- Paper is BPA free, got it from here https://www.amazon.de/dp/B0932QVYBQ
- Photos do have a lifetime, although no idea how long, the ones I have for a while seem to do better than the average store receipt
- It's not really _poor man's_ polaroid, but as someone else mentioned, price difference is not that big, while a single photo is a LOT cheaper
And there's a permalink for english language, in case OP or someone else can update it - https://boxart.lt/en/blog/poor_mans_polaroid
For those as paranoid as myself:
Common BPA substitutes, often used in "BPA-free" products, include Bisphenol S (BPS), Bisphenol F (BPF), Bisphenol AF (BPAF), and Bisphenol Z (BPZ). While marketed as safer alternatives, these analogs often share similar endocrine-disrupting properties and structural similarities to BPA, raising concerns about "regrettable substitution".
I don’t let my kids come in contact with anything “BPA Free” and we avoid plastics as much as possible.
https://observablehq.com/@jobleonard/variable-coefficient-di...
> As part of the EU’s REACH Regulation Annex XVII, a restriction banning Bisphenol A (BPA) content in thermal paper above 0.02% by weight came into effect on January 2, 2020. This prohibition was implemented due to health concerns associated with BPA exposure
bpa free thermal paper is pretty easy to source from anywhere now because of this.
If the law calls out BPA exclusively and not a more general description, it’s just a false sense of safety.
https://www.koehlerpaper.com/en/products/Thermal-paper/TH_Bl...
It supposedly works by using a layer of reflective bubbles that collapses when exposed to heat:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pc1mlCThevg&t=20s
Of course, I don't know how those bubbles are made or how they are made to collapse from heat, so for all I know that layer still uses chemicals that currently slip through regulations. But I can also imagine that it is doable to create such a "functional layer" with safe materials.
[1]: https://thermalprintcameras.wordpress.com/blue4est-paper/
https://www.epa.gov/greenchemistry/green-chemistry-challenge...
Contrast was not great but I guess the price was the reason for the change.
Lots of examples here: https://thermalprintcameras.wordpress.com
Of course one can still want to hack something like this yourself for fun or other reasons.
Note to website owner - it could be nice to have a permalink to the English version.
But this is definitely NOT for a poor man. Poor people buy a $20 camera on Amazon.
A time-rich person can afford this camera.
Note it's just a 3D printable stand for tiny printer labels (16mm wide). It was a literal 5 minute project but I liked the retro and restrictive aesthetic enough to share..
Such printer as shown is an absolute bargain at £15
> As part of the EU’s REACH Regulation Annex XVII, a restriction banning Bisphenol A (BPA) content in thermal paper above 0.02% by weight came into effect on January 2, 2020. This prohibition was implemented due to health concerns associated with BPA exposure
so unless you're buying old rolls, or from non reputable sources, it shouldn't be an issue in the EU at least.
(2) There are the BPA concerns other people talk about but thermal prints don't age well at all. I made some prints of Pokemon characters about 5 years ago like this one
https://safebooru.org/index.php?page=post&s=view&id=1821741
and these are barely legible now. (Pokemon sample art is designed on the assumption that their art is going to be viewed on horrible screens, I'm going to argue that Lusamine respects Ansel Adams' "Zone Theory" really well which makes it work great as a thermal print)
* ... without thinking of costs involved. $2 per polaroid with half of them not even developing properly is a bit too high for spontaneous photography urges.
It absolutely blows my mind how cheap tech is these days.
A bit surprising that so many people in the comments would rather see links to cheap temu polaroid knockoffs.
[1]: https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=false&qu...
