This smartphone case will print out your snapshots

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The Prynt Case has a built-in photo printer.
The Prynt Case has a built-in photo printer.
Photo: Prynt

The early pioneers of photography, the ones who nearly choked to death inhaling toxic chemicals needed for making prints, would probably faint if they could see there is a smartphone case with a built-in photo printer.

The Prynt Case, a smash hit on Kickstarter earlier this year, is now shipping to the nearly 9,000 people who backed the campaign. For the rest of us, the campaign raised enough money for a huge production run to make it available for order in time for Christmas.

The case is available for iPhones 5, 5s, 6 and 6s as well as for the Galaxy S4 and S5. The case retails on the Prynt website for $129 and includes one 10-sheet pack of paper. An adapter for your specific phone must be purchased for $19 and an additional 50 sheets of paper is $25.

The Prynt Case with an IPhone.
The Prynt Case with an IPhone.
Photo: Prynt

There is a case to be made for making analog photographs (yes, pun intended!). We take millions of photos every day, especially with our smartphones, but historians, archivists and photographers warn we may have nothing to share with future generations because we don’t print out our digital photos. Lose a phone or a hard drive crashes and those fleeting meaningful moments are gone forever.

The Prynt Case uses ZINK technology, an ink-free process that incorporates a specially designed payer layered with color-forming molecules that take shape on your image when the paper is heated. Polaroid is making a comeback, in part because of the technology, with cameras that print photos instantly and a new palm-sized printer recently featured on Cult of Mac.

Don't leave your memories in the digital abyss. The life you record can be printed as you go.
Don’t leave your memories in the digital abyss. The life you record can be printed as you go.
Photo: Prynt

In addition to ZINK printing, the device will allow you take a photo through the Prynt app that will contain six seconds of embedded video in the print. The user can then point their smartphone camera at the print and watch the video will come to life on screen.

“We wanted to bring back that nostalgia from the days when photos were something to be treasured, but in a way that is relevant to the 21st century and digital world,” Prynt co-founder and CEO Clément Perrot said in a written statement. “There’s something magical about being able to hold a physical photograph in your hand, but then relive and pass on that moment as a secret keepsake to someone special.

Prynt Case comes in black or white and must be ordered by Dec. 17 in order to get them shipped by Christmas.

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