TheGame Boy Printer, known as thePocket Printer[a] in Japan, is athermal printer accessory released byNintendo. It allows users to print special images from over 100 compatibleGame Boy andGame Boy Color games onto thermal paper, which can then be applied asstickers. The accessory was designed primarily for use with theGame Boy Camera, which it released alongside in 1998.
The Game Boy Printer was originally designed byHirokazu Tanaka for use with theGame Boy Camera.[4] It connects to the Game Boy through the system's EXT port, similar to theGame Link Cable. As different Game Boy models feature differently-sized ports, the printer is packaged with a "UniversalGame Link Cable" that features multiple connector types.[5] The device is compatible with all Game Boy models except theGame Boy Micro, which uses a different port type and cannot play Game Boy and Game Boy Color games.[6]
The printer requires sixAA batteries for power.[6] It uses a proprietary 38mm widethermal paper with adhesive backing, though printed images are only 22mm in width.[2] The printer is only capable of printing monochrome images; to compensate, Nintendo sold paper rolls in multiple colors.[1] New paper rolls were sold at a price of¥500 in Japan andUS$9.95 in the United States, and could print an estimated 100 images each.[2][3] Once printed, the adhesive backing allowed the images to be applied as stickers.[7]
In Japan, aPokémon-themed version of the printer was released in September 1998 alongsidePokémon Yellow.[8]
The Game Boy Printer was primarily intended to act as a companion to theGame Boy Camera, allowing players to print their photographs.[7] However, multiple other games released between 1998 and 2001 featured support for the Game Boy Printer, allowing players to print their high scores or special unlockable images.[7] The first game to be designed with printer compatibility wasPokémon Yellow, which allowed players to print out any Pokémon's Pokédex entry;[9] this feature would be carried forward to laterPokémon series entries on the system.[6]
The following is a list of 110 games that support the Game Boy Printer, only 35 of which were released outside of Japan.
Some games intended to feature Game Boy Printer support, such asPokémon Picross andHello Kitty Pocket Camera, were never released.[51][52] During development ofPokémon Snap (1999),Satoru Iwata experimented with transferring photos to the Game Boy Camera using theTransfer Pak so that they could be printed using the Game Boy Printer; however, the development team found the printer's output quality to be insufficient, and the feature was abandoned in favor of printing stickers through specialized stations at specific retailers.[53]
Due to the discontinuation of its proprietary printer paper and the impermanence of thermal printing, the Game Boy Printer does not see significant use in the modern day.[1][54] As a result, hobbyists have developed alternate homebrew methods to transfer printer images from the Game Boy to more modern devices.[55]
Somehomebrew games developed since the system's discontinuation have featured Game Boy Printer support.[56] The instax mini Link, a printer released byFujifilm in 2021 which allows images to be printed from aNintendo Switch, has also drawn comparisons to the Game Boy Printer by the gaming press.[57][58]
^abcRandazzo, Kris (May–June 2021). "Peripheral Vision: Game Boy Printer".Nintendo Force. No. 52. p. 57.
^abcd"ポケットカメラ及びポケットプリンタの概要" [Overview of Pocket Cameras and Pocket Printers].Nintendo (in Japanese).Archived from the original on March 25, 2023. RetrievedOctober 21, 2025.
^abcKitts, Martin (September 2000). Ball, Andrea (ed.).The Game Boy Companion. Future Publishing. p. 42.
^"ポケットプリンタで「ずかん」や 「ボックス」をプリントしてみよう" [Print out "picture books" and "boxes" with a Pocket Printer].The 64Dream (in Japanese). No. 26. Mainichi Communications. November 1998. p. 121.
^"GB時代の「ポケモン図鑑」隠し要素が海外掲示板で話題。『ピカチュウ』版の図鑑完成時にもらえる賞状を、外部機器「ポケットプリンタ」で印刷した時のみ確認できる特別なもの。「知らなかった」「学位より価値がある」" [A hidden feature in the "Pokémon Encyclopedia" from the GB era has become a hot topic on overseas message boards. The certificate you receive when you complete the Pokédex in the "Pikachu" version is a special item that can only be seen when printed with an external device called the "Pocket Printer." "I didn't know this," "It's more valuable than a degree."].Den-fami Nico Gamer (in Japanese). May 9, 2025.Archived from the original on October 9, 2025. RetrievedNovember 3, 2025.
