Hewlett-Packard Company introduced the HP PhotoSmart PC photography system, the first PC photography system designed for home users.
The new PhotoSmart PC photography system, which includes a photo printer, photo scanner, digital camera and photographic papers, allows home consumers to take original digital photos or scan in existing photos, slides or negatives and then edit or reproduce those photos at home. The system offers a new level of flexibility and creativity, enabling users to make professional-looking prints, reprints and enlargements of photos that can be incorporated into personalized greeting cards, calendars and postcards.
"We expect PC photography to change the way people take, enhance and develop their family photos," said Antonio Perez, HP vice president and general manager of the Inkjet Products Group. "The new PhotoSmart PC photography system enables families to create and share their pictures on personalized cards, invitations or even calendars. Even antique photos can be reproduced, without the risk of loss or damage."
All three PhotoSmart PC photography products come with Picture It!, Microsoft Corp.'s new image-manipulation software. Picture It! enables home users to edit and enhance photos easily in a variety of creative ways, including cropping out unwanted elements, removing "red eye," adding borders and clip art or merging several photos together for a collage or other project.
The first product to be available is the PhotoSmart digital camera, which shipped today to retailers in the United States. The PhotoSmart photo printer and photo scanner are expected to be available to U.S. users this summer. The system is expected to be available in other parts of the world later this year.
PC Photography Market Poised for Growth
"I predict that this market will be as hot or hotter than the Internet this year," said Alexis Gerard, executive editor/publisher of the Burlingame, Calif.-based "The Future Image Report." "We have reached the point where the average home computer has enough performance to process images interactively. As users discover how much more value they can get out of photos by using a PC photography system, their excitement will drive the next expansion of the technology industry."
The potential size of the market is staggering, in light of the following statistics cited by the Photo Marketing Association: Amateur and professional photographers take 2,000 pictures every minute of every day all around the world, yet fewer than 2 percent of these pictures are enhanced or enlarged. In the United States alone, more than 710 million rolls of film were developed in 1995 -- the equivalent of 2.5 billion pictures.
"HP's position as the leader in the computer printer and scanner markets makes us uniquely qualified to develop this new PC photography system," said Perez. "HP first included photo-quality features in its products last year, when we introduced the HP Pavilion multimedia PC with a built-in photo scanner and with our DeskJet 693C home color printer. The new PhotoSmart PC photography system is the next logical step in making this rapidly emerging market a reality."
HP PhotoSmart PC Photography Components
Each component in the PhotoSmart PC photography system may be purchased separately.
HP PhotoSmart digital camera eliminates the need to wait for photos to come back from a processing lab by enabling users to download their pictures to a PC instantly. Using removable HP Photo Memory Cards, which are available in 2MB or 4MB configurations, the PhotoSmart digital camera allows users to take an unlimited number of photos. The camera, which is built around an all-glass, seven-element lens, is designed to capture images in any of three resolutions -- normal, fine or superfine. The camera is equipped with an integrated flash and features automatic focus and exposure control and an automatic date and time stamp. HP expects the new digital camera to sell for about $399.
HP PhotoSmart photo printer is designed to provide users with professional-quality prints that look and feel as if they came from a professional photo-finishing lab. The printer features a straight-through paper path designed for thick photo papers. The printer uses six ink colors (in two tri-chamber cartridges) to deliver richer, smoother colors and the subtle tones associated with photos. The printer prints an 8 x 10 photo in five minutes and 4 x 6 photo in 2.5 minutes. The printer is capable of printing a sheet up to 8.5 x 11 for collages, photo album pages or newsletters. HP expects the new photo printer to sell for about $499.
HP PhotoSmart photo scanner is designed to achieve unsurpassed picture quality. It is the only photo scanner that can help users preserve precious memories by enabling them to scan and restore their favorite photos, negatives and slides. The ability to scan negatives and slides provides the clarity of detail necessary to produce high-quality enlargements. The scanner comes with software that allows the user to preview a scanned photo in order to balance colors, correct exposures and flip or rotate images before completing the final scan. The photo scanner will allow a user to preview the image on-screen in about 10 seconds. It completes a typical scan in less than a minute. HP expects the new photo scanner to sell for about $499.
HP PhotoSmart photographic papers are available in matte and glossy finishes. Photos printed on these papers are virtually indistinguishable from traditional photos. In addition to the photographic papers, HP also offers PhotoSmart Greeting Cards and Note Cards (with coordinating envelopes), which can be printed on both sides, and PhotoSmart Post Cards. The PhotoSmart Calendar Kit can be purchased to make customized 12-month photo calendars at home. The papers work seamlessly with the PhotoSmart photo printer.
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