Different printing technologies for portable photo printers
There are three main types of printing technologies employed by portable photo printers. The Polaroid or film paper printing is when you can see the image developing soon after it’s shot. Zink printing or "zero ink" printing uses a special kind of paper with a matte finish that gives you instant prints. Zink papers are stored inside a plastic cartridge. This isn’t the best quality print, but it’s economical.
For high-quality prints, the preferred choice is the dye-sublimation printing technique. The photo paper passes through four cycles of Cyan(C), Magenta(M), and Yellow(Y) color printing, followed by the last pass that puts a protective layer on the print. This technique is time-consuming, as compared to the other two, but offers high-quality prints.