Kantan netprint is fast for one thing and one thing only: dropping a PDF or a photo on a 7-Eleven multi-copy machine within the next 24 hours. Miss the 23:59 next-day cutoff and the file is gone. Reach for a FamilyMart or a Lawson while travelling and the reservation number is useless. That two-store gap is what pushes most users to look for Kantan netprint alternatives, whether they need FamilyMart printing, longer print windows, or a home-printer setup that skips the store entirely.
We tested seven Kantan netprint alternatives that either widen the store list, extend the file expiry, or bypass convenience stores altogether. Every app on this list has been verified running on current Android builds.
Quick comparison
| App | Best for | Free plan | Starting price | Stores it prints at |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| netprint | Longer print windows at 7-Eleven | Yes, free upload | Free | 7-Eleven Japan |
| Network Print | FamilyMart and Lawson convenience printing | Yes, free upload | Pay per print at the kiosk | FamilyMart, Lawson, Poplar, Ministop |
| PrintSmash | Wi-Fi direct print at FamilyMart and Lawson | Yes, free app | Pay per print at the kiosk | FamilyMart, Lawson |
| Canon PRINT | Home printing on a Canon PIXMA or SELPHY | Yes, free | Free with the printer | Home printer |
| Epson iPrint | Home printing on an Epson EcoTank or WorkForce | Yes, free | Free with the printer | Home printer |
| Brother iPrint&Scan | Home printing on a Brother laser or ink | Yes, free | Free with the printer | Home printer |
| PrintHand Mobile Print | Any Wi-Fi, USB, or Bluetooth printer | Yes, watermarked | About $10 one-time premium unlock | Home printer |
Why people leave Kantan netprint
Files vanish after one day. The reservation number expires at 23:59 the day after upload. Users on Reddit and forums say the recurring pain is checking in at the store the following night and finding the file already dead. The paid sibling stretches this to 30 days, which is why most heavy users cross-shop.
Only 7-Eleven works. The app is bolted to Seven-Eleven Japan’s multi-copy machines. Poster boards on a FamilyMart or Lawson counter run on a different network entirely, and the Kantan netprint QR code will not scan there.
Print settings are minimal. Kantan netprint takes what you send. No booklet imposition, no duplex control past a checkbox, and no way to preview page ranges before paying at the kiosk. That is fine for a single résumé and painful for a 40-page report.
One-QR-code cap of 10 reservations. Users with a stack of documents keep splitting the batch and re-generating codes. The paid netprint and the Sharp Network Print flow both handle bigger queues cleanly.
The best Kantan netprint alternatives
netprint, best for longer print windows at 7-Eleven
netprint is the paid sibling from the same publisher. It stretches the file expiry to 30 days, allows reservation-number sharing so a colleague can pick up the print, and adds a proper document preview. Same 7-Eleven machines, same output quality. The trade-off is the sign-up: Kantan skips membership, netprint requires it.
netprint vs Kantan netprint is the standard swap for anyone who prints at 7-Eleven more than once a month, or who needs someone else to fetch the print.
Where it falls short: Membership registration is a five-minute detour. The app still only prints at 7-Eleven, so the store gap remains.
Pricing:
- Free: Registration is free, file upload is free
- Paid: You pay at the kiosk (per Fujifilm’s price list), same rate as Kantan
- vs Kantan netprint: Same per-print fee, longer file life
Migrating from Kantan netprint: Install netprint, sign in with an email, and re-upload the files. The kiosk workflow is identical.
Bottom line: Pick netprint if you already print at 7-Eleven and just want more time and more control.
Network Print, best for FamilyMart and Lawson convenience printing
Network Print is Sharp’s answer for everyone who is nowhere near a 7-Eleven. Upload from the app, get a reservation number, then walk into a FamilyMart, Lawson, Poplar Group, or Ministop and enter it into the multi-copy machine. The store footprint alone is why this is the top swap for many Kantan users.
Network Print vs Kantan netprint on convenience: FamilyMart and Lawson vastly outnumber 7-Eleven in some prefectures, so the reservation number is more likely to be near a machine when you need it.
