Zink's hAppy and hAppy+ smart app printers cater to gleeful labelers

It's been a hot minute since a new Zink printer made it through the wringer, but here we are staring at the latest duo. Designed to be coddled and cuddled by craft gurus and those who place an exceptionally high value on organization, the hAppy and hAppy+ smart app printers utilize the outfit's full-color, ink-free zRolls for printing. Each one is WiFi-enabled and engineered to travel well, with the $199 base model supporting print transfers from iPhone, iPad, iPod touch and Android devices.

On the stock hAppy, you simply download a corresponding app, design what you need printed, and send it over the air. The $299 hAppy+, however, ships with Android in the device, allowing you to fiddle around with its touchscreen and create print designs without any other hardware involved. Of course, we're guessing that you'll be quite limited on what masterpieces you'll be able to muster on such a small canvas, but hey -- who are we to judge your creative prowess?

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ZINK Imaging Creates A New Category Of Creative Devices -- The Smart App Printer™ -- With Launch Of ZINK hAppy™ And hAppy+™

ZINK Imaging Creates A New Category Of Creative Devices -- The Smart App Printer™ -- With Launch Of ZINK hAppy™ And hAppy+™

Design and print from favorite apps on smartphones, tablets or from the palm of one's hand - all without ink

BOSTON, Aug. 5, 2013

BOSTON, Aug. 5, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- ZINK Imaging, Inc., inventors and manufacturers of the award‐winning ZINK® Zero Ink® Printing Technology and ZINK Paper®, today announced the launch of a comprehensive line of ZINK hAppy™ branded consumer products that empowers anyone to be more productive and creative at home and at work. The line includes a new category of devices called Smart App Printers™, featuring the hAppy™ and hAppy+™; ink-free ZINK zRolls™; apps; digital design content; accessories and the integration of third party printing standards that enable users to easily print from their favorite apps.

Highlighted at the 2013 Apple Worldwide Developer Conference, the hAppy Smart App Printers are companions for smartphones and tablets by enabling wireless printing in full-color without any ink – from ZINK apps or from an array of third party apps. The hAppy system also makes it easy to print digital photos from a range of sources, including Facebook and Instagram. The hAppy is being featured as a 'Today's Special' on HSN today, with an exclusive offer airing throughout the day. Both hAppy and hAppy+ are available at www.ZINK.com for $199 and $299, respectively, and at other major retailers this fall.

The hAppy Smart App Printers are ideal for do-it-yourselfers, crafters, small business owners, busy parents and teachers – anyone who wants to use print-enabled apps to create, organize and have fun. hAppy makes it simple to design, personalize and print full-color labels, stickers, photos and more to make greeting cards and invitations, memory books, gifts and wrapping, photo booth strips, visitor badges, address labels, business materials, school projects and home decor.

"Anyone can be creative – all you need is the right tool. Our new hAppy family of products empower people through limitless creative possibilities, regardless of skill level," said Mary Jeffries, CEO of ZINK Imaging. "In 2013 we have seen incredible momentum with ZINK Technology, first with our successful partnerships with LG and Transact, and now with this launch of our own branded products. With the rise of smartphones and tablets, it's a natural evolution for us to create a ZINK-branded ecosystem that puts our technology in people's hands, enhancing creativity and productivity in nearly every part of life."

Anne Martin-Vachon, Chief Merchandising Officer of HSN, said, "We're excited to feature the hAppy family of products on HSN. They combine unlimited versatility with ease of use in a way that only Zero Ink printing can deliver. I know our customers will love the hAppy products."

hAppy™ and hAppy+™ Smart App Printers™
The hAppy Smart App Printer is a portable, Wi-Fi® app-accessory for smartphones and tablets that prints in full-color directly from a variety of apps loaded on smart devices. It's compatible with iPhone®, iPad® and iPod touch®. hAppy also is compatible with Android™ smartphone and tablets and Amazon Kindle Fire™ tablets, and works with Apple AirPrint®. Printing is simple: Download any ZINK app or an existing third party, print-enabled app to a smartphone or tablet; load an ink-free ZINK zRoll (photographic-quality ZINK Paper in roll form); design and then wirelessly print to the hAppy.

