To search the Digital News content (plus any other content) on this site, enter the word(s) in the box below and click on the "Search" button. News Archive Q3 2006 Q2 2006 Q1 2006 Q4 2005 Q3 2005 Q2 2005 Q1 2005 Q4 2004 Q3 2004 Q2 2004 Q1 2004 Q4 2003 Q3 2003 Q2 2003 Q1 2003 Q4 2002 (NOTE: the following is a mixture of press releases and editorial comments. When ONLY a company-provided press release is used--either in full or excerpted--it will be identified as such.) PRESS RELEASE: GIA LAUNCHES COLOR WITHOUT LIMITS SEMINAR 12/22/04 - (12/21/04) The Graphic Intelligence Agency has designed a one-day seminar to help digital print shops, designers and photo professionals simplify and understand color management. This touring event, produced in cooperation with GretagMacbeth, will visit 34 North American cities, January through April 2005. This seminar will provide attendees with the applied knowledge to implement color management effectively. GIA will demonstrate how to achieve the best possible color for the entire workflow, including capture, display, editing, proofing and final output. As an integral part of this seminar, each attendee will receive a GIA Color Toolkit, including a GretagMacbeth Eye-One Display 2. This powerful colorimeter provides consistent, predictable color calibration for monitors and is a $249 value in itself. The toolkit also includes Eye-One Match 3 software, the GIA Guide to Color and GIA1s CD-based color tools. Dates: 1/27 Cleveland 2/1 Chicago (1) 2/1 San Diego 2/3 Detroit 2/3 Phoenix 2/8 Indianapolis 2/8 San Francisco 2/10 Cincinnati 2/10 San Jose 2/15 Milwaukee 2/15 Los Angeles 2/17 Minneapolis 2/17 Anaheim 3/1 New York (1) 3/1 Portland, OR 3/3 Philadelphia 3/3 Seattle 3/8 Boston 3/8 Kansas City 3/10 Hartford 3/10 Denver 3/15 Baltimore 3/15 Dallas 3/17 Washington DC 3/17 Austin 3/22 Chicago (2) 3/22 New Orleans 3/23 New York (2) 3/24 Nashville 3/29 Charlotte 3/29 Orlando 3/31 Atlanta 3/31 Miami 4/7 Toronto Attendees can register online at www.giastore.com or by phone at 888.439.4403. The full-day seminar costs $349 per attendee and includes lunch. For complete seminar information including agenda and venue details, visit the seminar website at www.graphintel.com/cwl. About the GIA Graphic Intelligence Agency is the professional services business unit of GretagMacbeth and an international leader in graphics industry training and support. Since 1997, the GIA has provided both major manufacturers and end users with comprehensive solutions to their color and workflow problems. GIA provides seminar training, classroom workshops, on-site consulting, technical support and interactive media development from their Centers for Color Excellence in Cleveland, San Diego and Zurich. SOURCE: Graphic Intelligence Agency www.graphintel.com ^ back to top PRESS RELEASE: CALL FOR PARTICIPATION: SIGGRAPH 2005 ART GALLERY Submission Deadline: Jan 19, 2005 (No submission fees). 12/22/04 - (12/21/04) The internationally recognized ACM SIGGRAPH Conference is seeking today's most innovative digital artwork for the SIGGRAPH 2005 Art Gallery. The 2005 SIGGRAPH Art Gallery will be content driven. The technology will be in the service of the art. We are looking for artwork that traces threads through time and space, figurative and abstract, linear and non-linear, moving and still. We are particularly interested in 2D, 3D, and screen-based work that examines how the use of computer graphics relates to the form and content of the artwork. The exhibit will include media such as, new narrative forms, generative works, game art, and book arts as well as 2-D and 3-D media. We invite Art Papers submissions that engage in critical discourse about digital art and culture. The submissions will be judged by a pre-eminent group of artists, curators and critics. The ACM SIGGRAPH Conference will be held in Los Angeles, CA from July 31 - August 4, 2005. For submission details, visit: http://www.siggraph.org/s2005/main.php?f=cfp&p=art SOURCE: ACM SIGGRAPH Conference www.siggraph.org ^ back to top PRESS RELEASE: LYSON INTRODUCES BULK FEED DELIVERY SYSTEM FOR EPSON STYLUS PRO 4000 Extends Lyson's award-winning line of bulk ink delivery systems; saves on ink costs; speeds workflow; eliminates time and hassle for photographers. 11/29/04 - (11/22/04) Lyson, Inc., a leading provider of inks, media, and related products to the printing, photography, graphic arts, and other allied industries, has introduced the first bulk feed ink delivery system with complete pigment and dye-based inksets for the Epson Stylus Pro 4000. Highly popular among commercial photographers, printmakers, and service bureaus, the Stylus Pro 4000 is a 17" wide desktop inkjet printer designed to meet the needs of the most demanding professionals. By having access to Lyson's bulk-enabled inksets for the printer, photographers and other users of the 4000 can: * Save upwards of 70% on ink costs versus cartridges * Significantly speed workflow processing * Eliminate the time and hassle involved in changing cartridges Lyson's inksets deliver a wider color gamut and more intense color reproduction than standard OEM inks. The combination of Lyson's Fotonic™ dye-based inks and Lyson's pigment-based Cave Paint™ provides a comprehensive ink offering for any photographer using the Epson 4000. Cave Paint provides unparalleled life with better color than Epson inks; and Fotonic delivers absolutely eye-popping color with life of 25-30 years -- as good or better than any traditional photographic process. The Lyson bulk feed system for the Epson Stylus Pro 4000 includes eight half-liter bottles of Cave Paint and has a suggested retail price of $1199. For more information on the new inksets with bulk feed attachment for the Epson Stylus Photo 4000, contact sales@lysonusa.com About Lyson Headquartered in Elk Grove, IL, Lyson, Inc. is the North American operation of Lyson, Ltd., a privately-owned company based in Stockport, U.K. Lyson specializes in the development and production of fluids and related products for the inkjet industry. Lyson's inks and media support all major inkjet print technologies. All registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners. SOURCE: Lyson, Inc. www.lysonusa.com ^ back to top PRESS RELEASE: MEDIA STREET ANNOUNCES NEW NIAGARA INKFLOW SYSTEMS Designed for Epson and Canon Inkjet Printers, device increases productivity and efficiency. 