I picked up this Kids Camera Instant Print which is a “toy” camera for kids that has a built-in thermal printer and spits out photos on what is commonly known as “receipt paper” and it’s a ton of lofi fun.
The one I got was less than $40 USD but you can find them for less than $20 as well. (Just make sure it’s one that does thermal printing!)
I had seen a blog post from Joe Van Cleave titled Thermal Printing Fun! and then learned other nerds were getting these little cameras and having fun with them. (Note: Joe seems to be into typewriters and cameras so this puts him into the interesting person category for me!)
Here’s a fun Mastodon thread on these cameras and you can also see the #ShittyCameraChallenge hashtag for more.
There are a ton of these from different manufacturers and they’re all a little different and somewhat the same. Thermal paper is pretty cheap so the cost per print can be pennies.
This seems like the perfect camera to take to events and shoot photos of people and then give them a print. I know, you’re saying “But Pete, the photos look like shit!” and I would counter that they don’t look “like shit” but have a unique lofi look to them that has a certain charm.
This thing reminds me of the Game Boy Camera. When I got the Game Boy Camera working (and eventually the Game Boy Camera Dumper) I liked the style and quality of the images, but doing the transfer from the Game Boy to a computer was still a chore.
Anyway, the Game Boy Camera is still neat, but this Kids Camera Instant Print thing is more of an all-in-one unit. It’s a bit bulky but hey, it’s got a built-in printer.
One of the interesting things about the prints (since they are on thermal paper) is that they won’t last… at least not in their native form. You can’t laminate them as the heat will destroy them by turning it all black. You can “cold” laminate them with clear packing tape, or you can scan them to a digital file, or take a photo of them, make a copy, or just… let them fade, much like life itself does. They are ephemeral and maybe that’s okay.
Who knows? Caturday may be a lot more interesting(?!?) in the future…