The hAppy+ features the Google Android™ operating system, a full-color capacitive touchscreen and built-in ZINK apps, making it the all-in-one tool for designing and printing from the palm of one's hand. Users can create and print in full-color without needing other devices or ink. Just load a ZINK zRoll; create the design directly on the hAppy+ touchscreen and press print. hAppy+ is compatible with both Apple AirPrint and Google Cloud Print™, and works as a companion to smartphones and tablets.

ZINK Zero Ink zRolls
Both the ZINK hAppy and hAppy+ use full-color, ink-free ZINK zRolls which include the innovative ZINK Paper in a roll form with adhesive backing. zRolls come in five different widths (3/8", 1/2", 3/4", 1" and 2"), with each zRoll providing more than 19 feet of full-color printing. zRolls feature an acid-free adhesive that allows users to quickly and easily remove and reapply designs if placed incorrectly, and becomes permanently secure over time.

ZINK Apps for hAppy and hAppy+
Both of the Smart App Printers are optimized to work with the specially designed ZINK Design & Print Studio™ app (available for free download). The app is pre-loaded on the hAppy+ and is available for free download at the Apple App Store℠, the Google Play Store™ and the Amazon App Store™. The app is optimized for creating and printing everything from simple labels to detailed custom designs, and it includes a variety of design elements such as fonts, frames, backgrounds and art with more available from the ZINK Store. The app also includes editing features such as resize, crop, text annotation and color swap. Users can import photos from a variety of places, including Facebook and Instagram.

In addition to the ZINK Design & Print Studio app, the ZINK MailEasy™ app is available, which enables users to mass produce mailing labels from their online contact lists, as well as the ZINK Big™ app, which provides a simple way to create poster-sized prints from a hAppy Smart App Printer.

New Opportunities for App Developers
ZINK Imaging is working with a variety of developers to allow consumers to enjoy the fun and utility of printing from their favorite apps. Example developers include Project Box and its Pocketbooth app, allthecooks for its recipe search app, and Rhonna Designs. To learn more, app developers can visit www.ZINK.com/developer.

For more information on ZINK hAppy and hAppy+, including a how-to video, images and fact sheets, please visit www.ZINK.com and hAppylaunch.ZINK.com for a press kit. For other content, follow us at www.Twitter.com/ZINKhAppy, www.Facebook.com/ZINKhAppy and www.Pinterest.com/ZINKhAppy.

About ZINK® Zero Ink® Printing Technology
ZINK® Zero Ink® Printing Technology from ZINK Imaging is a revolutionary approach to printing that makes it possible to print in full-color without ink cartridges, ribbons or toner. The key to the ink-free system is the patented ZINK Paper®, an advanced composite material embedded with cyan, yellow and magenta dye crystals and with a protective polymer overcoat. Before printing, the dye crystals are colorless making ZINK Paper look like regular white photo paper. The ZINK Smart App Printers™ use heat to activate and colorize these crystals. The result is full-color, high quality, long-lasting and durable images.

About ZINK Imaging
ZINK Imaging Inc., a privately held company, was founded to enable millions of customers to enjoy the magic of ZINK® Zero Ink® products. ZINK Imaging invented, manufactures, and is a supplier of the ZINK Printing Technology and the ZINK Paper®. In addition to ZINK branded products, the technology is utilized by partner companies which bring ZINK-enabled products to market under their respective brands. ZINK Imaging's headquarters and research and development labs are in Massachusetts, with a state of the art manufacturing facility in Whitsett, North Carolina. For more information, please visit www.ZINK.com.

ZINK, Zero Ink, hAppy, hAppy+, Smart App Printer, and zRoll are registered trademarks of ZINK Imaging Inc. All rights reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, iPhone, iPad and iPod touch are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. App Store is a service mark of Apple Inc. Wi-Fi is a registered trademark of the Wi-Fi Alliance. Android, Google, Google Play, and other marks are trademarks of Google Inc. Instagram™ is a registered trademark of Instagram Inc. This product uses the Instagram™ API but is not endorsed or certified by Instagram. Facebook is a registered trademark of Facebook Inc. All other trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective owners.