Where it falls short: Photo output quality on Sharp multi-copy machines is a touch flatter than on Fujifilm equivalents at 7-Eleven. The reservation window is 8 days, longer than Kantan but shorter than paid netprint.
Pricing:
- Free: App and file upload are free
- Paid: Per-print fee at the kiosk, comparable to 7-Eleven rates
- vs Kantan netprint: Same or slightly cheaper for B/W, comparable for colour
Migrating from Kantan netprint: Install Network Print, upload your PDFs and JPEGs, save the 8-digit user number, then use it plus the file’s reservation number at any FamilyMart or Lawson kiosk.
Bottom line: The single best Kantan netprint alternative for anyone who does not live next to a 7-Eleven.
PrintSmash, best for Wi-Fi direct print at FamilyMart and Lawson
PrintSmash is a different flavour of Sharp’s convenience-store printing. Instead of uploading a file to a server and walking into a store hours later, PrintSmash makes you connect your phone to the kiosk over Wi-Fi and send the file directly on the spot. That is faster for a five-minute stop, and the file never leaves the store’s network.
PrintSmash vs Kantan netprint suits someone already inside a FamilyMart who wants to print now without pre-uploading.
Where it falls short: The Wi-Fi handshake occasionally drops on older Android builds. It only works standing in front of a Sharp multi-copy machine, which limits the app to that one moment.
Pricing:
- Free: App is free
- Paid: Kiosk per-print fee, same rate as Network Print
- vs Kantan netprint: Same fee, no server upload, immediate use
Migrating from Kantan netprint: Install PrintSmash, walk into a FamilyMart or Lawson with a Sharp multi-copy machine, follow the kiosk prompts to join its Wi-Fi, then push files from your phone.
Download: title=“Google Play” target=“_blank” rel=“noopener noreferrer”>
Bottom line: Great backup for last-minute prints inside a FamilyMart, less useful for planned jobs.
Canon PRINT, best for home printing on a Canon PIXMA or SELPHY
Canon PRINT turns any recent Canon PIXMA inkjet or SELPHY dye-sub photo printer into a phone-first print station. Photo print on a SELPHY at 4x6 rivals what a 7-Eleven kiosk produces at a fraction of the cost after ink amortises. Document print on a PIXMA covers the résumé, ticket, and postcard use cases that push people to Kantan netprint in the first place.
Canon PRINT vs Kantan netprint changes the whole equation: a 30-minute walk becomes a 30-second print at your desk.
Where it falls short: Needs a Canon printer at home or in the office. Some SELPHY models require an SD card slot workaround for the newest Wi-Fi standard.
Pricing:
- Free: App is free
- Paid: You already paid for the printer; ink and paper are ongoing
- vs Kantan netprint: Break-even after roughly 50-100 photo prints depending on model
Migrating from Kantan netprint: Install Canon PRINT, wake the printer on the same Wi-Fi, and print. Consider a SELPHY for anyone who leans on Kantan for photo prints.
Bottom line: The strongest home-print alternative if you print photos and PDFs weekly.
Epson iPrint, best for home printing on an Epson EcoTank or WorkForce
Epson iPrint is the equivalent app for Epson owners. The EcoTank line’s refillable tanks make it the cheapest per-page inkjet in Japan for anyone who prints in decent volume. Document quality is solid, photo quality is a step behind SELPHY but ahead of most convenience-store prints.
Epson iPrint vs Kantan netprint tilts hard toward Epson once you factor in Kantan’s per-page kiosk fee against EcoTank’s cent-per-page running cost.
Where it falls short: Photo prints on non-EcoTank models look decent, not great. Colour management on the app is minimal.
Pricing:
- Free: App is free
- Paid: Printer purchase, ink refills
- vs Kantan netprint: Break-even quickly with an EcoTank, slower with cartridge models
Migrating from Kantan netprint: Install Epson iPrint, pair with the printer on the same Wi-Fi, and print PDFs or JPEGs directly.
Bottom line: The lowest per-page cost path if you print more than a hundred pages a month.
Brother iPrint&Scan, best for home printing on a Brother laser or ink
Brother iPrint&Scan covers the office-in-the-house angle. Brother’s monochrome laser range is the go-to for households with weekly report or contract runs, and the scan side of the app handles the receipt-and-record chores that Kantan cannot touch.
