The best portable photo printers to buy right now

You’ll notice quite a few recommendations for Instax printers within this guide and that’s because they’re all affordable, offer a range of print sizes and have some of the most widely available cartridges.

The “mini” and “square” sizes are the most popular, and we particularly like the mini for making images that fit in our wallet. We have a handful of snaps printed from the Mini Link 2 that we keep with us wherever we go, but this versatile image size is also great for a scrapbook or for pinning up on your fridge using magnets.

We like how simple it is to set up and use the Mini Link 3, and we appreciate the minor design refresh over the Mini Link 2, in addition to the extra app-based features (support for a collage and photo booth mode) along with the overdue change to the more widespread USB-C connector for charging, replacing the older Micro USB port on its predecessor.

Overall, it’s easy to use the app and get printing, and you won’t have any trouble finding replacement film, which costs about £15 for a 20-pack and is widely available online. As with any Instax camera, the prints will develop in about 90 seconds without you needing to do anything to speed up the process.

Most of the portable photo printers you’ll find also produce images that are pretty tiny so they're compact and you can take them with you on your travels.

However, you’re not always after the most petite prints and if you want something that will fit better in a photo album, on a pinboard or within a scrapbook, we think it’s well worth looking at the Instax Link Wide. In essence, it’s similar to any other Instax model on this list, but just a bit bigger and capable of churning out larger reproductions of your precious snaps.

These images will come out in a size of 10.8 by 8.6cm. Factor in the white borders, and you’ve still got a picture that’s 9.9 by 6.2cm. It’s worth noting that the “Wide” film from Instax is a bit more pricey than the “Mini” film and matches the cost of the “Square” variant at £17 for a pack of 20.

You can also get a broader range of designs when you’re looking at the other Instax film offers, but with the wide, you’ll be picking between a monochrome film, one with a white border, or with a black border. If you’re keen on fun colours or designs with hearts or confetti, you’ll prefer the “Mini” film option.

We like this as it’s more pocketable than many competitors and is a great option for producing excellent prints from your smartphone. Unlike the Instax options, you don’t end up with white borders on all sides, and just have a little bit of white paper visible on the 2x3-inch photo print.

That, though, is actually a detachable tab so you’ll have a borderless print. These images also have a peel-off backing to turn your photo into a sticker that you can put anywhere. We think this is particularly appealing for scrapbooking or decorating, and makes it a great gift option.

The colours and retro reproduction from the Instax printers are our favourites in general, and we’re less sure about the Zink printer options available on the market. This, however, uses a slightly different approach that sets it apart.

The Hi-Print has dye-sublimation technology to give you lifelike prints – this process builds up the photo in layers (yellow, red and cyan) before finishing it up with a protective layer. The prints do come out slower, though, the battery won’t last for as long as the comparable Instax Mini, and its print cost is just a little more expensive. But for the small size and excellent print quality, it’s worth it.

If you’re after a bit of a balance between the larger wide film and the tiny mini film available from Instax, then the square format is the one you’re looking for. This is the most up-to-date printer from the brand, using the widespread USB-C charging port rather than the less common and older Micro USB alternative present in much of the range, and it has the same sleek styling we’re used to from Instax printers.

Unlike the wider one, we think this is slim and light enough to stash in your bag and take on your travels, and the bigger square size works well for a wide range of shots including landscapes, portraits, close-ups and more.

It will fit in the majority of your pictures from your camera roll, and that makes it a great option if your priority is printing your photos out for a scrapbook or attaching them to a pinboard. There’s also a good range of fun film variants beyond black or white borders and monochrome options.

With the square film, you can buy it with effects like a starry background, marble borders or “sunset” and “rainbow” looks. The only downside? It’s more expensive than the mini one, matching the price of the Instax wide refill packs.

Like the sound of both a portable photo printer and an instant camera but don’t want to buy two separate devices? Luckily, what you’re looking for exists. Instax makes two different hybrid “instant” cameras that are also printers: the Mini LiPlay and the Mini Evo.

Both are excellent and among our favourites, and while we love the retro look and throwback controls of the Mini Evo, it’s rarely in stock and shares many of the same features with the affordable Mini LiPlay. You do miss out on a bit of the “instantaneousness” with either of these models, but it’s great that you get to pick which shots to print and you’ll waste less film.

We’ve enjoyed printing out our top snaps with this model, and it’s super easy to use via the app.

We like that extra film is affordable and this prints and develops quickly, but we do think it’s worth remembering that the overall price is higher, so if you just want the printing functions and won’t use it as a camera, you might be better off with the Instax Mini Link 3.

If price is your main concern, it’s well worth looking at a printer that sells for under £100 and offers a lower per-print cost than any rival we’ve seen that’s widely available. We think that’s an important concern for a purchase like this, as you don’t want to invest in a less well-known brand only to find you can’t buy film in the future. Luckily, Kodak has existed for over 130 years and remains synonymous with photography to this day, especially if you love to shoot and print film photos.

The Zink paper tech in these is a bit different when compared to Instax models. Instead of ink, it uses colourful crystals embedded inside the paper – it’s a little slower to print but pictures don’t need time to develop. They also may look a bit more washed out than instant film, though, and we generally think the “Polaroid” charm is more present in models from Polaroid and Fujifilm’s Instax.

This printer does offer the benefit of an affordable cost and a low price for replacement paper, though, and it comes in a super portable size. You won’t get quite as much life out of it, as it only lasts for 25 prints on a single charge (compared to 100 from the Instax Mini Link 2) but it’s still a good deal and we like how the photo paper is sticky-backed, which makes it great for a scrapbook or customising items around the house with your snaps.