11/22/04 - (11/16/04) Media Street, Inc., the premier manufacturer and provider of unique digital imaging consumables, products, programs and services designed to enhance digital workflow systems, today announces the release of its Niagara Continuous Ink Flow System for the Epson 4000, R300, R800 and Canon i9900 inkjet printers. By eliminating the need for cartridges, the Niagara eliminates waste, increases efficiency and turns a desktop inkjet printer into a continuous printing workhorse. The Niagara System employs a modified cartridge assembly that ingeniously hooks up to bulk bottles of ink that sit adjacent to the printer. Niagara saves time and money, and provides users with the ability to choose any third-party ink. Since Niagara Systems' bottles are re-usable, the system is ecologically friendly, unlike non-biodegradable disposable cartridges that continue to collect in our landfills. The Niagara System increases choice, permitting the use of inks previously unavailable with micro-chipped printer models. The micro-chip printer technology is used by some manufacturers to restrict the use of specialty third party inkjet cartridges. For example, the chips found in most new Epson inkjet printers keep a record of the ink level. When the ink level reaches empty, the chip voids the cartridge from ever being used again, effectively locking the consumer into using the Epson OEM brand only. Niagara System's chip design is write protected, so the cartridge will always read 100 percent full, allowing it to be reused. Since the reservoir bottles continuously replenish the ink into your printer, you can now print with the same set of cartridges, as long as ink is maintained in the reservoir bottles. Installing the Niagara System requires no permanent modification of the printer. It takes about 20 minutes to prime the system with any ink, install the system into the printer, and begin printing. Combined with Media Street's popular "Plug-N-Play" replacement bulk ink, the Niagara System enables users to make significant cost savings. With the Niagara System, the cost of using the equivalent of a black cartridge is about $.67, about $2.00 for a color cartridge, while the cost of an OEM brand filled cartridge can range from $20.00 to $38.00 respectively. "Digital enthusiasts have been plagued and frustrated by the high cost, minimal ink choices of replacement inkjet cartridges, and their inability to use third party inks in the newest micro-chipped printer models," said Norm Levy, President Media Street. "Our Niagara System allows the use of any type of ink, whether the goal is to save money with less expensive replacement ink, such as our full line of Plug-N-Play Inks, or the use of a specialty long lasting ink, such as our Generations TM Ink for digital photography and art reproduction." The Niagara Continuous Ink Flow System is produced and available for most photo-quality inkjet printers by Epson and Canon. Prices for the Niagara System start at $125.00 and they are also available in bundled packages with introductory ink prices for Media Street's Plug-N-Play as well as their Generations Ink. About Media Street Media Street Inc. is an independent manufacturer, converter and supplier of inkjet ink, papers, multimedia digital frames, and other essential solutions for the digital photographic and art markets. Their 'matched media solution' of pigmented inks and specially coated photographic and fine art papers delivers superior image quality and image permanence of over 100 years. Since their inception in June 2000, MediaStreet has served more than 10,000 customers in over 100 countries. For more information and to locate the dealer nearest you please visit www.mediastreet.com. SOURCE: Media Street Inc. www.mediastreet.com ^ back to top PRESS RELEASE: SHADES OF PAPER INTRODUCES THE INNOVA LINE OF PROFESSIONAL DIGITAL ART AND PHOTOGRAPHIC MEDIA Shades of Paper is proud to announce the addition of the INNOVA line of Professional Digital Art and Photographic Media to their product offerings. 11/15/04 - (11/1/04) The INNOVA Digital Photo and Art collection of digital printing papers offers both artists and photographers alike a variety of surfaces to match their work to a specific paper texture. Each material has been developed to enhance a wide variety of artistic styles and requirements. All the materials are buffered, acid/lignin free and produced to archive grade standards. INNOVA papers are developed to function with both dye and pigment ink sets on a wide variety of printers providing a color intensity and crispness not possible with non-coated art papers. INNOVA materials offer excellent color gamut, density and exceptional value. The INNOVA Digital Photo and Art papers are available in a variety of surfaces and weights. All products are available in both rolls and cut sheets. For additional information please call Shades of Paper at 856-424-8660 or email us at support@shadesofpaper.com SOURCE: Shades of Paper www.shadesofpaper.com ^ back to top PRESS RELEASE: ARTZ LAUNCHES SPECIAL EDITION BOOKMAKER Elegant Silk Covered Digital Book continues company's line of innovative display products. 