iDPRT ZP200 review

The iDPRT ZP200 is a pocket-sized printer that uses Zink paper. It is one of the many instant printers on sale right now, going toe-toe with brands like Instax, Polaroid and Kodak.

But how does the iDPRT ZP200 hold up in day-to-day use? I’ve tested the printer to see how the quality of the photos and user experience compares to other rivals in this space.

Design and build

• Lightweight and slim
• Easy to reload
• USB-C charging

The best thing about the ZP200 is its pocket-sized design. It is much lighter and slimmer than rivals like the Instax Mini Link and the Polaroid Hi-Print, making it suitable for porting around. It does not come with a stand, so you either must lay it flat or prop it up manually if you are leaving it around the house.

Whilst the white, glossy finish is refined, it is a bit uninspiring. Other portable printers we have tested have a bit more finesse and other colour options. However, the plastic build means that it should hold up against a few knocks and bumps.

The ZP200 has a USB-C charging slot and takes around one and half hours to charge, and the charging cable comes included. Next to that is the power button for turning it on and off.

To load a paper cartridge, you simply need to press in the front panel and slide it up. This then clicks back into place easily. On the bottom is a light which indicates the battery level, when the printer is pairing and when it is printing.

Features and photo quality

• Buggy app
• Limited editing options
• Zink paper not as impressive as rivals

The iDPRT ZP200 uses the HeyPhoto app for printing, which is available on iOS and Android. When you turn it on, you can pair your phone vai Bluetooth from within the app. I had to give this a few goes to get it to pair correctly.

Once you have selected your photo, it takes around 45 seconds to print it. As the printer uses Zink paper, there is no development time – the photo is ready straight away. However, you can only load five prints at a time.

At a size of 2 x 3in, these are on the smaller side – so good for keeping in a wallet. They come with an adhesive back, so you can stick them on your desk, or in a scrapbook.

The quality of the photos is decent. Details from the original image still shine, and the colours are reasonably bright. However, the textures look a little fuzzy, and Zink paper just doesn’t have the same glossiness and smoothness as what you will find on Instax and Polaroid prints.

The home interface allows you to print photos from your phone’s album and take stills from videos on your camera roll. There is also a ‘jigsaw’ feature which acts as a collage, so you can add multiple photos to different layouts, as well as an ID photo section for printing photos for your passport or driving licence.

The experience within the app is far from seamless. I constantly had a ‘HeyPhoto is running’ notification on my phone that I could not swipe away, even after minimising the app and taking on other tasks. I had to forcefully stop it to unclog my notifications.

The functions in the app are only shown with icons, with no elaboration on what they do. The text is also on the small side, with a lot of wasted space. Therefore, this is not the most accessible app to use, especially for those who are not savvy with technology.

The app allows you to edit images before printing. Here you can add filters to images and crop photos. These features are nowhere near as comprehensive as what you will find on Instax and Polaroid, which also feature stickers, text overlays and even QR codes – things that will appeal to younger users.

Value for money

The iDPRT ZP200 is currently available from Amazon in the US, and it is not available in the UK at the time of writing.

It retails for $109.99, though in the past the price of it has been knocked down to around half of that – so keep an eye out during any flash sales such as Amazon Prime Day or Black Friday.

At full price, the ZP200 is just not as competitive as others on the market. The Polaroid Hi-Print undercuts the cost of this printer – offering a much more seamless experience and producing higher quality prints overall due to its dye-sublimation printing process.

That said, the cost of Zink paper is much cheaper than rivals. You can grab a pack of 30 for $14.64 from Walmart, which works out to around 48 cents per sheet. To compare, Fujifilm’s Instax prints cost around 95 cents per sheet.

Zink paper is not technically real film, hence why it retails cheaper. This means that the running costs of the iDPRT ZP200 are more economical than some other printers we have reviewed.

You can see how other products stack up in our list of the best portable printers. We also have a similar chart for the best instant cameras overall.

Verdict

The iDPRT ZP200 has a slim and portable design, and the prints it produces are sufficient for those who just want a basic photo printer and are not too fussed about any extras. It also has lower running costs than products from Instax and Polaroid.

However, for the price that this product is, competitors offer better quality images and a much slicker app experience.