Does the Polaroid Mint Camera & Printer automatically print when you take a picture?

So if there's paper loaded in, it'll just print automatically?

That's correct. As long as there is ZINK paper loaded, specifically the 2 by 3-inch size it's compatible with, the Polaroid Mint Camera & Printer prints out every capture automatically.

As you power the camera on, you'll see the LED flash ring light up to tell you that it's ready-to-go. When you press down on the shutter button to capture an image, the light ring starts to blink, letting you know that it was captured and the printing process is starting.

When a photo prints, you'll start to hear the insides of the camera as everything goes into motion to activate the color crystals in the ZINK paper. The printed photo comes out from the bottom of the camera unit (works best in portrait mode like a smartphone), though the overall process will take a few moments. I found it a bit slower than I would like, especially compared to something like the Fujifilm Instax Mini 9.

What happens if I don't have ZINK paper right now?

If your Polaroid Mint does not have ZINK paper loaded in, then new photos you take with the camera won't print. However, you can save digital copies of your photos as long as you have inserted a microSD card (up to 256GB) into the appropriate slot along the side of the camera. Polaroid Mint Camera & Printer has a 16MP sensor, so you'll have crisp, detailed images when you use a computer to read the files on the microSD card.

Unfortunately, even if you have a microSD card inserted, anything that gets saved digitally won't be able to get printed through the Polaroid Mint, because the printer only works for new shots. So if you prefer to have everything printed out when you shoot with the Polaroid Mint, then you should definitely have ZINK paper handy.

What's so good about ZINK paper?

ZINK stands for "Zero Ink" paper. That means there's no ink or toner used, and each sheet has color crystals that get activated during the printing process to create stunning and vibrant prints.

Another great thing about ZINK paper is the fact that each sheet has a sticky back (just peel off the sheet on top of the adhesive), so you can easily display your photos in a scrapbook, album, school project, greeting card, or whatever.

The Polaroid Mint is a great instant camera for those who like to create and capture spontaneous memories.