The Fujifilm instax mini Link 3 is a compact, instant-film printer. It replaces the Fujifilm instax mini Link 2 and produces 2.4" x 1.8" photos. You can purchase color or monochrome film; while the color film is available with borders in a variety of colors and patterns, the monochrome film is only available with a white border. This model only prints photos and is designed to work exclusively with a smartphone via Bluetooth. It works with the Fujifilm instax mini mobile app, which lets you print and access additional functionality, like the ability to create collages, add effects like bubbles and glitter, or insert a QR code with an embedded video into your photos.
Our Verdict
The Fujifilm mini Link 3 is bad for family use, as it's a portable instant-film printer that can only print photos. It prints pictures that look decently vibrant, but it doesn't have a scanner and can only connect to compatible devices via Bluetooth. On the bright side, the Fujifilm instax mini mobile app is more feature-rich than the Polaroid or Canon's app offerings.
Expresses photos quickly.
Extremely compact and easy to carry around.
Prints decent-looking photos.
Feature-rich companion app.
Requires virtually no maintenance.
High recurring costs.
No scanner.
Can't print documents.
Minimal connectivity options.
Resolves small details poorly.
Narrow color gamut.
The Fujifilm mini Link 3 isn't designed for office use as it's an instant-film portable printer that can only print photos.
High recurring costs.
No scanner.
Can't print documents.
Minimal connectivity options.
The Fujifilm mini Link 3 doesn't print documents, so it doesn't quite fit this use case. That said, it will be ready to print a picture whenever you need it to, as long as it's charged and you have paper. It requires virtually no maintenance.
Requires virtually no maintenance.
Can't print documents.
Minimal connectivity options.
The Fujifilm mini Link 3 is a niche instant-film photo printer. It produces decently vibrant photos with a retro aesthetic and has similar levels of detail to other instant photo printers. However, its prints lack detail compared to those of portable inkjet printers, and its cost per print is high. The Fujifilm instax mini mobile app offers a wider suite of options compared to other competitors, like Polaroid or Canon.
Expresses photos quickly.
Extremely compact and easy to carry around.
Prints decent-looking photos.
High recurring costs.
Only one printing size.
Resolves small details poorly.
Narrow color gamut.
The Fujifilm mini Link 3 utilizes instant film, where each sheet contains the necessary chemicals for developing the image. Since each print is an individual film sheet rather than being tied to an ink supply, it doesn't have a conventional page yield.
The Fujifilm mini Link 3 expresses film quickly, but, like other instant film printers and cameras, you'll need to wait a bit for all the colors to fully form.
Expresses photos quickly.
Can't print documents.
The Fujifilm mini Link 3 doesn't print documents.
Can't print documents.
The Fujifilm mini Link 3 is a print-only unit.
No scanner.
Performance Usages
Changelog
-
Updated Dec 16, 2025:
We've updated text throughout the review after converting to Test Bench 1.3.
- Updated Dec 16, 2025: We've updated the review to Test Bench 1.3, which adds a number of test boxes including Risk of Clogging and Ease of Unclogging. We also updated the Usage and Performance boxes at the top of the review to better integrate the new aspects covered. See the changelog.
- Updated Feb 28, 2025: Review published.
- Updated Feb 25, 2025: Early access published.
Check Price
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the Fujifilm instax mini Link 3 in Clay White. It's also available in Rose Pink and Sage Green. There are no other variants.
Here's our unit's label.
Popular Printer Comparisons
The Fujifilm mini Link 3 performs well overall for an instant-film photo printer. It's a notable improvement over its older sibling, the Fujifilm instax mini Link 2, as it produces more vibrant-looking prints and has better color accuracy, bringing it closer to the photo quality of other compact photo printers like the Polaroid Hi-Print Generation 2. However, it lags behind the Fujifilm instax Link WIDE, as its photos aren't nearly as detailed. On the bright side, the Fujifilm instax mini mobile app offers more features than most competitors, like Canon or Polaroid. Like most instant-film printers, this printer incurs high recurring costs if you print a lot, as its film is expensive.
For other options, see our recommendations for the best portable printers, the best photo printers, and the best small printers.
While the Fujifilm instax mini Link 3 and the Polaroid Hi-Print Generation 2 are both portable photo printers, they produce very different photos. The Fujifilm produces slightly smaller prints that lean heavily into a retro aesthetic with soft edges, while the Polaroid produces prints that preserve significantly more fine details. Neither printer is particularly color-accurate, and both incur high recurring costs; therefore, the choice comes down to personal preference. Depending on your tastes, Fujifilm offers a wide variety of colors and patterns for its film, allowing you to personalize your prints.
The Fujifilm instax mini Link 3 and the Fujifilm instax Link WIDE are both instant-film printers. Get the WIDE if you want the best photo quality. It has a significantly wider color gamut using its Rich photo mode, producing detailed, vivid, and overall pleasant-looking photos. By contrast, if you're a fan of small prints, the Link 3 is the better choice as it produces 2.4" x 1.8" photos. Each printer has an app that allows you to edit and customize your photos, among other functions.
