Film and paper price index
All 14 formats this site tracks, with the pack price we read, where we read it, and what that works out to per picture.
The cheapest format on this page is Canon SELPHY 4 x 6 (KP-108IN) at $0.39 a picture. The most expensive is Polaroid SX-70 at $2.75 — about 7.1 times more for one photograph. Every price was read at the linked retailer on October 13, 2026.
What this page is
A reference table, not an argument. Every cost figure quoted anywhere on this site is computed from the prices below, so this is where to come if you want to check our arithmetic rather than take it on trust.
If you want the argument — which format to actually choose, and why the cheapest per shot is not always the right answer — read the instant film cost comparison or the cheapest instant film. For how these numbers are produced and what we refuse to publish, see how we pick.
Two things this table is not. It is not a list of the cheapest prices available — it is one consistent reference price per format, read at one retailer on one date, so the formats compare fairly against each other. And it is not live: prices move, and the buy links on our product pages open the current listing so you can see today’s figure for yourself.
Instant film (7 formats)
Film a camera exposes and develops in your hand. Sorted cheapest per shot first.
| Format | Print size | Pack | Pack price | Cost per shot | Checked at |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| instax mini | 2.4 x 1.8 in (62 x 46 mm) | 20 | $16.99 | $0.85 | Pro Photo Supply |
| instax WIDE | 3.9 x 2.4 in (99 x 62 mm) | 20 | $21.99 | $1.10 | Pro Photo Supply |
| instax SQUARE | 2.4 x 2.4 in (62 x 62 mm image on 86 x 72 mm film) | 20 | $22.99 | $1.15 | Pro Photo Supply |
| Polaroid Go | 2.6 x 2.1 in (66.6 x 53.9 mm) | 16 | $21.99 | $1.37 | Polaroid |
| Polaroid i-Type | 4.2 x 3.5 in (107 x 88 mm) | 8 | $18.99 | $2.37 | Polaroid |
| Polaroid 600 | 4.2 x 3.5 in (107 x 88 mm) | 8 | $20.99 | $2.62 | Polaroid |
| Polaroid SX-70 | 4.2 x 3.5 in (107 x 88 mm) | 8 | $21.99 | $2.75 | Polaroid |
Printer paper and cartridges (7 formats)
Media a phone printer consumes. This is the cheaper half of the category, and it surprises people: the cheapest print on this site costs less than a fifth of the dearest instant frame.
| Format | Print size | Pack | Pack price | Cost per shot | Checked at |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canon SELPHY 4 x 6 (KP-108IN) | 4 x 6 in | 108 | $41.99 | $0.39 | Pro Photo Supply |
| Kodak 4PASS 4 x 6 | 4 x 6 in | 80 | $31.99 | $0.40 | Kodak Photo Printer store |
| Kodak 4PASS 2.1 x 3.4 | 2.1 x 3.4 in | 60 | $24.99 | $0.42 | Kodak Photo Printer store |
| Kodak 4PASS 3 x 3 | 3 x 3 in | 60 | $24.99 | $0.42 | Kodak Photo Printer store |
| ZINK 2 x 3 | 2 x 3 in | 20 | $11.99 | $0.60 | ProCam |
| Canon SELPHY Square (XS-20L) | 2.7 x 2.7 in | 20 | $16.00 | $0.80 | ProCam |
| Polaroid Hi-Print 2 x 3 | 2 x 3 in | 20 | $16.99 | $0.85 | Polaroid |
Multipacks, where they exist
Buying more at once is the one reliable way to cut the per-shot figure without changing format. These are the multipack options we verified, with what they do to the number.
| Format | Option | Shots | Price | Per shot | Checked at |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Polaroid i-Type | Single pack | 8 | $18.99 | $2.37 | Polaroid |
| Polaroid i-Type | Triple pack (3 packs) | 24 | $52.99 | $2.21 | Polaroid |
| Polaroid i-Type | Five pack (5 packs) | 40 | $84.99 | $2.12 | Polaroid |
Prices read October 13, 2026. Formats with no row here are ones where we could not verify a multipack price at a named retailer, so none is published rather than estimated.
Which camera or printer takes which format
The reason the table above matters: you do not choose a film, you choose a camera, and the camera chooses the film for you for as long as you own it.