11/15/04 - (10/21/04) ArtZ, makers of inventive museum quality photo display products, announce the release of its Special Edition Bookmaker, a beautiful create-yourself digital hard-bound book. Crafted in a silky finish book cloth, this digital display product has a high-end appearance, yet is extremely affordable at $59. With the Special Edition Bookmaker, 'prosumers' and hobbyists can now produce a professional quality display piece. This patent-pending innovation not only looks like a coffee table book produced by a professional publishing house, but any level photographer can actually print individual pages and put the book together themselves. "Anyone can compose and print their composition on our Bookmaker pages using basic digital printing software and inkjet printers." noted Kristin VanDeWalle. "ArtZ's products are designed to support the photographer and make their images the focal point. The new Special Edition Bookmaker allows every photographer, from the hobbyist to the professional, an opportunity to exhibit their work in a professionally crafted format." This Special Edition Bookmaker package includes a silk cloth book cover with twenty five 8x11" horizontal printable pages. The book's pages utilize Moab's Kayenta Fine Art paper and is printable on both sides. The book can hold up to 20 pages. "Like all ArtZ products, the Special Edition Bookmaker reflects quality, design sensitivity and care of image. It is an excellent presentation piece that can be created at home on one's personal inkjet printer, allowing complete control of the composition, quality and content." About ArtZ ArtZ's mission is to provide its customers with an innovative product that combines simplicity and elegance with high design, high quality materials and craftsmanship. For more information visit www.artzproducts.com. SOURCE: ArtZ www.artzproducts.com ^ back to top PRESS RELEASE: ERGOSOFT ANNOUNCES THE RELEASE OF STUDIOPRINT™ RIP 11 Version 11 offers groundbreaking features, yet still easiest to use on the market. 11/14/04 - (10/7/04) ErgoSoft is pleased to announce the release of StudioPrint™ 11, its highly intuitive professional-level software solution for fine art and photographic image production. Like StudioPrint Version 10, Version 11 remains the easiest to use on the market. Building on previous RIP, the new StudioPrint includes improved image fi delity capabilities, increased productivity and profi tability features while reinforcing ErgoSoft's dedication to developing its RIPs to be choice workflow solution for those who require the utmost control over the printing process. StudioPrint 11 builds on ErgoSoft's strong, time-proven interface design with enhancements made to further optimize media usage and make-ready time. Some of the most notable additions to the application include the ability to automatically renest images in a single command, select and scale, rotate, duplicate, rearrange and delete multiple image at a time, hierarchical printer support which places Print Environments into logical groups and subgroups making for easier management as opposed to one single list menu, and the ability to have an unlimited number of jobs in the queue. StudioPrint 11 will also allow users to automatically download Print Environments from the web either during installation or any time in the future ensuring that your Print Environments Server is always as complete as possible with the latest profiles. The new standard in photographic printing, StudioPrint 11 has improved upon its already superior image fidelity and color accuracy. Adding a new screening mode, users should see additional improvement in smoothness in the 60-80% coverage areas on variable-droplette printers. Support for up to six levels of black for monochromatic printing opens up new opportunities to users of legacy six color printers looking for effective ways to continue to produce outstanding work from their older equipment. Providing StudioPrint with even greater power is ColorGPS�, ErgoSoft's new ICC Color Profiler, which come in fi ve levels providing users with the highest degree of control of the profile generation process, in a minimal amount of steps. From four color to true twelve primary color support, ColorGPS ensures that StudioPrint is always driving the printer in its native color space, optimizing neutrality, highlight purity, shadow detail, overall color gamut and shape and tone throughout the image. "The power of control has reached a new level with StudioPrint 11," says Robert Eversole, President of ErgoSoft U.S. "With its precision ink limit and linearization feature-set, ability to drive inkjets in their native color space, WYSIWYG layout window, and ground-breaking ICC profile generation suite, StudioPrint 11 has become the premier workfl ow solution for those who wish to maintain as much control over their image production process as they put into their image capture. Any less control simply leaves quality on the table." StudioPrint supports today's most popular Piezo-head and variable-droplette inkjets such as Epson®, Roland®, and Mimaki® as well as HP® and Canon®. StudioPrint is currently available for use with Windows XP, Windows® 2000, Windows NT®, and Windows® ME. StudioPrint 11 is priced at $2300 for Large Format, $1300 for Small Format(supported devices 24" and below), and $850 for Desktop (supported devices under 17"). About Ergosoft U.S. LLC. ErgoSoft's mission is to provide intuitive, high fi delity digital printing solutions to the creative professional. Each of ErgoSoft's comprehensive line of inkjet RIPs is designed to meet the unique requirements of Fine Art, Photography, Large Format Display, Textile and Sublimation. We do this by developing feature-specific, production-oriented applications to optimize image fi delity, color accuracy and production speed in the most demanding digital printing environments. For more information, visit www.ergosoftus.com or call 703.464.0876. SOURCE: Ergosoft U.S. LLC. www.ergosoftus.com ^ back to top PRESS RELEASE: MOAB PAPER COMPANY INTRODUCES UNIQUE, AFFORDABLE DIGITAL PRESENTATION PRODUCTS Easy-to-assemble Chinle™ Digital Book designed for professionals can be printed and assembledin house; Innovative Chinle™ Digital Folio features unique concealed magnetic closure. 