Brother iPrint&Scan vs Kantan netprint on B/W volume: laser toner cost per page beats convenience-store rates fast, and duplex printing is a real setting rather than a kiosk checkbox.
Where it falls short: Photo output is not the strong suit. The app UI is dated compared to Canon and Epson.
Pricing:
- Free: App is free
- Paid: Brother printer purchase, toner refills
- vs Kantan netprint: Cheaper per B/W page after a few reams
Migrating from Kantan netprint: Install Brother iPrint&Scan, discover the printer over Wi-Fi Direct or on the same network, and send PDFs or photos.
Bottom line: Best B/W-heavy home alternative for people who scan as much as they print.
PrintHand Mobile Print, best for any Wi-Fi, USB, or Bluetooth printer
PrintHand Mobile Print is the universal fallback. It supports thousands of printer models across Wi-Fi, USB OTG, and Bluetooth, which is useful when you inherit an older office printer or want a single app for a mix of brands. Handles PDFs, photos, web pages, and Google Drive documents.
PrintHand Mobile Print vs Kantan netprint is a whole-different-workflow swap: no store visit at all, print from wherever your printer lives.
Where it falls short: The free version watermarks the output. Some driver installs on older Android builds ask for a companion PC utility that is more friction than the average user expects.
Pricing:
- Free: With watermark on every page
- Premium: About $10 one-time to remove the watermark and unlock advanced modes
- vs Kantan netprint: Cheaper long-term if you print more than a couple of pages a month at home
Migrating from Kantan netprint: Install PrintHand, pair with your printer over Wi-Fi, USB, or Bluetooth, then print files directly from the app or via the Android share sheet.
Bottom line: The right pick if the printer at home is old, mixed-brand, or connected by USB.
How to choose
Pick Network Print if you rarely see a 7-Eleven and lean on FamilyMart or Lawson instead. It is the closest thing to a drop-in Kantan replacement for the convenience-store use case.
Pick netprint if the 24-hour file expiry is your only real complaint. The paid sibling gives 30 days and the same 7-Eleven kiosks.
Pick PrintSmash as the last-minute rescue when you are already inside a FamilyMart with a phone full of PDFs. The Wi-Fi direct flow skips the upload step.
Pick Canon PRINT, Epson iPrint, or Brother iPrint&Scan if you print more than a few times a month and can justify a home printer. Canon and Epson lead on photos, Brother leads on high-volume documents.
Pick PrintHand Mobile Print if you already own a printer and just need something that talks to it from your phone, especially for older or mixed-brand hardware.
Stay on Kantan netprint if you print at 7-Eleven a few times a year and prefer no membership. The 24-hour window is fine when the print job is already overdue tonight.
FAQ
Is there a version of Kantan netprint that works at FamilyMart?
Kantan netprint itself only prints at 7-Eleven. For FamilyMart, Lawson, Poplar, and Ministop, use Sharp’s Network Print. It offers the same reservation-number workflow and an 8-day file window.
Why does Kantan netprint expire files after one day?
Fujifilm Business Innovation caps the free tier at 23:59 the day after upload so that heavy users move to the paid netprint app, which stretches the window to 30 days and allows reservation sharing.
Can I print at a convenience store without any app?
Some stores accept USB drives and SD cards at the kiosk directly, but the mobile flow is faster and cheaper on data. Network Print, PrintSmash, and Kantan netprint all handle the phone side for free.
What is the cheapest Kantan netprint alternative?
For occasional prints, Network Print costs the same per page and covers more stores, so it is the cheapest step up. For heavy volume, Epson iPrint on an EcoTank printer is the lowest per-page cost in Japan.
Can I print A3 with these apps?
Yes, netprint and Kantan netprint both support A3 at 7-Eleven kiosks. Sharp Network Print supports A3 at FamilyMart and Lawson kiosks. Home apps depend on the printer’s supported paper size.
Does the reservation number work at multiple stores?
The reservation number is tied to a single kiosk network. A netprint or Kantan netprint number only works at 7-Eleven. A Network Print number only works at FamilyMart, Lawson, Poplar, or Ministop.
