Eastman Kodak Company

Kodak Makes It Easier for Consumers To Print Digital Pictures

Expanded Availability of KODAK Picture Maker Digital Printing Kiosks Makes Printing Quality Digital Pictures at Retail Locations Easier Than Ever

ROCHESTER, N.Y., June 24 -- Digital camera adoption has reached mainstream status with millions of American consumers participating in digital photography. Kodak, the trusted guide in photography for more than a century, is helping educate consumers by offering solutions to their digital printing questions and expanding the availability of KODAK Picture Maker digital print kiosks.

According to InfoTrends, approximately 30 percent of U.S. households owned digital cameras in 2003. That number is expected to grow to 41 percent by the end of 2004. Surprisingly, consumers have been hesitant to embrace the final stage of adoption – printing digital pictures – until now.

Preserving Memories

Preservation of memories has begun to play an important role in fueling the demand for digital printing. A 2003 Photo Marketing Association study titled “The Path from Pixels to Prints,” reported that the preservation of memories overtook sending photos by e-mail in 2002 as the top reason for taking pictures with a digital camera.

“This is a notable shift in digital camera users’ behavior because the desire to preserve memories will lead to the desire for printed copies,” said Kerry Flatley, a consultant at InfoTrends. “Preserving memories on CDs, DVDs and especially hard drives is perilous since these methods are dependant on technology. Photos printed on archival paper are a time-tested preservation method. As digital camera users realize this, they will be more likely to print their photos.”

PMA statistics reveal that, due to the growing popularity of printing digital pictures, digital printing is set to increase exponentially over the next two years with a projected 5.4 billion pictures made from digital images during 2004 and increasing to 10.6 billion in 2006.

Digital printing at retail locations is the most rapidly growing digital printing option and is becoming more recognized by digital camera users as a viable option for obtaining quality digital pictures. According to PMA, more than six percent of all prints in 2004 are projected to be digital prints made in a retail environment. By 2006, more than 20 percent of prints will fit this description.

“More and more families are using digital cameras to archive memories, and in turn, we are beginning to see a surge in the demand to print physical pictures,” said Scott Auer, Vice President, Retail Imaging, US, Digital & Film Imaging Systems, Kodak. “Kodak has heard from consumers that while they love the digital photography experience, what they really miss are their pictures. And we are making it easier for consumers to print high quality pictures on their own terms.”  

Printing Gets Easier

Research from Kodak indicates that 32 percent of the primary digital camera consumer (primarily women and families with young children) print two or less digital pictures out of every 10 taken, indicating a continued lack of awareness on how to get quality prints quickly and easily. Kodak offers helpful suggestions for making printing digital pictures easier than ever.

• Print Quality Pictures

A recent survey commissioned by Kodak revealed that nine out of 10 U.S. mothers believe that print quality is the most important attribute for printing digital pictures at retail locations.

Kodak is putting the control in consumers’ hands with KODAK Picture Maker digital print kiosks. These kiosks are designed to print high quality prints and are equipped with state-of-the-art KODAK PERFECT TOUCH digital processing that enables consumers to get pictures with sharp details and vibrant colors they can be proud to share and display in their homes. In the June 2004 issue of Good Housekeeping, the Good Housekeeping Institute reported that, in tests, print quality from the KODAK Picture Maker digital print kiosks was superior to that of its chief competitor.

• Look For Print Solutions at Retail Locations

“Kodak wants to make printing in any environment as easy as possible,” said Auer. “A significant amount of consumers are looking for digital printing solutions at retail offering immediate satisfaction in viewing and printing pictures, control over the quantity of pictures printed and the price you are willing to spend on prints, and mirrors the behavior of consumers taking their film to a retail location for processing.”

By expanding the availability of KODAK Picture Maker digital print kiosks by 75 percent this year, Kodak offers the most widely available network of digital printing kiosks. With more than 12,000 KODAK Picture Maker digital print kiosks, Kodak is the industry leader in providing U.S. consumers with digital printing options.

A dealer locator tool is now available at www.kodak.com/go/picturemaker so consumers can easily locate the retail location offering KODAK Picture Maker digital print kiosks nearest them.

About KODAK Picture Maker Digital Print Kiosks

The self-service KODAK Picture Maker digital kiosks print pictures in seconds from just about any digital camera memory card including: SECUREDIGITAL (SD) cards, MultiMedia Card (MMC), COMPACTFLASH, SMARTMEDIA, MEMORY STICK, MEMORY STICK PRO and xD-PICTURE card.

Available as an accessory to KODAK Picture Maker digital print kiosks, Kodak offers consumers mobile printing capabilities using BLUETOOTH or infrared technologies. Camera-phone users simply take a picture with their mobile imaging-enabled phone, select the wireless option or insert their memory card, and upload or beam the photo to a KODAK Picture Maker digital print kiosk. Consumers then follow the on-screen directions to easily edit, enhance and print their pictures.

KODAK and Perfect Touch are trademarks of Eastman Kodak Company.

2004