Why is my Polaroid camera blinking red?

Polaroid cameras are easy and fun to use. There can be occasional errors like photo paper jam or 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.

Polaroid Instant Cameras Flashing Red Light: Reasons and Solutions

Here we look at popular Polaroid cameras and what it means when the red LED light starts to blink.

Polaroid 300

The Polaroid 300 is the same camera like the Instax Mini 7s, just with Polaroid branding.

While it may slightly differ from the Instax Mini 9 in design, you will find 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, which are 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 is misplaced or stuck.

Do not try to force the paper out of the film ejection slot in such a case. Instead, reset the camera by taking the batteries out while the lens is released and then placing them back in.

Polaroid Now and Now+

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.

Read next: Polaroid Now vs Instax Mini 11

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 means 20% battery, etc.

If the camera still flashes red, reset the unit by opening the film cartridge door and holding the power button for more than eight seconds.

Polaroid SNAP

Polaroid SNAP has a few status LED light indicators, one for the battery, paper, 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 up.

However, in case of any Polaroid ZINK paper or printing-related issues (a jammed film pack, 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, if the camera cannot read the card or has no memory left, the indicator will start blinking red. 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 remaining, and the camera switches off when the battery drops down to 2%.

Don’t worry if the LED blinks red as you put the camera on charge. It will stop once the device is fully charged.

Polaroid ZIP Printer Blinking Red – Possible Reason

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 printer can flash red to inform of different types of 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

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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?

Like most Instax mini cameras, change the batteries when the red lamp blinks on the Polaroid 300. Push the camera back in the body to turn it off and change the batteries. If not, contact Polaroid support. 

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 is charging 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%.

Can you use the Instax Mini Film with Polaroid 300?

Yes, you can use the Instax Mini instant film with Polaroid 300 since the camera replicates the Instax Mini 7s with the same features and specifications.

The Polaroid PIC 300 also has a compatible instant film, but it’s much more complicated to find than the readily available Instax film and much more expensive. The picture quality is pretty much the same. Thus the Instax film alternative gives you more bang for your buck.

The Bottom Line

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.

Emma Johnson

I have loved photography from a young age and more recently started experimenting with Instant Cameras from Polaroid and Instax. I also love dancing and hanging out with my friends :)

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