ZINK bringing printers to your handheld gadgetry
By Darren Murph 
posted January 30th 2007 3:08PM
posted January 30th 2007 3:08PM
Although you probably haven't shaken a Polaroid picture in quite some time, a bit of that allure is reportedly headed to your handhelds, as Massachusetts-based ZINK looks to deliver a pocket-sized printer that can be "embedded in any device" and shoot out photos sans ink. The sensational sounding product will initially be used to print 2- x 3-inch color photographs, and interestingly enough, won't require a single drop of liquid to form the images. In ZINK's system (another pic after the break), "images are created when a heated printer head comes into contact with a sheet of specialized paper," which is actually a polymer containing three crystalline layers. Varying temperatures and pressure points create the pixels of color, and just in case you figure out your latest printout doesn't showcase your eye color as well as you'd hoped, it's recyclable. The company's first offerings will likely be offered in a $99 standalone format or as a $199 camera / printer hybrid, while the snazzy paper will run you $19.95 for a pack of one hundred, but we're definitely holding off on this here invention until we see just how impressive (or not) the printed results actually are. [Warning: PDF read link][Via CNET]
wait, so suddenly you decide the picture sucked, you can stick it back in and re-use it as blank paper?
wow... I wish we could do that with the laser printers here, so much is recycled due to ignorant users. "Oops, I needed this landscape. *pitches 120 pages*"
i think they mean... it's recyclable paper... u still throw it out. personally, i don't see what all the hype is. looks like a standard dye-sub printer. canon has plenty of these already. plus what good is a 2x3 print? sounds more of a gimmicky fad to me.
WooooooooooW. OR you would buy an iJam for $20. Rmemebr those Polaroid things?
Eh, good for thumbnail pr0n.
Isn't that that logo for the Zune? If the Zune could print...
oh man, the endless happiness this could emanate ... at my coworkers expense of course.
It would be cool if the paper was immediately recyclable, meaning you could put it back in and take the pic again and the crystalline layers can be heated and adjusted to the new pic.
I think this is really cool, I honestly miss the old Polaroid. It's also sad how Polaroid sold their name, and now the name shows up on just about every CE device made.
Honestly, this IS really really old technology, but it's still cool, if they can get the price down, it might be worth it.
I don't this is about how high tech it is, but how useful and portable it is. Best Poloraids are the ones you have when most of the posers are drunk and this is in-line with that philosophy. I digg it.
The Zink prints all colors in one pass so it is much faster than lasers, ink jets or the Cannon product. The paper is also cheaper to purchase.
The Zink printer can be any size 8X10, 11X17, or 6 feet by 6 feet. It is completely scalable. The 2X3 size is the first product idea because it is actually harder to make a small printer with existing technologies.
I have seen live demonstrations of the Zink printer side by side with an ink jet printer. The Zink is much faster and better print quality. The technology is in the paper substrate. The printer itself is made from standard off the shelf parts.
I wrote a detailed blog about how it works at Don Dodge on The Next Big Thing. See http://dondodge.typepad.com/the_next_big_thing/2007/01/zink_presenting.html
Don Dodge
the paper for my cp-220 costs 30 cents a sheet (and are 4x6). these are half the size at 2x3 and cost 20 cents a sheet. i don't see much of a bargain there. my printer (which is an older printer) can print credit card sized pics at 40 seconds. i'm assuming that's equivalent to the zink printer. i honestly don't see any advantages with this printer other than it's small size. my photos are also laminated by the printer. what paper quality does this printer have?
obviously, i would really have to see this unit up close and in action to make a proper conclusion... but right now i don't see any advantages. sorry.
@Kev50027 "really really old technology" - actually, as far as I can tell this technology is brand spankin' new. Polaroid had invested many 10's of million$ in this before getting acquired. It didn't match the brand licensing strategy of Petters, but it had enough potential to continue on. A high-quality "printer in your pocket" that can handle many prints on a pair of AAA batteries could be a very large market.
Well, the point for this tech. is probably that you can carry it with you and use it anytime. You can't do that with other printers (huge, comparatively). So you have your camera, want to share the photo with friends, simply hook it to a 4x6 printer and you are off.
However, I don't see this taking off. For casual picture taking, I'd rather have a 3mp cameraphone (it will be a while) for convenience. But pic-messaging would take too long, so maybe this printer would be handy.
This would be better than color lightscribe for printing on CDs... so long as the heat doesn't melt the disks.
How can i buy it ? is not here menu of shopping mall?