Zink Company has recently exhibited a pocket-sized Bluetooth photo printer. This printer, which is only slightly larger than an iPod, uses Zink's unique paper that contains embedded dye crystals, eliminating the need for ink cartridges. The printer operates on a rechargeable battery, allowing it to print 20 photos of 2x3 inches per charge. Its internal paper tray can hold 10 sheets of photo paper, with each sheet costing about 20 cents (approximately 1.6 RMB). Bluetooth-enabled phone users can directly send photos to the printer via Bluetooth for printing, while regular digital cameras can print through USB.
Zink allows all digital cameras to instantly produce photos upon capture. The reason Zink printers are so small that they can fit inside a camera is because they do not require any printing ink – the photo paper already contains the ink. The printer determines what color each "pixel" on the photo paper should be printed as.
This printer is expected to hit the market by the end of this year, priced at $99.