10/31/04 - (10/21/04) Moab Paper® announces the release of the Chinle� line of digital presentation products including the Chinle� Digital Book and Chinle� Digital Folio available through authorized Moab Paper resellers or direct at moabpaper.com. Both of these beautiful products are ideal for artists and photographers wanting to showcase their work. The Chinle� Digital Book features a black split-leather cover, easy to assemble post bound construction, and dual sided 100% cotton Entrada® pages. "Entrada is the perfect marriage between the highest quality and prices you can afford. Now, artists have an affordable, yet professional suite of portfolio products to showcase their work on Entrada® Fine Art," notes Gregory Schern, President of Moab Paper. "The Chinle� line is an example of our dedication to innovate new and creative methods to use our papers which meet an unaddressed professional niche", continues Schern. "Moab is more than just a paper company we are a group of like minded photographers with a passion for what we do." Both affordable and easy to use, the Chinle� Digital Book pages were designed to work with any desktop printer which supports 8x10 printing including borderless prints. Through a set of helpful illustrated instructions, the Chinle� products walk the user through the process. The specially manufactured pages use an innovative method of scoring and drilling to accomplish what most competitive products cannot do without special adhesives, plastic strips or heat machines. The Chinle� Digital Book has simple post bound construction, which holds up to 40 dual sided pages, that presents like a luxurious coffee table book produced by a professional publishing house. The user can also update the pages in the digital book by simply removing posts and adding new artwork. The book¹s pages do not require any page prep because they include scoring for easy page turning and pre drilled holes for perfect alignment every time. The innovative Chinle� Digital Folio is the first product of its kind to integrate a concealed magnetic closure for a clean and functional design. Designed to hold up to 50 8.5x11² prints, the Chinle� Digital Folio is the perfect solution for the photographer looking for a way to store or showcase individual prints and readily update the set. Like the Digital Book, the Digital Folio's cover is made of black split-leather with an acid free elegant black interior. Both products include an attractive black presentation box at no extra charge. The digital book kits include 30 sheets of specially designed Entrada® Fine Art pages along with the leather cover, and screw posts. Extra pages are available in 30 page packs. The following products will begin shipping November 1, 2004: Product Code Description List MCDB08-KIT-190 Chinle� Digital Book Kit 8x9 w/ Entrada® 190 Bright White $77 MCDB08-KIT-190N Chinle� Digital Book Kit 8x9 w/ Entrada® 190 Natural $77 MCDB08-PGS-190 Chinle� Digital Book Pages 8x9 Entrada® 190 Bright White $27 MCDB08-PGS-190N Chinle� Digital Book Pages 8x9 Entrada® 190 Natural $27 MCDF09-FOLIO Chinle� Digital Folio 9x12 $49 (introductory offer $39) About Moab Paper Company The Moab Paper Company is dedicated to the production of quality fine art and photographic papers and presentation products for the discerning professional. The full range is offered at a price which is attractive to both the serious amateur photographer and artist as well as the most demanding professional. The Moab Paper Company is a division of Red Rock Innovations, Inc. (Moab, UT). For more information, visit www.moabpaper.com or call (435) 259-3161. SOURCE: Moab Paper Company www.moabpaper.com ^ back to top PRESS RELEASE: COREL CORPORATION ACQUIRES JASC TO EXTEND GRAPHICS SOFTWARE PORTFOLIO Recognized, Trusted Provider Of Graphics, Office and Personal Productivity Software Acquires Leading Imaging Software Vendor. 10/20/04 - (10/14/04) Corel Corporation today acquired Jasc Software, Inc., the award-winning developer of the Paint Shop� family of digital-photography and image- editing software. A critical milestone in Corel's ongoing growth strategy, this acquisition follows four consecutive quarters of profitability and a successfully completed turnaround since Corel was taken private in August 2003. The acquisition further extends Corel's position as a powerful force in the packaged software industry providing exceptional office and personal productivity and graphics products. Corel will now serve a combined base of more than 60 million customers worldwide with an extended software portfolio that combines innovative photo editing and graphics creation, vector- illustration and technical- graphics applications along with Corel's popular WordPerfect line of products. The acquisition is expected to officially close by the end of October 2004. Corel corporate headquarters will remain in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Corel will maintain the former Jasc facility in Minneapolis, MN for the Paint Shop family operations. Amish Mehta will continue to serve as the Chief Executive Officer of Corel Corporation. Several members of the Jasc senior management team will join Corel. Corel will sell Paint Shop� Pro®, Paint Shop� Pro® Studio and Paint Shop� Photo Album� as stand alone products and will continue to provide worldwide service and support to customers under the Corel brand. In addition, Corel will actively support new R&D initiatives for the Paint Shop family, ensuring that the next-generation of Jasc products will continue to flourish. In August 2003, Corel was acquired by Vector Capital, a San Francisco-based venture capital concern which currently manages approximately 500 million dollars in capital. Vector helped Corel create and execute a focused product and market strategy--leveraging Corel's most popular and enduring products, the WordPerfect Office Suite, CorelDRAW Graphics Suite and Corel Painter--while streamlining