There's an astounding level of detail and thoroughness in Mixtela's report on hacking a Polaroid camera to print on thermal paper. It reads almost like a pulp novel.
The results are fab:It was about 7pm when I finally got the whole thing closed up and apparently intact. I didn't have time to test it. I just chucked everything in my bag and headed out.
Although everything should have been dandy, I hadn't actually done one of the most crucial bits, that is, tie everything together with bash scripts. So, coolest kid on the block, I arrived at the New Year's Eve party with a serial cable and a laptop in order to finish programming my camera.
Lucky I'd stuck that serial port on the outside, eh?
The thermal printer used in the instructions is sold as the Edal Portable for $48. There are some even cheaper models but they're bulkier. The Sonar Autofocus 5000 Polaroid camera is always knocking around on eBay for a few dollars.