The Canon SELPHY QX20 and the Fujifilm instax mini Link 3 are both portable photo printers; however, the former uses dye-sublimation, requiring a dye cartridge and photo paper, while the latter uses instant film. The Canon is a better choice if you want the best print quality: it produces more colorful and detailed pictures. The Fujifilm camera's built-in battery lasts longer, allowing you to print significantly more photos on a full charge, but it also takes much longer to charge to full.
The Fujifilm instax mini Link 3 is a better instant-film printer than its older sibling, the Fujifilm instax mini Link 2. There are a few minor design changes, but the core functionality remains the same across the models. The biggest difference is that the new model produces better-looking photos, which appear more vibrant, have greater detail, and exhibit improved color accuracy. One potential drawback is that the Link 3 no longer connects to Fujifilm X series cameras; instead, you need to upload your photos to an app on your smartphone to print them. Beyond this, both devices use the same film and thus incur the same cost per print.
Test Results
This printer feels well-built. Despite being entirely plastic, the body feels sturdy, and the door for the film compartment feels solid with a secure lock switch. The buttons also provide nice tactile feedback. It's easy to access the film compartment and load new film packs, but be sure to only open the compartment when your current film pack is empty; light exposure ruins the film, and there's no external warning about this. One nice upgrade over the previous-generation Fujifilm instax mini Link 2 is the USB-C charging port instead of a Micro-USB port.
The biggest weakness of this printer is the ejection slot located at the top of the device. It lacks a protective covering, allowing dust and debris to enter. Thankfully, there's an internal flap to guard against light exposure.
While this printer doesn't have a display screen, three LED lights in the printer's body illuminate to display different printer states. The lights flash blue during firmware updates, magenta when a photo is being reprinted, cyan as data transfers to the printer, and yellow if an error occurs during film ejection. If the lights are yellow and static, this indicates that the battery is low or that it cannot charge. The LEDs glow green while using the instaxAiR function, which lets you use the printer as a pointer to add different effects to photos in the companion app.
You can also check the battery status by pressing the Function button, located on the bottom half of the power button. Three white lights indicate a high battery level, two indicate a medium battery charge, and one indicates a low battery level.
You can purchase color or monochrome film. The monochrome film is only available with a white border, but the color film is available in a wide variety of colors and patterns. See Fujifilm's website for the different options.
Each film pack contains 10 sheets. You can purchase packages with multiple film packs included, ranging from 10 to 50 sheets, depending on your chosen options.
The Fujifilm mini Link 3 requires little maintenance. The film pack is easy to load, although it's best to wait until the printer is empty to load a new pack; exposing the film to light ruins the film. There's a reset button in a small hole next to the USB charging port in case the printer malfunctions.
See the full manual on Fujifilm's website.
This isn't an inkjet printer. As such, it poses no risk of clogging.
- User Documentation
- USB-C to USB-A charging cable
Note: The printer doesn't come with any film.
The printer's advertised charging time is 90 to 120 minutes, but this may vary depending on the ambient temperature, the charger adapter used, and the remaining battery level.
The cost per print is high because the film is expensive. The graph represents the cost for a pack of 20 sheets. Purchasing larger packs of film will likely reduce the recurring costs.
This printer produces photos very quickly; however, it doesn't print documents and lacks the capability for double-sided printing.
This printer can't print documents.
This is a print-only unit.
This printer has a poor color gamut. Fujifilm advertises the printer as having an RGB gradation of 256 colors. While it can reproduce markedly more vivid and saturated colors than its older sibling, the Fujifilm instax mini Link 2, photos still lack fine detail, like the parrot's white face and red feathers.
The color accuracy is decent. While some greens, blues, and grays are noticeably inaccurate, most colors look fairly natural and close to the originals. It's an improvement over the previous model, the Fujifilm instax mini Link 2.
It performs poorly with small details. The image appears soft, with blurred edges, and due to the printer's narrow color range, many details in lighter areas aren't visible.
This printer is only compatible with Fujifilm instax mini film that produces 2.4" x 1.8" (62 mm x 46 mm) photos.
This printer only connects via Bluetooth. Unlike the Fujifilm instax mini Link 2, this printer no longer connects directly to Fujifilm X series cameras. Instead, you have to use the FUJIFILM Camera Remote app to access your photos and then use the instax mini Link app to print them. The USB-C port is for charging only.
This printer is compatible with the FUJIFILM instax mini Link app. You can use the app to access basic information about the printer, like the remaining film count and the current battery level, and to print photos or frames from videos.
There are also several additional features, like using the printer as a remote shutter and zoom control for your smartphone camera. The Collage Print function combines multiple images in an old-school photo booth style, while the Match Print function lets you combine photos with others. You can also edit photos by adding decorative borders or using the instaxAiR function to add effects like bubbles, glitter, glowing lines, petals, or spray by using the printer as a pointer if you hold the Function button (located under the power button) or with your finger on the screen. Finally, you can embed a video into the image; the printer will create a QR code that shows the footage when scanned.