its operations and product lines. With the support of Vector, Corel is poised for future growth with the addition of the Paint Shop family as well as through future acquisitions on the horizon. Corel's innovative software offerings, which include the popular WordPerfect Office Suite, the CorelDRAW Graphics Suite and Corel Painter Natural-Media® painting and illustration software, have earned a strong following among value-conscious consumers, graphics professionals, and businesses around the world. This acquisition extends Corel's unique value proposition to millions of customers worldwide and dramatically expands Corel's reach in both the business and consumer graphics market sectors. Now, Corel can provide users of graphics software a complete migration path from the most basic photo organizing and sharing, to image improvement and retouching, all the way to advanced image editing and graphics creation. The addition of the Paint Shop product family allows Corel to better serve sizable new consumer graphics markets while expanding its coverage of the business graphics market segment. Extending Corel's Presence In The High-Growth Digital Software Market "The acquisition expands our reach in digital imaging software--one of the key drivers behind our growth strategy," said Mehta. "The Paint Shop family gives us strong entry level graphics and imaging software products that will help Corel capture millions of new customers. Over the long term, we will significantly expand our footprint with consumers who regularly purchase digital photography software--a fast growing software market segment." According to InfoTrends/CAP Ventures, the worldwide market for consumer digital cameras is expected to expand at a CAGR of approximately 20%, to over 100 million units that will ship in 2008, up from 45 million in 2003. A recent survey by InfoTrends/CAP Ventures also stated that 55% of owners of digital cameras reported purchasing additional software for managing and enhancing digitally captured photos. The Paint Shop family optimizes the digital photography and imaging experience for consumers and business professionals at all skill levels, offering a growth path from novice to seasoned professional. Its flagship products, Paint Shop Pro, Paint Shop Pro Studio and Paint Shop Photo Album, are recognized worldwide for innovation. "As a leading consumer software brand, the Paint Shop family is a natural and synergistic addition to the Corel packaged software portfolio," said Mehta. "Like Corel, Jasc has consistently delivered innovative, reliable and easy-to-use graphics solutions at a very competitive price point. This acquisition signals our focus on increasing the breadth of our product family in order to service the broad, growing market of value-conscious consumers and businesses." Extending Reach Through Global Distribution Network The combined global sales channels of both Corel and Jasc will yield a much wider worldwide distribution network. With this acquisition, the Paint Shop family will now be sold through a broader channel that reaches millions of Corel and Jasc customers around the world. Together, Corel and Jasc's global distribution network includes more than 5,000 value-added resellers and major retailers serving 75 countries around the globe. In addition, both Corel and Jasc have secured powerful OEM bundling partnerships with several major companies, including DELL Computer and Wacom, and others. These OEM relationships will continue to expand the combined Company's reach with consumers and businesses alike. Record Profitability And Focused Direction Fuel Corel's Growth Strategy This year, privately-held Corel achieved record levels of profitability and realized significant growth across all of its product lines. Corel is now poised for future market growth with the addition of the Paint Shop family of digital photography and image editing software. "This has all the signs of a very successful acquisition because both companies need what the other provides," said Rob Enderle, Principal Analyst for the Enderle Group. "Corel has a strong international brand and products that effectively target professional digital photographers but needed a strong entry-level product like Jasc's to capture new customers. Jasc needed the power of an international brand and robust product set to expand their customer base. The combination of the two firms will deliver a powerful software portfolio encompassing consumers and businesses seeing a proven digital photography solution at a very competitive price." About Jasc Jasc is recognized as a global leader of digital photography and imaging software, providing the Paint Shop family of products that is anchored by Paint Shop Pro, Paint Shop Pro Studio and Paint Shop Photo Album. Jasc is focused on optimizing the digital photography and imaging experience for consumers and business professionals at all skill levels, offering a growth path from novice to seasoned professional. Jasc products are Windows-based and provide an affordable solution for PC users--all backed by award-winning service and support. Corel Corporation Corel Corporation provides innovative software solutions that help millions of value-conscious businesses and consumers in over 75 countries improve their productivity. The Company is best known for its graphics, office and personal productivity solutions, including the CorelDRAW® Graphics Suite, the WordPerfect® Office Suite and the Corel Painter Natural-Media® painting and illustration software. Corel was acquired by San Francisco-based Vector Capital in August 2003 and, since that time has achieved record levels of profitability and growth across all product lines. Founded in 1985, Corel is headquartered in Ottawa, Canada. For more information, please visit www.corel.com. SOURCE: Corel Corporation www.corel.com ^ back to top PRESS RELEASE: SPRINT LAUNCHES ONLINE PRINT ORDERING USING FUJIFILM'S "GET THE PICTURE ONLINE SERVICE" Sprint's Picture MailSM customers and their friends and family who receive email shares can now print their pictures through Fujifilm's Online Digital Printing Service. 