Now that digital cameras, printers, scanners, and all-in-one devices are mainstream products, the digital photo no longer mystifies the average user. Chances are you’re not the first on the block to own a digital camera, scan in your fading photo prints, or print them out on a home ink jet printer or all-in-one unit. Up-to-date users in the consumer or SOHO (small office/home office) markets are sending photos by email, uploading them to Web sites, and incorporating images in PowerPoint presentations. They are now printing photos at home, rather than relying on prints from the neighborhood photo lab.
Thanks to growing awareness levels, the consumer and home office market segments are receptive to new digital technology. Even PC vendors recognize the “cool factor” of digital photography and are bundling their products with digital photo solutions. Digital equipment providers are expanding the market by offering consumers a more complete digital photo experience.
The new year will continue to bring value-added features and a variety of solutions that will differentiate printing and scanning brands from each other. Good news for the consumer and SOHO user is that the best of imaging technology is migrating down from high-end devices and is offered at affordable prices. The challenge for a manufacturer is to make feature-rich products easy to use and understand, such as out-of-the box configurations that are ready for what the customer wants to do.
Well-informed consumers are looking for more than just faster speed and better photo quality printers. As users store more digital content on CDs, they are increasingly attracted to features such as printing directly onto the surface of inkjet-printable CD-R and DVD-R media, eliminating the expense, inconvenience, and risk of using adhesive labels. They can easily design professional-looking CDs and DVDs with customized text, colorful backgrounds and images.
Restoring Old Photos
Another trend is a growing awareness of the importance of durable output. Consumers are finding their old albums full of faded photographs from the days when color prints were supposed to last well into the next century. The discovery is sparking an increasing interest in tools to restore old photos and prevent the damage from happening again.
These old photos are finding new life in the digital world. The scanning function is on the rise, and many consumers and home office users now rely on their all-in-one device, which combines printing, scanning and copying, or single dedicated scanner. Users can then apply tools like the Epson Easy Photo Fix for one-touch color restoration of faded photos, slides and negatives. Another growing use of scanners at home or in the small office is to help organize the proverbial shoebox of photos or business cards through innovations like the Epson Multi Photo/Business Card Feeder in the Epson Perfection 2450 and 2580 Photo scanners.
Consumers like the freedom to crop, resize, save and print photos directly from popular memory cards or picture CDs, without having to connect to a PC. Printers like the Epson Stylus Photo R320 also include small color preview monitors for viewing and selecting images before printing them. As customers learn more, they’ll pay more attention to the cost per page and the benefits of emerging technologies.
There is no doubt that digital printing and scanning segment of the consumer and SOHO market is one of the most watched in the industry. The future brings much opportunity to those who provide digital technology to consumers and home offices. We will be faced with more issues to improve digital workflow from a lifestyle perspective and provide easy access to images. As more users purchase digital cameras, all in ones, scanners and printers, they will look for ways to keep the process simple yet flexible. Epson will continue to focus on providing front-line solutions to photographers, whether consumer, small business or professional.
