Polaroid cameras are easy and fun to use. There can be occasional errors like photo paper jams or the camera not printing photos.
One of the common problems for Polaroid cameras is flashing red lights. For most models, the blinking red light is a low battery indicator.
Read on to find out what it means when popular Polaroid cameras start blinking red and what you can do to fix the issue.
Why Is My Polaroid Flashing Red?
Your Polaroid camera might be flashing red due to a low battery, issues with the film, or a camera malfunction. First, check the battery charge and replace or recharge it if necessary to address this problem. Next, ensure the film is loaded correctly, and there is no visible damage to the camera.
Red Light on Polaroid Cameras: Reasons and Solutions
Here we look at popular Polaroid cameras and what it means when the red LED light starts to blink.
Polaroid 300 Flashing Red
The Polaroid 300 is the same camera as the Instax Mini 7s, just with Polaroid branding.
While it may slightly differ from the Instax Mini 9 design, the cameras perform the same. Thus, when the Polaroid 300 starts blinking red, it means the same thing when most Instax cameras stop working: low battery.
The Polaroid 300, like the Instax Mini 9, uses two AA batteries suitable for 100 shots.
Thus, replacing old batteries should do the trick when the red lights blink on the brightness adjustment dial, or only the red lamp lights up. (as it would on an Instax Mini 9 and 7s).
Another reason could be that the film cartridge needs to be found or fixed.
Do not try to force the paper out of the film ejection slot in such a case. Instead, reset the camera by removing the batteries while the lens is released and placing them back in.
Why Is My Polaroid Now Blinking Red?
When the Polaroid Now blinks a red light, it will likely neither reject the black film cover nor the print. The blinking light indicates that the camera needs a charge.
Putting the Polaroid Now on charge using the Micro USB slot lets you know how much battery you have in the unit. If it turns red, it means that the battery is low.
Polaroid Now+ has the same meaning (low battery) when it flashes a red light on the battery LED light indicator.
However, with the Now+, you can confirm how much power you have remaining in percentage to see if that is the root cause for the camera malfunctioning.
When you hold down the +Button, the film counter displays numbers corresponding to different battery levels, where 1 means no battery, 2 indicates 20% battery, etc.
If the Polaroid camera flashes red, reset the unit by opening the film cartridge door and holding the power button for over eight seconds.
Polaroid SNAP
The Polaroid SNAP has a few statuses LED light indicators, one for the battery, paper, and MicroSD card. These indicators blink red when there is low power or an error. The paper status LED glows red when all the prints have been used.
However, in case of any Polaroid ZINK paper or printing-related issues (a jammed film pack, the wrong film used, or a new film pack inserted prematurely), all the lights blink simultaneously. Rectify the paper-related error to fix the issue.
The memory card LED glows red when less than 1 GB of space remains.
However, the indicator will start blinking red if the camera cannot read the card or has no memory left. Make sure the card is inserted right. If so, the LED will glow white.
The battery LED glows red when there is less than a 10% charge, and the camera switches off when the battery drops to 2%.
Don’t worry if the LED blinks red while you charge the camera. It will stop once the device is fully charged.
Why Is My Polaroid ZIP Printer Blinking Red?
A Polaroid ZIP printer may flash red due to a paper shortage or a print jam, a low battery, an unsupported image, an open back cover, a canceled print, or a failed update. These issues are signaled by the status indicator and are typically easily fixable.
The Polaroid ZIP is a pocketable wireless printer that will remind any Instax user of the Mini Link Instax printer. Since, like the Instax mini printer, it connects with your smartphone via a Polaroid app to print images.
Even though it only has two LED indicators (for charging and status) and a print button, the Polaroid ZIP printer can flash red to inform of different errors.
The charging indicator only glows red when the device is being charged. However, the status indicator blinks red to inform of the following issues, which are easily fixable:
- No paper or print jam
- Low battery
- Unsupported image
- Back cover open
- Canceled print
- Update failure
Polaroid Blinking Red FAQs
Here is more information regarding troubleshooting Polaroid when it is blinking red.
How to troubleshoot Polaroid 300 when only the red lamp is blinking?
The blinking red lamp on your Polaroid 300 usually indicates a battery issue. To troubleshoot, ensure the batteries are properly inserted, replace them if old or depleted, and clean the battery terminals if necessary.
If the issue persists, consider seeking professional assistance or contacting Polaroid customer service.
How do I know my Polaroid Go is charging?
When charging the Polaroid Go using a Micro USB cable, the battery level indicator shows that the device charges via different colors.
After connecting the charger, if the indicator is red, the battery is low and charging; the orange light shows the charge is up to 50%; the green light indicates the battery charge is almost complete, whereas the no light means the charge is 100%.
Why Does My Polaroid Have a Red Light?
A red light on your Polaroid camera typically indicates an issue with its operation. This could be due to low battery power, incorrect battery placement, or a camera function issue.
The exact meaning of the red light can vary depending on the specific model of your Polaroid camera.
Why Is My Polaroid Flashing Orange?
A flashing orange light on a Polaroid camera indicates that the flash is charging. If it keeps flashing continuously, there could be a problem with the camera’s flash charging circuitry.
If you have just taken a picture and the light is flashing, waiting a few moments should allow the flash to charge and the light to become steady again.
Blinking Red Light Polaroid: My Verdict
For most Polaroid cameras, a blinking red light is a low battery indicator while the device is on charge.
However, some models, like the Polaroid SNAP, can indicate various memory card and paper-related errors. Luckily, troubleshooting most such errors is easy.
In case of product damage, you need to contact Polaroid support for further assistance.