10/15/04 - (10/6/04) Today, Sprint (NYSE: FON) and Fuji Photo Film U.S.A., Inc., announced a new feature that enables Sprint's Picture Mail customers to send digital camera-phone pictures from their online Picture Mail album to any participating retail photofinisher, including Ritz Camera, Sam's Club and Wolf Camera - the first retailers in their respective channels to offer this progressive service. Family and friends can also join in the fun by printing the photos they receive via email share. The new feature utilizes Fujifilm's "Get the Picture Online Service" and marks a significant milestone in the evolution of wireless imaging. "Sprint's Picture Mail customers can now take full advantage of high-resolution mobile devices by taking pictures worth saving and printing," said Jeff Hallock, vice president - Product Marketing & Strategy, Sprint. "By providing a more robust Picture Mail service, Sprint is continuing to transform the camera phone into arguably one of the most important consumer electronics devices of our time." Upon taking a picture with their camera phone and uploading it to their Picture Mail online albums ( www.sprint.com/picturemail ), Sprint customers now have the option to search for a convenient retail photofinishing location by zip code; order prints of different sizes and quantities; and pick up their prints in a matter of hours, depending on the retailer's service options. Picture Mail customers and those receiving an email share can select a retail photofinisher nearby or one close to a friend or relative, either locally or across the country. "Fujifilm is committed to providing consumers with the easiest and highest quality option for getting prints of their digital pictures," remarked John Prendergast, Vice President, Strategic Business Development, Photo Imaging Division, Fuji Photo Film U.S.A., Inc. "Fujifilm's service relationship with Sprint benefits consumers who want prints of their camera phone pictures and to our retail photofinishing customers who are connected directly to camera phone picture-takers via our 'Get the Picture Online Service.' " "Current research indicates that 22 percent of 83 billion camera phone pictures taken in North America over the next four years will be printed," said Jill Aldort, consultant, InfoTrends. "Printing mobile phone pictures is clearly an area of growth, and Sprint and Fujifilm are paving the way to allow those who love their camera-phone pictures to do more with them." In July, Sprint announced America's first one-megapixel camera phone, the Sprint PCS VisionSM Picture Phone PM-8920, improving the quality of mobile pictures for those who wish to save and print life's everyday moments. From August 2002 to September 2004, Sprint PCS customers sent more than 270 million picture and video messages over the enhanced Sprint Nationwide PCS Network. Sprint customers can purchase a Sprint PCS Vision Pictures Pack for $15 per month, in addition to their current service plan. With this package, customers get unlimited Picture Mail to take, upload, send, preserve and enhance an unlimited number of pictures; unlimited Sprint PCS Vision access; 100 SMS text messages; and up to $5 credit per month towards the download of premium services. The cost of printing service varies by participating retailer. About Sprint Sprint is a global integrated communications provider serving more than 26 million customers in over 100 countries. With more than $26 billion in annual revenues in 2003, Sprint is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying state-of-the-art network technologies, including the United States' first nationwide all-digital, fiber-optic network and an award-winning Tier 1 Internet backbone. Sprint provides local communications services in 39 states and the District of Columbia and operates the largest 100-percent digital, nationwide PCS wireless network in the United States. For more information, visit www.sprint.com. About Fujifilm Fuji Photo Film U.S.A., Inc. is a subsidiary of Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd. and delivers technology solutions to meet the imaging and information needs of retailers, consumers, professionals and business customers. As a global leader in digital imaging, Fujifilm pioneered the development of digital medical systems, and today is the leader in digital minilab systems. The company was ranked in the top ten for U.S. patents granted during the last decade, employs approximately 73,000 people worldwide and in the year ending March 31, 2004, had global revenues of more than $24 billion. In the U.S., Fujifilm is a leader in delivering high quality, easy-to-use imaging and information solutions in the following categories: Digital Imaging Systems, Recording/Storage Media, Film and Imaging Systems, Motion Picture Film, Graphic Arts and Printing Systems and Medical Imaging and Diagnostics Systems. Fujifilm is committed to being an environmentally friendly, humane enterprise and an exemplary corporate citizen. For more information on Fujifilm products, consumers can call 800-800-FUJI or access the Fujifilm USA Web site at www.fujifilm.com . SOURCE: Fuji Photo Film U.S.A., Inc.www.fujifilm.com ^ back to top PRESS RELEASE: EPSON INTRODUCES NEW EASYPRINT - FIRST SOFTWARE UTILITY TO SIMPLIFY PRINTING FROM POPULAR PHOTO APPLICATIONS Adobe(r) First to Incorporate Epson EasyPrint into New Photoshop(r) Elements 3.0. 