to go out and take pictures with her iPhone. She likes to get those pictures printed out now and then, so she knows about iPhone photo printers like the back of her hand.
