I simply laid my phone on top of the Mini 2.
Bluetooth, too, is a router-less protocol, but unlike Wi-Fi Direct and NFC, which are one-to-one connection types, Bluetooth is one-to-many.ĭuring my tests, I found that the easiest way to connect to the printer by far was NFC. Wi-Fi Direct and NFC are peer-to-peer networking protocols that allow you to connect your mobile devices to the printer without either them or it being connected to a network or router.
I tested all four methods from a Samsung Galaxy J7 running Android 7.1.1. Connecting the Mini 2ĭepending on the capabilities of your smartphone or tablet, you can connect to the Kodak Mini 2 using one of four wireless protocols: Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct, near-field communication (NFC), and Bluetooth. To test this, I sprinkled water on one of my test images, without any noticeable effect, so, I got a little bolder and held the photo under the running faucet for a second or so-again, the ink didn't wash away, but the paper on the back of the print will get soggy and damaged if it gets too wet. The clear coat also makes the ink, to a reasonable degree, waterproof. On the first pass, the printer lays down yellow ink then, on the next pass, magenta on the third pass, cyan and on the fourth pass, a clear coat that brings out the highlights and protects the image is applied. During each pass, the paper comes out through the output slot, and it's pulled back into the printer. The Mini 2's print engine uses a method that Kodak calls 4Pass, because the photo paper makes four passes over the printhead. Printed pictures come out of the front of the Mini 2 via a slot that runs the length of the front edge. That means that they don't use ink, per se instead there are particles of colors that reside inside the photo paper until activated by the printer.
In contrast, the HP Sprocket ($119.99 at HP), the Lifeprint 2x3, and its sibling, the Lifeprint 3x4.5 (stay tuned for the full review), and the Polaroid Insta-Share are all zero-ink, or ZINK printers. You get a cartridge with enough ink and paper to print eight photos in the box.
With dye-sub machines, the ink is solid until print time, which, in this case, occurs when your mobile device starts sending data to the printer. The Mini 2 is a thermal-dye-sublimation (often called dye-sub) printer. The right edge opens up to reveal a compartment where the combination ink and paper consumable cartridges go. It has very little by way of a control panel-just a power button and two status LEDs (On and Connected) on the left edge, and there's a mini-USB port, a Reset button and a charging status LED on the back edge. Like the other pocket photo printers mentioned here, the Mini 2 works wirelessly from only your iOS- or Android-equipped smartphone or tablet.
Though it may not sound like much, that inch or so makes a lot of difference when toting the device around-especially if you're carrying it in your pocket. The HP Sprocket is nearly an inch shorter and weighs about 2.5 ounces less than the Mini 2. The output, however, isn't nearly as good as photos printed on a few closely priced five- and six-ink consumer-grade photo printers from Canon and Epson.Īt 1 by 3 by 5.2 inches (HWD) and weighing 8.4 ounces (the same weight as the original Mini), the Mini 2 ($86.99 at Amazon) comes in either all-white or all-black, and is closer in length to the Polaroid Insta-Share ($199.99 at Polaroid).
And, much like its predecessor and the other portable photo printers, it prints passable photos. While it still prints 2-by-3.4-inch photos (other photo printers of its ilk print 2-by-3-inch pics), it's almost an inch shorter than the original Mini ($95.65 at Amazon), and very close to the Lifeprint 2x3 Hyperphoto Printer and its other competitors in size and girth. Kodak has fired back with its new Kodak Mini 2 HD Instant Photo Printer ($99.99). The problem for the Mini, though, is that, at 6 inches long-or an inch or so longer than these other models-it's just big enough not to be all that miniature. Best Hosted Endpoint Protection and Security SoftwareĮarlier this year, we looked at the Kodak Photo Printer Mini, a portable snapshot photo printer that, like the highly rated HP Sprocket, or the Polaroid Insta-Share, churns out small photos (in this case 2 by 3.4 inches, or business card size).