From Digital Camera World · · 3m
Instax Link Wide 2: big instant prints from your phone
Fujifilm's oversized instant printer nails color and connection, but the film math and the stray lines give you pause.
In brief
Fujifilm's oversized instant printer nails color and connection, but the film math and the stray lines give you pause. The Link Wide 2 is the most charming way to turn digital photos into real instant film, as long as you accept about $1.30 a print and the odd roller line. Originally reported by Digital Camera World.
Digital files, real film
Portable instant printers let you keep the digital original and still hold a physical print. The Instax Link Wide 2 does it in Fujifilm's oversized Wide format.
Tested on everything
The reviewer fed it smartphone snapshots, Instax Pal 2 shots, and files from pro mirrorless bodies. The verdict: a near-perfect blend of charm and quality.
“a near-perfect blend between charm and quality”
$180 and falling
It retails for about $180 or CA$240, less than the original model was selling for just before this update launched at roughly $235.
The film is the real cost
A US pack runs $23 to $29, so each shot costs $1.15 to $1.45. In the UK a 20-pack is about £19, or 95p a print.
Desktop hard drive sized
Think portable CD player, slightly enlarged. Bigger than the Mini printers but not obtrusive, helped by a very plain design.
Lit logo, two buttons
A textured front panel carries an Instax logo that glows when powered or charging. One side holds power and an Fn battery-check button, the other the charge port.
Match yellow to yellow
The back opens for the film cartridge and loading is foolproof: line up the yellow mark on the printer with the yellow on the pack. Prints exit through the top.
Finally USB-C
Five years after the original Wide Link, the headline hardware change is dropping Micro-USB for a cable you already own.
Connected on the first try
Bluetooth gear usually fights you. This one paired immediately and the app walked through setup with no manual, then reconnected automatically after that.
Twice the print, no going back
Instax Wide measures 62mm by 99mm, or 86mm by 108mm with the white border. After using it, the reviewer struggled to go back to Mini.
“I'm going to have a hard time going back to the smaller prints”
Sharper than expected
Prints held more detail than anticipated, at a size that shows it off while keeping the classic instant film look intact.
Rich or Natural
Two color modes let you choose your dose of nostalgia. Natural leans into imperfect film character, Rich tracks the contrast and color of the digital file.
The stray line problem
Faint lines showed up along the bottom of some prints, likely a roller fault. Standing the printer upright helped, but light images still caught the odd streak.
Photo Mixer and QR codes
Most new features are in the app. Photo Mixer auto-builds collages with cutouts, remixable five times, and prints can carry a QR code with a link, location, message, or sound.
Only two cameras connect direct
Firmware stripped Instax direct printing from several Fujifilm bodies. Just the X-T30 III and Pal 2 print app-free; everything else routes through a phone.
What to remember
The Link Wide 2 is the most charming way to turn digital photos into real instant film, as long as you accept about $1.30 a print and the odd roller line.
