A few months ago I got an instax camera. As of now I absolutely do NOT recommend it. I have had a heck of a time and honestly am just super disappointed with it. It is blurry, over-exposed…. just ugh. Fun? OH YES! Random “road trip” or “selfie” type pics? Yeah it was fun. I even have a few pics I actually LIKE that I took with it. But it was really awful outside/in any kind of actual sunlight no matter what I did and I think it’s pretty over-rated. My plan is to use it as fun (once in a while) pics like for a holiday or birthday party and make favors/to-go goodies. Anyhow.
That fiasco behind me, I decided to try again.
I ordered myself a Selphy and it just arrived. It seems to be right around $70 most of the time on Amazon, which seemed like a worthwhile price to pay.
Within 5 minutes I had the app downloaded to my iphone and was testing it out. The verdict? It is AWESOME.
I don’t have a color printer, haven’t for over a year now. I do NOT print my own photos, nor do I plan to in the future. This printer is at least TWICE what I would pay for my normal processing. When I order 200 Disneyland prints? Oh heck no I’m not using this baby.
However.
Let’s say I really have an “in the moment” photo + story to tell. Or someone in my family wants to print a photo from their iphone/iPad wirelessly without ever touching a computer.
Selphy has got it covered.
Let’s say I want to print a square pic I instagrammed or just made pretty via Rhonna Designs App…
Selphy has got me covered. No extra fuss/formatting required.
Oh, and how about this. I’ve been printing every 2-3 months (to save up, have more prints, and get a better price, etc)… but what happens when I want maybe 3-4 prints today right now?
Selphy has me covered, and since I’d have to figure special order shipping charges it is less than the cost of the shipping to print a small batch.
To be perfectly honest, I didn’t pick the timing of this for anything in particular but as I sit here and test it, and am really impressed with the quality I’m getting, I’m considering a December memory keeping project now. We’ll see.
You really can’t tell from the grainy night time photos I’ve shared here – but I find the quality is every bit as good looking as the pics I get back from PersnicketyPrints.com at least when it comes to my iPhone pics.
If you’re thinking you need one, or maybe know someone who isn’t into scrapbooking but *does* love their tech/app compatible stuff then you may want to check this out. Amazon seems to have a great price but perhaps you can find it locally as well.
This is one product getting the big THUMBS UP from me. I will be sure to share my creations here and mention it when Selphy comes into play. I’m working on both a blog series and new on-line class that will be about finding my stories and why I tell them – this will play a big roll in that I can tell.
I know there are a lot of Selphy fans out there – feel free to give it a shout out and share! 🙂
Thanks for the heads up. I wanted an Instax just because it looks like a cool toy.
I have a Canon Selphy CP800 and I LOVE it!! My husband bought it for me 2 months ago and it is definitely a money saver, not just because the prints are cheaper, but because I don’t have to print unnecessary photos. I used to have about 50 photos printed at a time because it is such a mission to get to the photo printers and then ended up using less than half and wasting the rest. Now I print only what I need for the project I’m working on. It works out perfectly.
I have one and I really love it for printing my Project Life photos. Would totally recommend to anyone on the fence about purchasing.
Wow, this is exciting … but I have a question, I find that I can always find a deal on a color printer, but the cartridges are the deal breakers. I noticed Amazon had a cartridge for $31 … wonder how many photos per cartridge or how often you would need to stretch out? Anyone know?
Now this might just make a December Daily type project a bit easier to actually do
I had an Instax on my Christmas list. I trust your judgement, May. If I pay that much, I’d want to be thrilled with it. Thanks for the heads up. Btw…ADORABLE photo!
I’ve bought Selphy a year ago and the quality of pictures is great! I even took it with me on a trip and did scrapbooking on the road.
Thanks for the review. I’ve considered getting one of these printers.
I have not heard of Selgy. But looks like something I might be interested in.
Because i’m always wanting just one photo right then and my printer just doesn’t cut it for photos.
Just ordered one thanks to your recommendation! Amazon has great bundle on the machine and 2 boxes of film/color cartridges. Now I know I will finish that December Daily- it has cost me $ between kits and machines! HA!
Question for selphy owners: can you only print pics from your phone wirelessly? Or can u print pics from ur computer? Thanks for any feedback
Selphy….and I love mine
I have had a Selphy now for years – it was a pre-Christmas present to myself. Since mine is an older model it isn’t Wi-Fi enabled, which I would love. I just figured out you can easily print two 2 x 3 prints on one 4 x 6 paper. It is great for on the fly stuff, like when my daughter needs a picture for school or something. I definitely love mine too!!!
I love my Selphy! I have the 3×3 inch paper tray and paper. I love printing right from my phone! I get an occasional great photo on my camera phone and go right to that printer. I love the 3×3 because I slip it right into my Project Life albums.
I have Instax as well. It’s ok for fun photos I take in classes and share one or two with teachers. I still like it, but Selphy Rocks!
Lisa, I download pics from my computer onto a stick. You can put the stick into the Selphy and print from there. You can also use an SD card right from your camera.
I print 3×3 for my Project Life albums and love it.
The cartridges contain ink sheets for 36 pictures and 36 photo papers. The ink cartridge comes with the photos papers. It uses sheets so that each print has the same quality as the first. The ink cartridge pops into the side of the printer. Load your paper and off you go. When you have used your last photo paper, the ink cartridge will be empty. Then just get another set and go!
I would not use this for large quantity printing. I use it for two or three pics that I want right now. There is also, a 3×3 ink and photo paper, and paper tray for this printer sold separately. I print the 3×3 photos for my Project Life albums. LOVE it,