How to set up filters and frames for your Polaroid Mint Camera & Printer

Blue Polaroid Mint Camera and Printer on wooden table with five prints of Christine Chan (Image credit: Christine Romero-Chan / iMore)

If you're looking for the best digital camera, then the Polaroid Mint Camera & Printer isn't that. But with the Polaroid Mint, you're getting an instant camera that is super portable, so it's easy to take with you everywhere you go. And once you snap those photos, you can instantly print them out in different color modes and even add a nice frame to the pic! But how do you do all that? We show you how right here.

Products used in this guide

Say "cheese!": Polaroid Mint Camera & Printer ($52 at Amazon)
Print those pics!: Polaroid 2x3" Premium ZINK Zero Ink Paper 50-Pack ($24 at Amazon)
Digital memories: SanDisk Ultra 128GB microSDXC Card ($20 at Amazon)

How to shoot in different color modes with Polaroid Mint Camera & Printer

Turn the Polaroid Mint Camera on by holding down the Power button for a few seconds. Once the power lights come on, you're good to go.
By default, the Polaroid Mint Camera is set to shoot in Color each time it comes on. Hold down the Mode button to cycle through Color, B&W, and Sepia. A light goes on above the one that is currently selected. You'll also hear an audible beep each time it changes.

How to shoot in different color modes on Polaroid Mint by showing steps: Hold down the power button for a few seconds, then hold down Mode to cycle through Color, B&W, and Sepia (Image credit: Christine Romero-Chan / iMore)

Point the camera at your subject and push down on the shutter button. Your photo will be captured in the filter mode you've selected.

How to add a frame to your Polaroid Mint Camera printed photo

Make sure the Polaroid Mint Camera is turned on. If it isn't, just hold down the Power button for a few moments until the lights come on.
Double check your camera and ensure that there is ZINK paper loaded inside. If there's no paper, your photos won't print. You can optionally save digital copies of your captures on a microSD card, but they can't be printed out on ZINK paper at a later time.

How to add a classic Polaroid frame to your printed photo on Polaroid Mint by showing steps: Hold down the power button until the camera turns on, make sure there is paper loaded in the camera, then hold down the Frame button until it beeps and the light is on — How to add a classic Polaroid frame to your printed photo on Polaroid Mint by showing steps: Hold down the power button until the camera turns on, make sure there is paper loaded in the camera, then h (Image credit: Christine Romero-Chan / iMore)

Hold down the Frame button until it beeps and the light is on. Now your prints will come out with a frame, and the bottom is thicker to leave room for captions or dates, just like old Polaroid photos.

Shooting in color, black and white, or sepia and adding a frame to your printed photos with the Polaroid Mint Instant Camera is super easy. Now that you know how to do it with your Polaroid Mint, it's time to get out there and shoot some photos!

Our top equipment picks

In order to get out there and start shooting instant photos like the good old days, you'll need the following equipment.

Our pick

Polaroid Mint Camera & Printer

Point, shoot, print

The Polaroid Mint Camera & Printer is a compact and fun instant camera. It's vertically oriented to feel like a smartphone, and it has a selfie mirror in the front. The camera also shoots in color, B&W, or sepia, and you can add a Polaroid frame, as well as use a 10-second timer. Photos get printed on 2 by 3-inch ZINK sticky-backed paper.

With the Polaroid Mint Camera & Printer, you'll be able to shoot plenty of selfies and other subjects while printing them out instantly. The ability to shoot in three color modes is nice and adds variety to your shots, while the classic Polaroid frame makes scrapbooking even more fun with the sticky-backed ZINK paper.

Print your photos instantly

Polaroid 2x3' Premium ZINK Photo Paper 50-Pack

Print and stick

Polaroid ZINK paper uses no ink or toner, so you don't have to worry about that. ZINK paper is heat activated with color crystals embedded in the paper itself, providing vibrant color when your photos are printed. It comes in a variety of sizes, but the Mint Camera requires this size specifically.

The ZINK paper is nice because it doesn't need ink or toner, so you just buy the paper sheets and nothing else. Photos get printed by having heat activate the color crystals, providing you with rich and vibrant color. This ZINK paper also features a sticky-back, so you can peel the adhesive off and slap your captures directly in your photo albums or scrapbooks.

Additional Equipment

As a precaution, you should have digital copies of the photos you take with the Polaroid Mint Camera & Printer. Be warned that you can't reprint these digital photos on ZINK paper, though.

SanDisk Ultra 128GB microSDXC Card ($22 at Amazon)

SanDisk Ultra is a dependable microSDXC card that works with the Polaroid Mint Camera & Printer (up to 256GB capacity). Once inserted, the Mint Camera saves a digital copy of any photo taken.

Christine Romero-Chan was formerly a Senior Editor for iMore. She has been writing about technology, specifically Apple, for over a decade at a variety of websites. She is currently part of the Digital Trends team, and has been using Apple’s smartphone since the original iPhone back in 2007. While her main speciality is the iPhone, she also covers Apple Watch, iPad, and Mac when needed.

When she isn’t writing about Apple, Christine can often be found at Disneyland in Anaheim, California, as she is a passholder and obsessed with all things Disney, especially Star Wars. Christine also enjoys coffee, food, photography, mechanical keyboards, and spending as much time with her new daughter as possible.