Prynt smartphone case prints your photos, Polaroid-style

Smartphone photographers have expended a considerable amount of effort in the quest to transform crisp digital images into gauzy, washed-out, retro-looking photos. It seems a lot of us would love to crawl back in time to an era when instant Polaroid photos were the height of cool. If Instagram filters aren't enough for you anymore, check out the Prynt camera case on Kickstarter.

Prynt essentially turns your smartphone into a Polaroid-style instant camera so you can print out pictures and hold them in your hand, rather than show them off on the screen. Put the case on your phone, take a photo using the Prynt app and then collect the photograph from the top. You can also print out your social-media selfies, Instagram images and photos from other sources.

The Prynt app has an interesting augmented-reality trick up its sleeve. It captures a short video each time it takes a photo. Hold your phone over a photo you just printed out and it will roll the video, bringing the image to life. It's an entertaining extra that elevates the concept a little beyond being just an instant-print camera. The case itself is pretty chunky, so it's probably something you'll whip out for special occasions rather than keep on your phone all the time. It's compatible with the iPhone 5, iPhone 6,Galaxy S4 and Galaxy S5.

One of the knocks against instant cameras of the past is the cost of consumables. The case can hold 10 sheets of paper at a time. The Kickstarter price for more paper is $25 for 50 sheets. If you're a photo-printing fiend, that could add up to pretty big photo bill, but it's no crazier than what people have paid for Polaroid materials in the past. There seems to be plenty of demand for the Prynt case. The Kickstarter handily topped its $50,000 funding goal in under an hour and is already up over $155,000 with 34 days to run. The early-bird pledge levels sold out fast, so regular backers are looking at a $99 (about £65, AU$125) pledge price for a Prynt case with 10 sheets of paper. The project's popularity just goes to show that people still want something to hold, even in our Digital Age.