Why don't Fuji make an Instax Wide printer?

[Antony]

I'm a big fan of instant film so in addition to my X-T1s, X100T and X30 I also have several instax cameras, most notably the venerable 500AF and the Mini 90. I also have the Instax SP-1 Smartphone printer which uses standard instax film, as well as the impossible project instant lab for larger shots. What I can't understand is why Fuji won't release a printer for Instax Wide film. There would be huge demand from traditional photographers, and it would sure make my life easier not having to use impossible project film, which takes 40+ minutes to develop instead of the 3 minutes for Instax. It's also about a third of the price.

 

Can we get some support for this idea and send it along to Fuji?

[CRAusmus]

The picture doesn't take 40 minutes to develop, that's just how long it takes for the top layer of chemicals to completely dissipate.  The reason for this is that when they started rebuilding the process from Polaroid, they lacked over 70 parts to make the process work.  They had to start from the ground up and it took several years to get the process to where they could even release a film version.  And their first version was really quite crappy.  Their B&W 2.0 is really awesome though, and their new color will be better than the current version, but it will still take a long time for that top layer to dissipate.  That's just gonna be the nature of their color film until they can come up with a new process from what I understand.

 

Also Impossible is developing a new camera.  The impression I got from them it that it would take a larger format film possibly larger, but not smaller than, the Spectra Film.  That's all I could get out of them though.

 

I would most definitely support this idea, and more expansion in to instant as well.  I'm very excited about what Impossible is up to, and I'm hoping that it propels other companies, like Fuji, to look at expanding their instant offerings as well.

[jmerlinw]

Antony

I also would like to see an Instax Share Wide printer, and would value a USB cable connection for use with older Fuji bodies (and maybe non-Fuji, non-WiFi bodies). I'd like to give thank-you prints to subjects I meet at events. After much searching, the Instax Share seems to be the best portable printer out there in terms of size, battery life, consumables, image quality and operation.

[piernicola]

It is possible print directly from XT1 to SP1?

[Vladimir]

It is possible print directly from XT1 to SP1?

Yes, it is

[Iko]

+1 to this

 

I already looked forward to buy the SP1 but what stopped me was the actual size of the image printed, it's too small for my taste,

something the size of a polaroid would be much better

[flysurfer]

I'd appreciate a larger printer, too.

[Vidalgo]

After much searching, the Instax Share seems to be the best portable printer out there in terms of size, battery life, consumables, image quality and operation.

Did you tried Canon Selphy printers?

 

 

[owlcavestudios]

Did you tried Canon Selphy printers?

 

The problem with a Canon Selphy is you can't put it in your camera bag.

 

I would be all over an Instax Share "Wide" printer that would work with my X100T!  I mean, Instax is supposedly the most profitable part of the Fuji imaging division, right?

[darknj]

[...] Instax is supposedly the most profitable part of the Fuji imaging division, right?

 

It is the Instax cameras that are selling like hot cakes, the printer doesn't really share much of its cousin popularity since the camera are perfectly able to print out the picture itself.

[jmerlinw]

I think what are selling like hotcakes are the film packs. Like printer ink and razor blades, once you buy an Instax camera, you'd buy a LOT of Instax film. A printer for the Wide format Instax that could communicate with X-system cameras via USB or WiFi would add a lot of film sales. Photographers could use the full capability of the X-system. The Instax Wide 300, for example, has an F14 (F-fourteen!) lens and shutter speeds of 1/64-1/200 for a film rated at ISO 800. Think what the X-system cameras could do for Instax film sales.

[Vidalgo]

The problem with a Canon Selphy is you can't put it in your camera bag.

And you expect the printer to print to twice the size (wide vs. standard) will be the same as a small SP-1 and you can do the same bag?

[darknj]

I think what are selling like hotcakes are the film packs. Like printer ink and razor blades, once you buy an Instax camera, you'd buy a LOT of Instax film. A printer for the Wide format Instax that could communicate with X-system cameras via USB or WiFi would add a lot of film sales. Photographers could use the full capability of the X-system. The Instax Wide 300, for example, has an F14 (F-fourteen!) lens and shutter speeds of 1/64-1/200 for a film rated at ISO 800. Think what the X-system cameras could do for Instax film sales.