10/2/04 - (9/28/04) Epson, the leader in professional photographic printing technology, is making it easier and faster for both consumers and pros to print from software applications directly to Epson printers with the introduction of Epson EasyPrint. With Epson EasyPrint the most important print settings of Epson printer driver software are embedded right into the application's Print screen, making it even simpler for consumers to print great looking photos quickly. Adobe is one of the first software companies to implement Epson's EasyPrint technology with the introduction of Adobe Photoshop Elements 3.0, the next major upgrade to the number one selling consumer photo editing software. Photoshop Elements 3.0 delivers impressive new ways to share, organize and edit photos, and with the inclusion of Epson EasyPrint and PRINT Image Matching* (P.I.M.), Adobe and Epson are making it easier to print with optimized results. "Printing is one of the most important parts of the digital imaging workflow. Many digital camera users want a simple solution for printing their own photos at home, and feel that a photo is really not a photo unless it's printed," said Fabia Ochoa, group product manager, Photo Imaging, Epson. "This is why Epson has developed Epson EasyPrint, an innovative, behind-the-scenes technology, which improves the printing experience for digital photographers. This unique utility allows the application and Epson printer software to interact intelligently, thereby reducing the number of user steps to get the best possible photos." "With Photoshop Elements 3.0 we wanted to add new sharing and organization capabilities to a new generation of world-class image editing tools," said Deborah Whitman, vice president of digital imaging products at Adobe. "Printing photographs directly at home is the most immediate way to share precious images and by integrating Epson EasyPrint in Photoshop Elements, Epson and Adobe are helping deliver an outstanding print experience for our joint customers." About Epson EasyPrint With Epson EasyPrint, the most important Epson print settings are embedded into the software application's Print screen user interface, eliminating the need for most users to select print settings from the Epson printer driver. Most Windows applications require the user to click the Properties button to access the Epson printer driver to select the correct paper type and size, and other settings. When using Epson EasyPrint within supported applications, fewer steps are necessary, especially for Mac users, in order to select the same print settings directly from the Print screen of the application, instead of having to go to the printer driver. Epson EasyPrint enables the software program to control Epson print features and settings behind the scenes, making it quick and seamless to get great print results. Epson EasyPrint also has the capability to avoid conflicts between software application and printer software settings by ensuring that software application and printer driver settings match. For example, if a setting is changed in the printer driver, the application software automatically changes the settings as well. Conversely, changes made to settings in the application software are automatically changed in the printer driver. The following software applications currently support Epson EasyPrint: Adobe Photoshop Elements 3.0, Epson Smart Panel 3.2 and Epson Copy Utility 3.0. Additional software applications will be announced at a later date. System Requirements and Compatibility Epson EasyPrint is available under Windows 98, Me, 2000, and XP and Mac OS X 10.2 or later. Epson EasyPrint supports the following Epson printers under the specified operating systems: Epson Stylus Series Printers Windows Mac OS X Stylus C64 Stylus C84 Epson Photo Printers Stylus Photo 900 Stylus Photo 960 Stylus Photo 2200 Stylus Photo R200 Stylus Photo R300/R300M Stylus Photo R320 Stylus Photo R800 Epson All-In-Ones Stylus CX6400 Stylus CX4600 Stylus CX6600 Stylus Photo RX500 Epson EasyPrint is available for download at the Epson support Web site (http://support.epson.com/easyprint) for various Epson inkjet printers. In addition, information regarding Epson EasyPrint, as well as newly supported Epson printers and software applications can also be found at this support site. About Photoshop Elements 3.0 and PRINT Image Matching Adobe Photoshop Elements 3.0 software delivers impressive new ways to share, organize and edit photos, allowing users to easily review, compare and enhance photos and create dynamic slideshows and personalized creations. Photoshop Elements 3.0 is the software consumers can use for quick, one-click fixes, in addition to more sophisticated editing techniques when they require more advanced creative control. Adobe Photoshop Elements 3.0 helps users conveniently manage photos with simple search options and intuitive tagging. Photos can be arranged in any number of categories and sub-categories, freeing hobbyists from time-intensive searches. Adobe Photoshop Elements 3.0 also now natively supports PRINT Image Matching (P.I.M.) technology, which eliminates the need to install a P.I.M. plug-in. This means improved ease-of-use and compatibility for Adobe customers who own a P.I.M.-enabled digital camera and P.I.M.-enabled Epson photo printer. PRINT Image Matching technology ensures digital cameras and printers that are P.I.M.-enabled, work perfectly together to create the best possible prints automatically. Currently there are over 180 P.I.M.-enabled products from 24 manufacturers of digital cameras, printers and software. Additional information regarding P.I.M. technology, as well as a comprehensive list of P.I.M.