Larger Widths And Higher Sites For Printer Vendors

Orlando, Fla. — Not content to ensnare casual digital photographers pumping out 4-inch by 6-inch photos, printer vendors are attacking camera phone users, avid scrapbookers, and photo enthusiasts in search of larger prints and more advanced printing options.

Canon introduced a new photo all-in-one, the Pixma MP760, that can scan and print directly from slides and negatives without a PC, at 2400 by 4800 dpi via a built-in scanner. The unit also offers PictBridge compatibility, memory card slots and a 2.5-inch color LCD screen for printing images from digital cameras.

The MP760 can also serve as a copier. It is bundled with software to identify and remove defects in scanned photos in conjunction with an "auto image adjust" feature to correct faded documents and film.

It features a built-in duplex unit for double-sided printing and copying, dual paper paths with an auto sheet-feeder and a front-loading cassette paper tray. Print speeds clock in at 25 pages per minute (ppm) in black, 17 ppm in color and 36 seconds for a borderless 4-inch by 6-inch photo.

It will ship in March for an estimated street price of $299.99.

Epson introduced a high-end photo printer, the Stylus Photo R1800, capable of producing prints on both glossy and matte media up to 13-inches wide. The unit, which ships in March for an estimated street price of $549, offers eight individual color ink tanks with a matte black and photo black ink tank.

The printer can automatically switch between the two blacks, depending on paper type, eliminating the need to swap-out cartridges, said Patrick Chen, product manager, Epson.

It offers a photo resolution of 5,760 by 1,440 dpi with 1.5 picoliter droplets and a print speed of one 4-inch by 6-inch print in 42 seconds at a resolution of 1,440 by 720 dpi; it is also the first 13-inch model to offer direct printing to inkjet printable CD/DVD media, Epson said.

The R1800 can print 12-inch by 12-inch borderless prints, the traditional size of a scrapbook page, Chen said.

Fujifilm eyed the burgeoning camera phone market with the official launch of its MP-70 digital mobile printer. The portable printer makes credit-card-sized prints from infrared-enabled camera phones in roughly 20 seconds, the company said.

The unit will ship in the summer; pricing has not been set. It weighs over 7 ounces (without batteries) and uses two CR2 lithium batteries, good for up to 130 prints. It can produce a 254 dpi print from camera phones up to 3 megapixels. It will work with an accessory USB adapter for connecting to PictBridge-enabled digital cameras. The model will work with infrared-enabled camera phones from Nokia, Siemens and Sony Ericsson to date.

HP introduced its own high-end printer in the Photosmart 8750. The unit produces nine-ink prints at 4,800 dpi, up to 13 inches by 19 inches, using the company's Vivera line of inks. According to HP, photos printed on the 8750 will last 100 years when displayed under glass and more than 200 years in an album.

The printer features multisize paper trays, bordered and borderless printing from 4-inch by 6-inch, to 13-inch by 19-inch, including 8.5-inch by 24-inch panorama photos. It offers built-in Ethernet connectivity; memory card slots for CompactFlash, SD/MMC, SmartMedia, Memory Stick and the xD-Picture Card; a front USB port for PictBridge printing; and index photo proofing directly from a memory card.

When printing from a computer, the 8750 can produce a 13-inch by 19-inch in three and a half minutes, and a 4-inch by 6-inch photo in 29 seconds.

The printer ships in April with an estimated street price of $499.

Sony is planning a May release for its new PictureStation DPP-FP50 dye sublimation photo printer. The unit produces 4-inch by 6-inch and 3.5-inch by 5-inch prints at 300 dpi and offers PictBridge compatibility, memory card slots and built-in image editing including red-eye correction, cropping and brightness/contrast adjustments. It features a video out for connecting the printer to a TV to run photo slideshows. It will ship with a remote control for an estimated $199.95.