Editing Game Boy Printer (section)

==Thermal paper ==
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Roll dimensions
!Roll width
!Roll diameter
!Central spindle core diameter
!Unrolled length
|-
|{{cvt|38|mm}}
|{{cvt|29.5-30|mm}}
|{{cvt|12|mm}}
|{{cvt|390-400|cm|ftin}}
|}

Released alongside the Game Boy Printer in 1998, Nintendo-manufactured thermal paper refill rolls were produced in white, cream, blue, yellow, and red variants, all of which had an integrated adhesive backing. 

After powering the printer on, a clip at the rear of the protruding translucent grey refill housing is depressed, allowing this to be lifted away. The thermal paper roll inserted upside-down and unravelled end facing down, with this end being fed into a thin slot. The maroon 'FEED' button is then pressed down, which engages the uptake motor, and pulls the paper through to the exit slot which has an integrated serrated edge, which allows finished prints to be ripped away from the roll. Forcibly pulling the paper opposite to the feed direction causes permanent damage to the gearing within the feed mechanism.

When a picture was printed from the Game Boy Camera, it would print with a {{cvt|5|mm}} margin above and below the picture and print the picture at a {{cvt|23|mm}} height. This would give the total of {{cvt|33|mm}} height per picture. Although on-box advertisements boasted up to 180 pictures per roll, in actuality a typical roll could only print between 118 and 121 pictures.

Sold on the official Nintendo e-Shop (as triple packs of blue, cream and white rolls) until 2007, Game Boy branded official replacement thermal paper is now difficult to source. Even brand-new, sealed, un-opened official rolls degrade relatively quickly once opened (if they were stored correctly and their seal has not failed). Most, however, have suffered degradation whilst in storage due to a chemical reaction between the thermal paper and adhesive backing layer.<ref>{{Citation|last=Flickr|title=game boy printer problems|date=10 June 2006|url=https://www.flickr.com/groups/gameboycamera/discuss/72157594161638731/|access-date=2020-09-17|archive-date=2017-01-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170120223256/https://www.flickr.com/groups/gameboycamera/discuss/72157594161638731/|url-status=live}}</ref> Due to the proprietary nature of the adhesive-backing, replacement thermal paper that is able to be adhered to surfaces once printed upon (including brands such as 'MAXStick') is prohibitively expensive.

Instead, the thermal paper rolls can be successfully substituted with a '''38mm x 4m''' alternative, with or without ('core-less') spindle cores, without repercussions on the printer. Such rolls are also compatible with some hand-held printing calculators, such as the Canon TP-8, Texas Instruments 5000–2008, Sharp 8180, and Casio FX-802. Alternatively, wider rolls (such as '''57mm x 30mm x 12.7mm''') can be cut or trimmed to 38mm, and function without issue.

Please note, however, that due to the inherent limitations of thermal paper, photographs printed on thermal paper will fade over time (this depends heavily on the thermal paper variant used, and could be as short as a few months, or instead a few years) until the paper is virtually blank. Paper in this state can usually be re-used, as long as the length of the strip is long enough to be manually fed into the takeup.

It is unknown whether original Game Boy Printer paper contains the chemicals [[Bisphenol A|Bisphenol-A]] (BPA) or its analog [[Bisphenol S|Bisphenol-S]] (BPS). Previously very widely used in plastics and thermal receipt paper due to their heat resistance and stability, these are currently being phased out of thermal paper coatings due to their in-vivo accrual (via direct dermal absorption) and resultant oestrogen-mimicking and endocrine disruption.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bienkowski |first=Brian |date=2013-01-17 |title=BPA Replacement Also Alters Hormones |url=https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/bpa-replacement-also-alters-hormones/ |access-date=2020-09-17 |website=Scientific American |language=en |archive-date=2021-06-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210618110315/https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/bpa-replacement-also-alters-hormones/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Modern thermal paper roll replacements, or their manufacturers, usually clearly state if they are Bisphenol free [BP-Free].