The Liene Amber M100 is an instant photo printer that uses dye sublimation and heat to produce images. Instead of using heat-sensitive ZINK sheets like some inkless printers do, this model uses a cartridge with dye transfer films for cyan, magenta, and yellow. The colors are transferred to a photo sheet when heat is applied. It's a lot bulkier than other instant photo printers, but it has a dedicated input tray that can hold up to 20 photo sheets. Unlike the others, this one doesn't have a battery, so you can't use it on the go when there's no power outlet around. There is a variant with a battery if that was your intention, though.
Our Verdict
The Liene Amber M100 is bad for family use because it isn't for printing anything other than small photos. If you already have a traditional printer but just want a compact one to print fun pictures, this model does the job. It prints amazingly detailed photos, and while some colors aren't perfectly accurate, your images will still look very nice.
- Amazing photo printing quality.
- Reasonably accurate colors.
- No black ink.
- Can print on 3.9" x 7.05" proprietary photo sheets only.
The Liene Amber M100 is terrible for small or home offices, but that's because it isn't for this use. It's an instant photo printer that's intended for printing photos only.
- No black ink.
- Can print on 3.9" x 7.05" proprietary photo sheets only.
The Liene Amber M100 is terrible for students who need to print essays and assignments. However, if you're just looking for a compact, instant photo printer to print your memories with, this is a great choice.
- No black ink.
- Can print on 3.9" x 7.05" proprietary photo sheets only.
The Liene Amber M100 is terrible for black and white printing, but that's because it isn't for this use. It's an instant photo printer that's intended for printing photos only.
- No black ink.
- Can print on 3.9" x 7.05" proprietary photo sheets only.
The Liene Amber M100 is a reasonable choice for photo printing. It can only print on its proprietary 3.9" x 7.05" photo paper. Photos look amazing, with really nice detail and no graininess or banding. It doesn't handle gradients perfectly, but you'll still be satisfied with your pictures of the sky. Some colors, like teal and green, are a bit off from what you see on your screen, but the inaccuracy won't ruin your pictures.
- Amazing photo printing quality.
- Reasonably accurate colors.
- Can print on 3.9" x 7.05" proprietary photo sheets only.
Performance Usages
Changelog
- Updated Jun 18, 2024: Added mention of the HP DeskJet 2855e as an alternative for document printing in the Black & White Documents section.
- Updated Mar 16, 2023: We've changed the printer type to Photo Only in the Build Quality section because this printer can only print photos. This change doesn't affect the score.
- Updated Aug 30, 2022: Added mention of the Fujifilm instax mini Link 2 as a more compact alternative for portable use.
- Updated Aug 29, 2022: Converted to Test Bench 1.2.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the Liene Amber M100 in white, but it's also available in pink. Our model came with a cartridge and 20 photo sheets, but you could also get it bundled with three cartridges and 100 sheets or two cartridges and 60 sheets. There's also a similar model called the Liene Amber M200 that's identical but has a battery instead, letting you print similar-quality photos while on the go or if you're away from an outlet. You can see our unit's label here.
Popular Printer Comparisons
The Liene Amber M100 is an instant photo printer that uses dye transfer films and heat to produce its images. It prints 3.9" x 5.9" photos that look amazing and have lots of detail. They look much nicer than the photos of other inkless photo printers we've tested, like the Canon SELPHY QX10 and the Canon IVY Mini Photo Printer. However, the Liene is bulkier and doesn't have a battery, so you can't use it without plugging it into an outlet. There's a variant called the Liene Amber M200 that does have a battery, meaning you should get that one instead if a battery is important to you.
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The Canon SELPHY Square QX10 and the Liene Amber M100 are both dye-sublimation printers that use heat and dye films to produce photos. The Canon is a better choice if you want to print out pictures when on the go. It's more compact, and it comes with a battery, so you don't need to have an outlet around like you do with the Liene. The Canon prints much smaller, Polaroid-style photos, and there's an adhesive backing if you want to stick it into a journal. On the other hand, the Liene prints 4" x 6" photos that look much more clear and detailed.
The Canon PIXMA TR8620 is an all-in-one inkjet printer, while the Liene Amber M100 is a thermal printer that uses dye-sublimation to print photos. The Canon is a better choice if you need a traditional printer to print and scan documents but also want something that prints nice-looking photos. On the other hand, the Liene is better if you just want a compact printer to print photos. Both print detailed and clear images, but the Canon's colors look more accurate.
The Canon PIXMA TR4720/TR4722 is an all-in-one inkjet printer, while the Liene Amber M100 is a thermal printer that uses dye-sublimation to print photos. If you need a traditional printer to print and scan documents that also prints nice photos, the Canon is a better choice. The Liene is better if you want a compact printer to just print 4" x 6" photos.
The Canon IVY Mini Photo Printer and the Liene Amber M100 both use heat to print their images. The Canon uses ZINK paper that contains dye crystals within it, meaning colors show up when the crystals are exposed to different heat intensities. While you don't need to worry about a cartridge, the colors look much darker than they're supposed to. The Canon has a battery, so it's easier to carry around than the Liene, which uses a power cord. On the other hand, the Liene model prints nicer-looking photos with much more accurate colors. It prints larger 4" x 6" photos instead of 2" x 3" photos like the Canon.
Test Results
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