Zink Imaging, which is located in Boston, has now developed a new way to print your photos directly from your mobile phone or other devices. In fact, they went one step further with the mobility of it and are completely replacing the ink cartridges we’re so used to using.
Wireless camera phones would be fitted with these or you could have this as a separate accessory, but the idea is incredible. How did they cut out the use of an ink cartridge? Let me tell you…
This company, has utilized the same technology that Polariod uses in their instant photos. Using chemically treated paper instead of the traditional ink-on-paper printing eliminates the need for those nasty cartridges and makes this a more streamlined way to print photos. I hope they don’t make the paper impossible to afford like they have some printer cartridges though.
So, instead of wasting time with bulky cartridges and large printers like those from Hewlett-Packard, Lexmark, and others, you would be able to utilize the process Zink has come up with and embed the ink into the specialized chemically treated paper. The mobile printer connects either wirelessly or with a USB cable directly to any camera phone or digital camera and prints full-color 2″ x 3″ digital photos (size of a business card).
Using heat in the process, different layers of ink can be activated during printing and appear on the special paper, giving you quick photos in a compact format. This will allow the makers to work for a small form so that you can carry this around and it’s far more mobile than what is offered on the market today.
As I understand it, the printing process is set up by controlling how the heat is applied to the paper by using thousands of tiny heated print heads. This allows the manufacturer to produce small and easy-to-use printers that could be designed with very few buttons and a small format.
Key features
* Compatible with all Pictbridge enabled digital cameras and Bluetooth enabled camera phones
* Prints 2″ X 3″ borderless, high quality photos
* Uses ZINK paper. Available in sticky-back.
* Integrated, rechargeable battery
* Available late 2007
Once they master this process, Zink plans to work on the size of the printers and create the ideal size, pocket-size. I’m excited to see what they come up with and how easy this might be to expand on with other ideas. I look forward to being able to carry paper and a small printer with me as I photograph friends and family. It would make it easier to share photos and I love the “gadget-factor” of this printer.
The patented ZINK paper is an advanced composite material with dye crystals embedded inside and a protective polymer overcoat layer outside. Beautiful prints, no ink required. Just add paper.
The first format of ZINK Paper will be for use in the mobile products – the Mobile Printer and the Integrated Digital Camera and Printer.
View a video on the Zink printer and visit the site to find out where you can purchase yours, here.
They also have an integrated digital camera and printer available soon. Information on that can be found on the site, but here are a few specifications.
Key Features
* 7 Megapixel with 3x Optical Zoom
* Choice of multiple capture/scene modes and flash modes
* 2.0″ indoor/outdoor color display
* Accepts SD memory cards
* Prints 2″ x 3″ borderless, high quality photos
* Uses ZINK paper. Available in sticky-back.
* Integrated, rechargeable battery
* Available late 2007
Pretty soon they’ll figure out how to embed this printer into a laptop and make our lives a bit easier. I wonder how large the paper can get?
Related Posts
- IBM offers superfast laser printer
- Digital camera boom may be nearing crest
- Lexmark invokes DMCA in toner suit
- Kodak Ships Computer-Free Wireless Camera
- Point, click and swap: digital photos go P2P
Loading ...
it is like the instant cameras of the 70’s and 80’s the developer was embedded into the film
Yes that’s why Polaroid was so involved in this process because they had the Polaroid cameras back then and developed this technology. I think it’s great but I hope the photo quality doesn’t suffer too much.
Wow that looks really cool. I would like to see how they print out.