Many factors go into determining the best of anything. For Zink cameras and printers, the factors include: Zink paper was invented by Polaroid and became a separate company, ZINK holdings LLC , in 2005. It is the only company to produce Zink paper, but they license out the technology, allowing other brands like Polaroid, Kodak, Canon, HP, etc to sell it under their name. With each pulse, certain dye crystals melt. Each color requires a different heat intensity and duration to melt it. The temperature-time formula for each color is:

Magenta Crystals = Medium Temperature (150 degrees Celsius or 302 degrees Fahrenheit) and a Medium DurationZink paper’s unique printing process and the construction of the paper itself make it different from other photo papers. Some of the benefits of Zink paper include: Zink is a special photo paper that is colored using crystals and heat; no ink, ribbons, or toner is needed. There is only one manufacturer of Zink paper, but there are several brands that sell the paper under their name along with instant print cameras and printers that are compatible with it. It takes about 30 seconds for the Zink paper to print. In this time, 200 million heat pulses take place. Each pulse only melts the intended color crystal as it aligns with the color captured; this means for a low-temperature long duration pulse, only yellow crystals will melt, and the cyan and magenta crystals stay solid. A Zink paper printing device uses electronically controlled thermal pulses to activate the crystals. There are hundreds of tiny heating elements that create these pulses.

Printing technology has not changed much in the past 30 years. Color printers have become more accessible, and the quality has improved, but overall, the process has stayed the same.Zink paper features a number of heat-sensitive color layers in cyan, magenta, and yellow. A photo is printed using a series of heat pulses of varying lengths and intensities. Each layer also contains colorless crystals of various dyes, which form micro-crystals that convert to their proper colorful form by melting, but which retain their proper color after resolidifying. Zink paper all comes from one company Thankfully, as these crystals melt, they mix with the layers above and below, combining to make other colors. Even with only three starting colors, thousands of colors can appear by combining the right amount of heat to each base color. Each brand is going to recommend using the Zink paper with their brand name or logo on it. This is just to boost their sales. As long as you load the correct size of Zink paper into your device, you can use any brand.

Luke Filipowicz has been a writer at iMore, covering Apple for nearly a decade now. He writes a lot about Apple Watch and iPad but covers the iPhone and Mac as well. He often describes himself as an "Apple user on a budget" and firmly believes that great technology can be affordable if you know where to look. Luke also heads up the iMore Show — a weekly podcast focusing on Apple news, rumors, and products but likes to have some fun along the way. Smudge– Resistant: The layers of colored crystals are safely inside a polymer coating. Once printed, the colors are hardened and set so they don’t change. ZINK offers customizable, fully supported white label programs for OEM products and strategic partnerships. Target new markets, expand product applications, and create repeat business with the power of ZINK inkless printing technology.HP Zink paper is known to be the most affordable out of all the options (works with all Zink compatible products), so if you’re on a strict budget, this is the way to go.

Most, but not all, of the Zink cameras come with an SD card that saves your photos. If you capture an inspiring image, you can always take the SD card to a local drugstore or go online to have it printed on traditional photo paper if you’d like a larger image. Best Zink Paper Options The creators of the first completely new printing technology in nearly 30 years, ZINK continues to perfect the chemistry, electronics, and manufacturing process that make inkless printing possible.There are different components of Zink paper that allows the process to produce beautiful, full-color images. All you need to do is look through the viewfinder, press the shutter button, and the camera or printer will do the rest: Ink-Free (Zero Ink)