Last week HP started competing in the Kodak-dominated self-service photo-printing business with the introduction of a photo kiosk and in-store photo "studio" software for retail chains. The company clams prints will last much longer than typical dye-sublimation-based retail systems. Albertsons, Longs Drugs Stores, Bashas’ Supermarkets, Dan’s Camera City in Allentown, Pa., and Rush Hour Photo and Wireless in Corvallis, Ore., will be among the first with the new kiosks.
HP says its "Photosmart Express station is the most advanced standalone, self-service photo kiosk dedicated to producing 4 x 6-inch prints quickly – in as fast as five seconds. The HP Photosmart Studio is the first and only in-store solution where consumers can design creative products in about five minutes – without having to crop or place photos into individual templates – and pick them up in one hour or less."
Both products are supposed to make more money for retailers while offering their customers improved flexibility and speed.
The HP Photosmart Express station uses inkjet printing system to deliver 4 x 6-inch photos in as fast as five seconds. Consumers simply select, print and pay in a few easy steps. According to permanence testing, these prints will resist fading for well over 50 years – two to 10 times as long as typical dye-sublimation-based retail systems.
The HP Photosmart Express station works seamlessly with HP’s Snapfish so consumers can upload their photos at home, place an order online and, at their convenience, use the HP retail photo solution for fast and easy processing.
The HP Photosmart Studio is the first in-store solution on the market developed to help consumers transform anywhere from one to 200 images into ready-to-share albums, calendars, CDs, greeting cards and posters in less than an hour. Simple and quick to use, the process does not require people to select, crop or place photos into templates on each individual page. Instead, hundreds of photos are laid out in minutes using proprietary image management algorithms developed by HP Labs.
This is a preview, not a review.
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