Portable phone printer announced

People will be able to print photos from their camera phones using a tiny pocket sized portable printer develop by Zink Imaging, a US company.

The company announced at CES that it has joined up with Polaroid to bring the tiny printers to market.

Using thermal-printing technology rather than ink to provide the prints, the concept is similar to that used by the old Polaroid instant-film cameras.

Paper made from an advanced composite material is embedded with yellow, magenta and cyan dye crystals that activate when heat is applied. Once the phone or digital camera is connected via Bluetooth or USB port, the printers can churn out a 5x7.5cm picture in about a minute.

Backing on the paper can be peeled off so the photos can be used as stickers. The eight-ounce printers, a bit bigger than a deck of cards, are due to go on sale in the US by the summer costing around $150 (£75); the paper is expected to cost around 20p a sheet if bought in bulk.

The printer also comes with a rechargeable battery, which Polaroid claims will be good for around 15 prints, and mains adaptor.

Zink has also announced that it will join forces with Tomy Co to sell the device in Japan, although price and date for a launch there are not yet available. It is not known if or when the printers will be available in Europe.