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Thermal Print Camera VS Film Print Camera

By Kids Electronic Toy Manufacturer Cheertone April 17th, 2024 1937 views
Thermal Print Camera VS Film Print Camera
In recent years, with the advancement of technology and the popularity of outdoor camping activities, instant printing cameras have gradually become the hottest fashion items, such as classic photosensitive printing cameras and emerging thermal printing cameras. 

Among them, kids instant thermal printing cameras are loved by children for their fast imaging and fun, while photosensitive printing cameras are loved by photography enthusiasts for their superior image quality.

This article will use Cheertone kids thermal print camera CT-P14 and Fujifilm instax mini 12 as examples (hereinafter referred to as CT-P14 and Mini 12) to deeply explore the differences between these two instant print cameras with different imaging technologies. 

Help dealers and consumers better understand the advantages and disadvantages of these two products.
cheertone kids instant print camera ct-p14fujifilm instax mini 12 instant print camera
Cheertone CT-P14 Kids thermal print camera with Fujifilm® instax mini 12
1. Differences in imaging technology
The CT-P14 uses thermal printing and imaging, while the Mini 12 uses film processing and printing. Different from the working principle of traditional printers, neither method requires the use of ink cartridges.

How Thermal printing work: A semiconductor heating element is installed on the print head. After the print head is heated and contacts the thermal printing paper, the required pattern can be printed. The image is created by heating, creating a chemical reaction in the film of thermal printing paper. 

Cheertone CT-P14 thermal print imaging effect
This chemical reaction needs to be carried out at a certain temperature. Generally, when the temperature reaches 200°C, it only takes a few microseconds to complete printing. Therefore, thermal printing has higher imaging efficiency.

How film printing works: Unlike thermal printing, the principle of film processing and printing is more complicated. Based primarily on a process of chemical and optical reactions, when we press the shutter button, the lens inside the camera focuses the light and casts it onto the photosensitive material. 

This photosensitive material is actually a kind of photographic paper containing chemicals, which will undergo a chemical reaction under the action of light to generate an image.

In addition, the principle of film processing and printing also involves the principle of thermal printing. After the image is formed on the photosensitive material, the camera uses heat to fix the image to the photographic paper. 

The difference is that the imaging efficiency of film development will be slower, usually developing time ranges from 15 seconds to 30 seconds.

2. Difference in image quality
Images from thermal printing cameras are presented in black and white, while images from film printing cameras are presented in true color. Under the same shooting environment, film developing and printing cameras have built-in automatic exposure and fill light functions, so the image quality they present will be better, while the imaging quality of thermal printing cameras will be slightly worse, and the image noise will be more.
Fujifilm® instax mini 12 with film print paper
But now, in order to cater to market demand, many manufacturers have also added small accessories such as colored pens and stickers to their thermal printing cameras. 

This allows children to freely color the photos they take by DIY. On the other hand, it creates more possibilities for images produced by thermal printing cameras, which is more flexible and interesting than film developing printing cameras!

3. Differences in image retention period
Thermal printing cameras use special thermal printing paper. Take the thermal printing paper equipped with CT-P14 as an example. The length of a roll is about 9 meters and can print about 100 images. The pictures are not waterproof and can be in a normal natural state. It can be stored for about 3 months.

Film printing cameras use special film printing photo paper. One piece of photo paper can only print one photo. The photo paper is usually stored in a box, with 10 photos in a box. Photo paper is waterproof, durable and can be stored for many years without fading or damage.

Therefore, images from a film processing and printing camera will be stored longer than images from a thermal printing camera.

4. Differences in usage costs
Whether it is the product itself or the consumables used, the cost of thermal printing cameras is lower than that of film developing printing cameras. Generally speaking, thermal printers on the market are equipped with varying quantities of thermal printing paper for free, so that consumers do not have to worry about consumables for first use. 

As a professional manufacturer of kids electronic toys for 18 years, Cheertone has equipped CT-P14 with 3 rolls of thermal printing paper and a variety of colored pens and stickers, so that consumers can get the best experience when using this product.

The Fujifilm instax mini 12 is different. Consumers need to purchase film printing paper separately to use the product smoothly. The consumables are very expensive and the quantity of photo paper is very small.

Therefore, in terms of cost of use, thermal printing cameras are more cost-effective.

5. Differences in audience groups and usage purposes
Thermal printing cameras can be used by children aged 5-12 years old or adults. They can be used for printing kids wrong questions, recording daily life, etc. It does not require superb shooting skills or professional knowledge and is easy to use.

The audience of film printing cameras can be children or adults, but it is more suitable for teenagers over 16 years old and people with professional photography needs. Due to cost reasons, the shutter of this kind of camera is very expensive every time it is pressed, so it can only be used for daily life recording, professional shooting and other purposes. Requires certain photography knowledge and shooting skills.

Therefore, if you are planning to join the market competition of kids printing cameras, the CT-P14 kids thermal printing camera will be your best choice.

6. Product features and highlights
The CT-P14 kids thermal printing camera has an exclusive design by Cheertone and is unique in the market. In addition, the CT-P14 can be freely combined and replaced with lenses of different zoom factors, breaking through space limitations and allowing photography and printing to be used as one or separately. 

In terms of practicality, CT-P14 also has built-in puzzle games, learning cards, stories, music, one-click album creation and other functions to exercise kids thinking ability, hand-eye coordination, and cultivate kids interest in photography.

The appearance of the Mini 12 film printing camera is similar to other types of kids thermal printing cameras on the market, and they are all designed with an integrated structure, which may be inconvenient to use. In terms of practicality, it only focuses on the camera function, which is relatively simple.

In conclusion
Comparison of kids print camera with film print camera
Comparison of kids print camera with film print camera
In summary, we compared thermal printing cameras and film printing cameras from six aspects: imaging technology, image quality, image storage period, cost of use, applicable groups and product highlights. Both have their own highlights and shortcomings, but at the same time, they both shine in their respective fields and are popular around the world.

As a professional manufacturer of kids electronic toys, Cheertone has rich experience in product design, R&D and production. CT-P14 is the latest Bluetooth instant printing camera for children launched by Cheertone in 2024. 

When developing this product, we went through huge data research and analysis, and then continued to upgrade and improve it to meet the potential needs of consumers and help Consumers solve the current pain points encountered by similar products.

If you are interested in the kids instant printing camera business, you are welcome to contact us immediately and enjoy the market dividends brought by the exclusive design.
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