-enabled cameras, software and printers is available at www.printimagematching.com. About Epson Epson offers an extensive array of award-winning image capture and image output products for the consumer, business, photography, and graphic arts markets. The company is also a leading supplier of value-added point-of-sale (POS) printers and transaction terminals for the retail market. Founded in 1975, Epson America, Inc. is the U.S. affiliate of Japan-based Seiko Epson Corporation, a global manufacturer and supplier of high-quality technology products that meet customer demands for increased functionality, compactness, systems integration, and energy efficiency. Epson America, Inc. is headquartered in Long Beach, Calif. For more information on Epson and its products, call 1-800-GO-EPSON (1-800-463-7766) or visit the company's Web site at www.epson.com. Note: Epson and EPSON Stylus are registered trademarks of Seiko Epson Corp. Third party brand or product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders. * Windows only SOURCE: Epson America, Inc.www.epson.com ^ back to top PRESS RELEASE: EXTENSIS ANNOUNCES PRO PHOTO RAW IMAGE FILTER FOR PORTFOLIO 7 Free filter powered by Bibble Labs enables professional photographers to read Raw data from image files of leading digital SLR cameras. 10/1/04 - (9/27/04) Extensis Inc. today announced an update to its Pro Photo Raw Image Filter for Portfolio 7. The updated filter will be a free upgrade for registered owners of Extensis' digital asset management (DAM) solution for organizing digital photos, illustrations, page layouts and presentations. With the Pro Photo Raw Image Filter, Portfolio generates high-quality thumbnails and previews from the unprocessed raw image files created by professional digital cameras from Nikon, Olympus, Kodak, Canon, Fuji, Konica-Minolta, Pentax and Imacon. With the Pro Photo Raw Image Filter, Portfolio 7 can extract EXIF metadata and IPTC from the Raw files, create thumbnails for displaying the images in catalogs, and generate high-resolution JPEG previews on the fly for detailed viewing, printing, slideshows and QuickTime movies. "There have been rapid developments in the digital camera industry since we released our first Raw camera support for Portfolio last year," said Dan Harlacher, Extensis Portfolio product manager. "With this update, professional photographers now have the Raw camera support they demand for keeping pace with the new camera developments without losing the ability to preview, keyword, organize and sort thousands of images within Portfolio without getting bogged down in a lengthy conversion process." Many pro-level photographers produce digital photos in Raw format because it preserves 100 percent of the color and tonal range data captured by the camera's light-sensitive computer chip in an uncompressed, lossless form. Raw files can serve as digital "negatives" or master images that can later be converted into more standard formats (such as TIFF or JPEG) with a variety of tools that give the photographer control over how the original data is ultimately rendered. The Pro Photo Raw Image filter for Portfolio is powered by technology from Bibble Labs, one of the leading developers of raw image processing software. "We are pleased to once again combine the power of Bibble Labs' Raw image processing technology with Portfolio's unique digital asset management solution," said Eric Hyman CEO of Bibble Labs. The following cameras and file formats are supported by the updated Pro Photo Raw Image Filter for Portfolio 7: Nikon--D1/D1x/D1h/D100, D70/D2h Fuji S2 Pro/S7000Z Olympus- E10/E20/E1/C5050/C5060 Kodak--DCS 14n/DCS 760C/DCS 760M/720X/ Pro Back/Pro Back Plus/Pro Back 645 for Contax, Mamiva and Hasselblad H1/DCS SLR/n/DCS SLR/c Canon--OS D30/ EOS D60/ EOS 10D/ EOS 1D/ EOS 1Ds/ EOS 1D Mark II/ EOS Digital Rebel/300D/Kiss/ Powershot G5/ Powershot G3/Powershot G2/ Powershot G1/ Powershot S50/ Powershot S45/ Powershot S40/ Powershot S30/ Powershot Pro90 IS Konica-Minolta--A1/A2 Pentax--*ist D Imacon--(extracts 680X680 preview and metadata only. Extensis recommends the newest version of Flexcolor for proper metadata support) Flexframe 3020/Flexframe 4040/All iXpress Backs/ All Flextight Scanners using FFF format. Support for additional cameras will be added in the future. Pricing and Availability The Pro Photo Raw Image Filter for Portfolio will be available by Q4 2004 via download from the Extensis website and is free of charge for registered Portfolio 7 users. Portfolio 7 is available for a suggested retail price of $199.95US for full product. About Portfolio 7 The Portfolio suite of Digital Asset Management (DAM) products is designed to meet the needs of the most demanding content creation workgroups through four components: Portfolio Client, Portfolio Server, Portfolio NetPublish and Portfolio SQL Connect. Portfolio provides powerful Client/Server digital asset management for both desktops and networked workgroups, allowing collaborative teams to organize, find and share digital files quickly. About Extensis, Inc. Extensis Inc., a Celartem company, is a leading provider of software solutions that empower digital asset creators and users. Extensis' award winning products are used by hundreds of Fortune 5000 companies and include: Portfolio for digital asset management and Suitcase and Font Reserve for font management. Extensis was founded in 1993 and is based in Portland, Oregon and the United Kingdom. Extensis is a wholly owned subsidiary of Celartem Technology USA Inc., a division of Celartem Technology Inc., Japan (Hercules: 4330). For additional information, please visit our website at http://www.extensis.com or call 1-800-796-9798. About Bibble Labs Located in Austin, Texas, Bibble Labs was founded in 2000 to develop technologies and software for high quality processing of raw files from a wide variety of digital cameras. Bibble Labs stand-alone products are used by thousands of photographers all over the world to quickly and accurately process their raw photos. It's technologies and expertise are increasingly becoming the standard other companies turn to when they wish to embed raw image processing technology in their products. For more information, please visit our website at http://www.bibblelabs.com. Licensing inquiries may be addressed to bibble@bibblelabs.com. SOURCE: Extensis, Inc.www.extensis.com ^ back to top Home | About Us | Advertise | Contact Us News & Reviews | How-To's | Resources © 2002-2006 Harald Johnson Communications. All rights reserved.