Canon SELPHY 4 x 6 (KP-108IN)
4 x 6 in · 108 per pack · $0.39 a shot
The cheapest real photo print on this site. A 108-print set costs less than three packs of Polaroid i-Type film and gives you thirteen times the pictures.
Used by
Kodak 4PASS 4 x 6
4 x 6 in · 80 per pack · $0.40 a shot
A full postcard-size print for about the price of a greeting card's worth of instant film.
Used by
- Kodak Dock Plus Retro
Kodak 4PASS 2.1 x 3.4
2.1 x 3.4 in · 60 per pack · $0.42 a shot
Dye-sublimation with a laminate pass, so the print is dry, smudge-proof and not sticky. Cheapest-per-print small format we verified.
Used by
- Kodak Mini 2 Retro
- Kodak Mini Shot 2 Retro
Kodak 4PASS 3 x 3
3 x 3 in · 60 per pack · $0.42 a shot
A square print at a fraction of square instant film's cost.
Used by
- Kodak Mini 3 Retro
- Kodak Mini Shot 3 Retro
ZINK 2 x 3
2 x 3 in · 20 per pack · $0.60 a shot
No ink at all — the color is in the paper and heat develops it. Cheap, instant, dry, and the most sticker-friendly option. The trade-off is color accuracy.
Used by
Canon SELPHY Square (XS-20L)
2.7 x 2.7 in · 20 per pack · $0.80 a shot
Dye-sublimation square prints with a protective overcoat, peel-and-stick backing.
Used by
instax mini
2.4 x 1.8 in (62 x 46 mm) · 20 per pack · $0.85 a shot
The cheapest mainstream instant film, and the one sold in the most places — drugstores and supermarkets stock it, which matters when a gift recipient runs out.
Used by
Polaroid Hi-Print 2 x 3
2 x 3 in · 20 per pack · $0.85 a shot
Dye-sublimation, so better color than ZINK, at a higher cost per print.
Used by
instax WIDE
3.9 x 2.4 in (99 x 62 mm) · 20 per pack · $1.10 a shot
Twice the width of a mini print — the format that actually fits a group of people in frame.
Used by
instax SQUARE
2.4 x 2.4 in (62 x 62 mm image on 86 x 72 mm film) · 20 per pack · $1.15 a shot
The square frame people picture when they think 'Polaroid', at a third of Polaroid's film cost.
Used by
Polaroid Go
2.6 x 2.1 in (66.6 x 53.9 mm) · 16 per pack · $1.37 a shot
Polaroid's cheapest film per shot, because the print is tiny — smaller than a credit card.
Used by
Polaroid i-Type
4.2 x 3.5 in (107 x 88 mm) · 8 per pack · $2.37 a shot
The big square print everyone recognizes, and by a wide margin the most expensive film on this site. Eight shots a pack is the number that catches gift buyers out.
Used by
- Polaroid Now Generation 3
- Polaroid Flip
Polaroid 600
4.2 x 3.5 in (107 x 88 mm) · 8 per pack · $2.62 a shot
For vintage Polaroid 600-series cameras. Buy this only if the camera is an old one.
Used by
Polaroid SX-70
4.2 x 3.5 in (107 x 88 mm) · 8 per pack · $2.75 a shot
ASA 160 rather than 640, so it needs much more light. The most expensive film per shot on this site, and only for SX-70 and I-2 cameras.
Used by
Questions people ask
How is cost per shot worked out?
Pack price divided by the number of exposures in the pack, rounded to the cent. No shipping, no sales tax, and no multipack discount unless the row says so. It is the simplest honest version of the number, and it is the one a gift buyer can check against a listing in ten seconds.
Why not just show today's price?
Because we have no price feed on this build that would keep it honest, and a stale number dressed up as a live one is worse than no number. Every figure here is a price we read ourselves at the linked retailer, with the date it was read printed next to it. The buy links on our product pages open the current listing so you always see today's figure too.
Are these the cheapest prices available?
No, and they are not meant to be. They are a consistent reference price per format, read at one retailer on one date, so the formats can be compared with each other fairly. Multipacks beat them, and sales beat them further - the multipack column shows how much.
Why is the pack size so different between formats?
It is the detail that catches gift buyers out more than any other. Instant film packs range from 8 exposures to 20, and printer paper comes in packs of 20 to over 100. Two packs sitting side by side at a similar price can hold two and a half times the number of pictures.