The Polaroid Zip is a small, inconspicuous photo printer -- no bigger than a smartphone -- that allows users to connect to their iOS or Android devices and print photos in small, 2x3-inch prints. The mobile printer was unveiled at CES 2015.
In order to print photos off of their phone, users must download a free app. From there, they have the option of adding filters, frames, stickers and stamps, further individualizing their photograph. Edits can be made private simply by changing the settings so that to view the updated image, you need to scan the QR code on the original.
The printer operates with Polaroid'd Zink zero-ink printing technology, which uses special dye-embedded paper. The embedded crystals are activated by heat, causing them to warm to the appropriate shades.
What's Driving This Trend
- Mobile Printing
- The compact smartphone printer trend offers opportunities for disruptive innovation in the mobile printing industry.
- Customization
- The trend of adding filters, frames, stickers, and stamps to printed photos creates disruptive innovation opportunities for customized printing services.
- Zero-ink Printing
- The zero-ink printing technology trend enables disruptive innovation in the printing industry by eliminating the need for ink cartridges.
Who This Affects Most
- Printing
- Compact smartphone printers disrupt the traditional printing industry by offering mobile and on-the-go printing capabilities.
- Photography
- The trend of compact smartphone printers presents disruptive innovation opportunities in the photography industry, providing users with immediate physical prints of their mobile photos.
- Mobile Technology
- The integration of compact smartphone printers with mobile devices creates disruptive innovation potential in the mobile technology industry, offering additional functionalities to smartphones.
