The return of the square print didn’t come from a camera this time. Polaroid’s new Hi-Print 3×3 is a small, portable square photo printer that connects over Bluetooth, pulls images from a smartphone and turns them into 3-inch square prints. The prints come out smudge-proof and built to last, thanks to dye-sublimation — a method that fuses dye directly into the paper using heat. It’s the first Hi-Print model to use Polaroid’s classic square format, and it comes with a feature you won’t find on most portable printers: the printer itself turns into a display frame for a favorite print.
The Hi-Print line has had 2×3 and 4×6 models for a while, but the 3×3 fills a gap that’s been hiding in plain sight. Polaroid built its whole brand around the square photo, and until now, the Hi-Print series didn’t reflect that. The new model fixes that with edge-to-edge printing on a square format — no white border this time. Instead, you get a clean, borderless 3-inch print with a peel-and-stick back, ready to go on a journal page, a laptop lid, or a wall.
How the Hi-Print 3×3 Works
The printer connects to the free Polaroid Hi-Print app, available on both iOS and Android. Users pair the printer over Bluetooth, pick a photo from their phone, and customize it with templates, stickers, memes, and text before printing. Dye-sublimation handles the output, so the results are smudge-proof and tougher than what you’d get from a regular inkjet or ZINK-based portable printer.
The process works by layering cyan, magenta, and yellow dye onto the paper in separate passes, then adding a clear protective coat on top. This creates smooth color that handles skin tones and subtle shifts better than the dot patterns used by inkjets. For a printer this small, the quality is impressive.
Each print uses the Polaroid Hi-Print 3×3 Paper Cartridge, priced at $24.99 for 30 sheets. That comes out to about $0.83 per print. The printer comes with enough supplies for 10 prints in the box, so there’s no extra purchase needed to get started.
The Frame Trick
The built-in frame is the feature that sets the 3×3 apart from its siblings and most rivals in this category. A slot on the printer holds one square print, turning it into a small desk display when it’s not printing. It’s a simple physical feature, not electronic, but it works well: the printer gets to sit on a shelf or nightstand instead of being stuffed in a drawer between uses. Swap the photo whenever the mood changes, and the printer stays useful even when it’s not actively printing.
Polaroid’s Chief Product Officer Stine Bauer Dahlberg said the design came from the idea that most meaningful photos never leave a phone screen. “We wanted to give them more life, make it so you can hold and display them, really live with them,” Dahlberg said. “The Hi-Print 3×3 was built around exactly that. It’s a completely new design for us, a printer that’s also a display frame.”
Size, Battery, and Portability
The printer measures 4 x 5.2 x 1.2 inches (103 x 131 x 30 mm) and weighs 13.8 ounces (390 g). That’s small enough for a bag or large jacket pocket, though it’s clearly bigger than the wallet-sized Hi-Print 2×3. A rechargeable lithium-ion battery keeps it wireless for use at parties, events, or wherever the moment calls for it.
The Polaroid printer won’t vanish into a back pocket the way the 2×3 does, but the trade-off is a bigger print and the built-in frame, which makes the extra size worth it. The rechargeable battery means no disposable cells to deal with on a trip. Inside the box, Polaroid includes the printer itself along with a paper cartridge good for 10 prints, so there’s nothing extra to buy on day one. For anyone who wants more paper from the start, the $134.99 Starter Set adds an extra cartridge to the package.
The Analog Angle
Polaroid isn’t just selling a printer — it’s riding a wave of analog nostalgia. According to a Censuswide study the company cites, two out of three 18-to-34-year-olds across the US and UK say they’ve picked up analog products specifically to spend less time on screens. Whether that number holds up or not, it matches what many brands in photography, audio, and stationery have been pushing over the past year. The common thread across these brands is a want for something physical — something that lives outside a screen and can be held, shared, or pinned to a wall.
The Hi-Print 3×3 fits right into that trend. It takes something purely digital — a phone photo — and gives it a physical form that can be held, customized, shared, or stuck to something. For journal keepers, scrapbook fans, and people who still pin things to corkboards, that’s a real selling point.
Pricing and Availability
Price: From $134.99
Where to Buy: Polaroid
The Polaroid Hi-Print 3×3 is available now at $119.99 from Polaroid.com and select retailers including B&H Photo. A Starter Set that bundles extra paper with the printer sells for $134.99. Extra 3×3 paper cartridges cost $24.99 for 30 sheets. The 3×3 joins the existing Hi-Print 2×3 and Hi-Print 4×6 in Polaroid’s portable printer lineup.
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(as of April 14, 2026 02:18 GMT -05:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
