Check Out Cool New Kickstarter Project Instaprint
March 3, 2012
Nearly a year ago, I wrote this article about some cool things you can do with Instagram. In the last paragraph, I wrote about a the very fun-sounding Instaprint service. The basic idea is that users at an event can upload photos to Instagram with a specific hashtag, and Instaprint will print out all of these photos on the spot.
In fact, I thought it was such a cool idea that I contacted the Instaprint folks about renting out their services for my son’s Bar Mitzvah party. Unfortunately, they couldn’t do it, as they are based in New York and don’t travel (I’m nearly 1000 miles away).
But now, Instaprint is a Kickstarter project! It may be a little pricey for the average person to buy, but for someone who frequently puts on parties or events, it could be a really special item to have.
You can read all about Instaprint on their website, and watch their video, posted below. If the embedded video doesn’t play properly, click here. The basic idea is kind of a high-tech Polaroid camera. People at the event snap photos with their iPhones and upload them to Instagram, the popular photography-sharing app, with a specific hashtag for the event. They can put whatever captions they like, people can comment, etc. Instaprint will automatically print out each photo, complete with comments, right on the spot! Additionally, a photo gallery will be available online so that party-goers can check out all the photos after the party.
So, how can you obtain one of these? Well, Instaprint is now available for pre-order on Kickstarter. In case you’re not familiar with Kickstarter, it’s a company that allows small businesses to bring their products to the next level: mass production. Regular people like you and I can make a pledge, and if the fundraising goal is met, the item goes into production. If it never happens, the pledge is never collected. Assuming the goal is met, then you get some product, depending on how much you’ve pledged. You can get the whole story here, but just to give you an idea: for a pledge of $5 (plus $3 for international shipping), you’ll get an Instaprint print in the mail as a thank you. There are many levels going up from there, but to get an actual Instaprint, you’ll need to pledge a lot more. For a Home Kit, which includes one Instaprint, one power cable, one power supply, and 20 sheets of inkless paper, you’ll need to pledge $399 (add $25 for international shipping). Instaprints can be daisy chained, so for someone doing large events, there are larger packages you can buy with larger pledges. If you’re interested in making a pledge, go to their Kickstarter page.
So, do you think this sounds like a fun idea? Will you be making a pledge?
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