The instax mini Link+ is a small shift in how you move from a screen to a physical print, and it’s aimed at the moments when a phone image feels too disposable. If you care about handing someone a real Instax Mini print at an event, or building a wall of tiny proof prints from a shoot, the tradeoffs in this printer are worth knowing before you buy.
Coming to you from Gordon Laing, this practical video breaks down what you actually get with the instax mini Link+ and what stays frustratingly the same. You’re still printing onto instax mini film, so every shot has a real per-print cost, and that alone changes how you choose what’s “worth” printing. The workflow is phone-first through the Instax mini Link app, with Bluetooth doing the handoff, and USB-C only handling charging. Laing also flags a hard limit that surprises people: you can’t connect it to a computer at all, even though plenty of people want a simple desktop “print this file” option.
The video also gets into compatibility details you’ll want up front if you bounce between phone and camera. Laing notes direct printing from the X half, which sounds straightforward until you hit the odd exclusions he mentions for other X-series bodies. If you already own the instax mini Link 3, the big question is whether the new features are real upgrades or just nicer defaults you could mimic with a few edits. The hardware story is intentionally unglamorous: same basic idea, same pocketable size, same “print anywhere” posture that makes sense at weddings, meetups, or studio days when you want instant leave-behinds. What changes is mostly how the app treats detail, and whether that matters for what you print most often.
The headline feature is Design Print mode, and it’s tied to what you feed it. When the app sees an image larger than 1,600 × 1,200 pixels, you can choose Simple Print or Design Print, with Design Print aiming for cleaner edges and more legible small text, especially on illustrations. Laing runs side-by-side prints where the differences range from “squint to see it” to “okay, that’s clearer,” depending on the subject, and he’s careful about where the mode helps and where it doesn’t. Photos of graphic art and textured scenes can show only a mild shift, while crisp line art and tiny lettering are where the effect becomes easier to spot. He also points out the new Pinterest import option, which is handy if you collect design references, and he briefly touches on the permission issue when you print anything that isn’t yours.
Hardware-wise, the instax mini Link+ changes its look and a few practical touches, including strap lugs and a more serious black-and-orange shell with a single status light instead of the Link 3’s mood lighting. Laing spends time on a detail most reviews skip: battery replacement guidance shows up in European manuals, including mention of an NP-70S pack, and he’s blunt about the regional split in what companies support. If you’re deciding between the Link+ and older models like the instax mini Link 3 or instax mini Link 2, his take leans practical: pricing swings by region, the output “feel” is similar for normal photo prints, and the new mode is most convincing when you print designs, captions, and clean graphics that need to stay readable. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Laing.
