New Harry Potter Printer Prints Out Moving Images Like In The Films

Warner Bros.

If you’re a Harry Potter nerd like me, you’ll understand the excitement I feel any time a new addition to the magical world gets announced.

Ever since the last instalment of the films was released in 2011 – now I feel old – we’ve been treated to a prequel series, a West End production and numerous updates from J.K. Rowling herself to keep the magic flowing.

And now we’re being given the opportunity to immerse ourselves in the wizarding world even more because a printer has been launched which prints moving images – just like in the films!

The Harry Potter Photo and Video printer is a collaboration between Lifeprint and Warner Bros. and allows users to print out pictures which then come to life using their custom app.

Admittedly, it isn’t quite as magical as it is in Harry Potter because clearly magic is not real (sorry kids), so the whole moving concept only happens once you place the picture in front of your phone on the app.

But still, this is the closest us Muggles have come to actually being able to pretend our pictures have magical qualities, so I’ll take it.

The instant printer allows you to print out your pictures immediately and also offers a range of Harry Potter themed filters and stickers to add to the magic.

So how does it work? According to Lifeprint, the printer enables you to embed moving video inside pictures, hence the illusion that the photo is moving. Once you’ve done that, you can decide either to print them out or share them online.

And you’re not limited to which pictures you can use, as the printer can print videos from Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram etc… It can even print animated GIFs.

The company shared the news on their Twitter, writing:

Attention all Wizards, Witches and Muggles™! Your World is about to become a lot more magical with the new Harry Potter Magic Photo and Video Printer for iPhone & Android. Available for pre-order on http://Amazon.com beginning September 22nd. #harrypotter #fantasticbeasts

They added on their website:

Magical moving photos are finally here! With the Harry Potter Magic Photo and Video Printer and App, you can make your photos come to life like magic in your hands.

The printer is available to pre-order now so if you’ve got any Harry Potter lovers in your life, the it’s the perfect Christmas present, providing it’s released in time.

You might need to save up for a bit though because it’s priced at £149.99, so admittedly it’s probably not going to be your first choice for Secret Santa.

If you did want a cheaper alternative, Royal Mail are releasing limited edition Harry Potter stamps that feature a range of iconic Harry Potter-related images, including the faces of Harry, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, Ginny Weasley and Neville Longbottom.

Obviously, stamps aren’t the most exciting present to give someone you love (or like even slightly) but they do have secret intricate details that can only be discovered by using an ultraviolet light – so it does add to the magic a little bit!

There are 15 limited edition stamps in total, and they will be available from October 16.

Royal Mail

Philip Parker from Royal Mail said:

The Harry Potter movies continue to thrill and delight audiences of all ages.

The goal with our stamps is to capture the excitement of the Wizarding World and the heroism of the students of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Even if you don’t decide to buy either product, I think we can agree that any connection between the Muggle world and magical world is something to be applauded.

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Lucy Connolly

A Broadcast Journalism Masters graduate who went on to achieve an NCTJ level 3 Diploma in Journalism, Lucy has done stints at ITV, BBC Inside Out and Key 103. While working as a journalist for UNILAD, Lucy has reported on breaking news stories while also writing features about mental health, cervical screening awareness, and Little Mix (who she is unapologetically obsessed with).