In our last article, we discussed the changes that took place in the mid 1980's to the photo industry. We discussed the introduction of the one hour photo lab and the need for newer faster technologies to satiate the desire of the photo taking American public. The company that started the one hour revolution Noritsu, is again re-inventing the way that we get our pictures professionally printed.
About 4 years ago I attended a Noritsu tradeshow, I was witness to the first generation of what will soon become the standard in photo finishing. On display along with its traditional chemical based machines, Noritsu had it's first model of an inkjet based mini lab printing machine. After seeing this machine I thought to myself, "man lightning does strike twice".
What made me slap my head that day was something that was right in front of all of us, Noritsu just put 1 & 1 together. The two factors that made their move so ingenious are first, the continued growth of digital camera sales, coupled with all the photophiles like me that have a need for a high quality output for our digital files. The second factor was the environmental protection agency (EPA), who has for years carefully watched the photo industry. As minilabs sprung up, the EPA began to tighten up the amount of chemical emission a photolab could produce.
Basically what Noritsu had done with this machine was to address both of these concerns and bring photographic printing into the new century all at once. In one simple move, Noritsu has again placed themselves squarely in the forefront of a new photographic revolution. They answered the call of the EPA to reduce and or eliminate environmentally caustic photo chemical emissions. They also made sure there was no compromise in consumer affordability or quality.
The new machine doesn't need any chemicals to produce it's stellar prints. It also accepts digital media from virtually any source including the internet. What this means is, if you can send it, put it into a slot or burn it to CD this machine can print it.
So just how well do these printers work? In short they are amazing. There are 2 models currently available from Noritsu. Both use 7 inks with a unique Epson Technology color combination. They produce a color pallet that is larger and more vibrant than that of traditional chemical finishing, and they do it on water proof, fade resistant papers. In addition the machine can produce images at staggering rate of 460 - 4x6 prints per hour. Once images are imported they can be printed in sizes as small as a mini wallet, and as large as 12x18 in print. The machine is small enough to fit in a closet and can hold multiple size rolls of paper.
Some of the other major bonuses to printing on this eco-friendly printer include it's smell !? You know what I mean. Have you ever walked into a one hour photo lab and experienced that "chemical smell". It doesn't exist with this printer, there are no chemicals. Because there are no chemicals there is not effluent to send down the drain, heck there is no drain. To make things even better, the printers use a recyclable cartridge to keep our landfills free of spent ink cartridges.
All of this is awesome news for photographers and for photofinishers. While you will likely see these pop up in your local x-mart, mall or super center in the next few years, chances are you won't be visiting those places as much as you used to. Lets face it all of our lives busy and just seem to be getting more hectic. We just don't have an hour to spend waiting for pictures at our local 1 hour lab anymore. Most of us will drop off our CD or digital files, go shopping for 20 minutes and come back to see if the pictures are done yet. They aren't which means another trip to the store on another day. Retailers love it when you have to return to the store, it means more sales from a "warm visit". For you it's just an inconvenience.
The good new is that because these printers are able to connect to the internet you won't need to make that "extra" trip. Photolabs across the country are already offering free downloadable software that you can use to order images from the comfort of your own home. You will be able to use the software to catalog, make corrections and order your pictures right from your computer. The pictures are printed on one of these state of the art printers and then shipped to what ever address you specify. Now while drop shipping of ordered pictures isn't a new idea, being able to order from home, using your digital files is. This is great for family pictures, business presentations, and gift images. You can drop ship your images directly to grandma, your spouse, business contact, whom ever you wish and you can get on with your life.
The genius behind this step forward was so inspirational to us that, in late October we invite you to explore this process with us here at Hawaiianpix. By going to our website http://www.hawaiianpix.com you will be able to download free software that will allow you to order pictures from one of these amazing eco-friendly printers. Experience it for yourself and I guarantee, you will never wait in line at your one hour photo ever again. If you would like a free sample print to see the quality from this printer, simply fill out this form on our website www.hawaiianpix.com/printpromo/form.htm and we will send you a sample 4x6 print. Next month we will explore the software you will use to print from home and how simple it is to use.
- Aloha
