I recently went on a hiking trip to Scottsdale, AZ with friends and had a blast. One friend brought an Instax camera, and everyone got to take home a little souvenir. That lit a bulb for me.
When I got home I decided I wanted a new way to capture the essence of trips. I used to buy magnets; now I want to slap a magnetic backing on a small photo and stick it on my metal door. Simple, personal, and visible.
After a little research, I realized I basically needed three things:
- A camera or printer I can take on trips to print photos of the experience.
- Something my two sons can operate—so the memories can be from their eyes. Because of kid factor, I didn’t want to spend a lot (high breakage risk).
- If it’s a camera, it should connect to my iPhone via Bluetooth or a memory card so I can print my own photos later. A portable printer would also solve this.
The camera my friend had ($93)
I started with the same camera my friend used. I almost bought it, but kept digging.
Pros: Price isn’t terrible; cute, kid-friendly design.
Cons: No SD card storage, so printing external photos isn’t really an option. Film is pricey—about $16 for 20 shots. Quality is great, but that price pushes it into “special occasions only.”
A higher-end camera version ($159)
More expensive, but it does let you print from your phone. Progress.
Pros: Better photo quality, and you can store to an SD card.
Cons: The price makes me nervous with two little boys who love pressing every button. Film cost is still the same story.
The highest-end camera option ($349)
At this point I was just exploring the “nice someday” tier. I love the aesthetic and the quality.
Pros: Excellent photo quality; Bluetooth printing.
Cons: Expensive camera plus expensive film. Not kid-proof enough for me right now.
A portable printer ($99)
By now I was leaning printer. The boys already have a cheap dino camera, and I’ve got my iPhone—no need to reinvent the wheel. It was pricier than I wanted (was hoping for ~$50), but it checked the boxes.
Pros: Portable, easy to use with multiple devices, just get photos onto my phone and print.
Cons: Reviews were mixed but mostly positive. Film/sheets still add up.
The version I actually bought ($31)
Then I found this little camera. It hit the sweet spot: let the kids take the photos, and I could still print my own later.
Pros: Cheap rolls of black-and-white thermal paper, kid-friendly design. I wasn’t 100% sure I could print from my phone or PC at first, but after getting it I figured out a simple hack. You can see exactly how to do it in this post.
Cons: It’s cheap, so photo and print quality are low (and B&W only). But that’s fine for my goal: quick, gratitude-triggering souvenirs—not gallery pieces.
Now that I know I can print external photos on this camera, I’m genuinely happy with the purchase. It does exactly what I wanted for these little trip souvenirs.