 

I would agree with you there up to a point.

 

To have any sales on the film packs, you still need to sell the cameras, if no body is being sold, those film packs are rather useless on their own. Thus me believing in the Cameras sales is what drove their sales up rather than just the films. That being said, I would agree that a larger printer would be greatly appreciated, I got myself the SP-1 rencently and handed a few out on a small event I was covering. 

The guests were delighted to be able to get a small momento of the moments.

[owlcavestudios]

And you expect the printer to print to twice the size (wide vs. standard) will be the same as a small SP-1 and you can do the same bag?

 

Of course not!  That's not really my point.  My point was that the Selphy looks like it was designed to sit on a desktop.  It looks like a great printer, just not the same thing as a portable instax printer.

 

The SP-1 would fit in my cosyspeed waist bag, but an Instax Wide printer would of course make me get a bigger bag.  However, an Instax Wide printer would most likely be made to be portable and fit into a camera bag.  It can't be as big as an instax wide camera now can it?  I know photographers that toss one of those in their camera bag for fun.

 

 

I think what are selling like hotcakes are the film packs....

 

I didn't think this far into my comment above, but yeah, that's about what I meant  .  What do you sell more of, the cameras or the film? I don't know honestly, but I'd be interested to see the actual numbers on which part of the instax family is driving profitability more.

[claw]

I agree. I'd definitely buy an SP-2 Wide Printer. I have the SP-1 but would be really interested in a printer that was the same height & depth but just wider and took the wider film. It'd still be portable enough and as it is wider it might have the space to run off AA batteries. Ideal.

 

I've used the Canon Selphy printers before and while the are portable in the sense that you can take them to an event where you specifically want to setup a printing table, they aren't portable in the way that the SP-1 is where you can just grab it from your bag on the spur of the moment and have a print developing in someone's hand in less than a minute.

[Orangish]

Antony, on 03 Jul 2015 - 1:27 PM, said:

Can we get some support for this idea and send it along to Fuji?

 I would order an Instax Wide printer built along the lines of the SP-1 so fast.

 

So very, very fast. I'd wait in line for the thing.

[mkay]

I hope there is something coming at photokina.. maybe flysurfer knows more about it.. ;-) 

[k8k8]

they've now skipped over wide and brought out a square printer. does this mean no wide printer ever?

i wouldn't mind if the square film was cheap in bulk yet like the wide.

 

what is the biggest instant printer available now in any brand?

 

[Elle Harper]

This is an interesting topic, I am also looking for a suitable printer now.

Edited November 18, 2019 by Elle Harper

[AS1]

I have been googling about Instax Wide printer since 2015 and now its 2020... still has no development! 

At the very least Fuji should consider an Instax Wide LiPlay...

Instax Mini is just too small, I cannot imagine using that for any memory keep-sake.

[The Black Brick]

I've been waiting for an Instax Wide Printer since the launch of the SP-1 (which I have). I kind of lost hope on that to happen. The sad part is that there is a lot of us waiting for it and, either Fuji doesn't realize that, or they just don't care.

Why in the world do we need 3 different square cameras with a crappy size photo (when compared to an actual Polaroid), but they don't take advantage of the wide format they already have trips me out.

[Andrey the Great]

Also interested in this topic, is it ever coming?

[Waverider106]

How do we make this happen?? I've been waiting and waiting for an instax wide printer. I have one for the mini and the square but I would probably print all the pictures on my phone if they came out with a wide printer. 

Let's make it happen! 

[k8k8]

I don't know. Could we start one of those online petitions?

[bhu]

Why can I not connect to Kinko's or another national print chain directly from my camera through my phone and push a print button on my X-T? The print could go to a queue at a location of my choice for pickup of the drafts later depending on my data connection.

It seems like an easy and profitable partnership between a Fujifilm cloud service and printing companies.