Press Release: Kodak Sets a New Pace for Home Picture Printing; Unveils Innovative, Universal Photo Printers and Advanced Printer Dock


Eastman Kodak Company:
-- Latest Additions to Best-Selling Snapshot Printer Lineup Extend Kodak's Leadership in Wireless Capability, Display Size, and Automatic Picture Enhancement

Building on its highly successful line of EASYSHARE printer docks, Eastman Kodak Company today significantly grew its at-home printing presence by introducing three innovative products, including universal models that make real KODAK pictures from nearly any digital camera for as little as 29 cents per print. Kodak already has the best-selling snapshot printers in the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia, which collectively account for nearly 75 percent of the world's snapshot printer volume. The new products include:
-- The universal KODAK EASYSHARE Photo Printer 500 (US$249), debuting with the world's largest (3.5-inch) LCD screen on a snapshot printer, which is intended for owners of virtually any brand of digital camera and recent camera phones;
-- The KODAK EASYSHARE Printer Dock Plus Series 3 (US$179), designed for use with KODAK EASYSHARE and IMAGELINK print system enabled digital cameras, which delivers automated KODAK PERFECT TOUCH Technology to home printing for the first time;
-- The universal KODAK EASYSHARE Photo Printer 300 (US$119), which produces real KODAK pictures directly from a computer or PICTBRIDGE enabled camera.
Both the KODAK EASYSHARE Photo Printer 500 and Printer Dock Plus Series 3 allow for optional wireless printing via Wi-Fi technology -- an industry first for dedicated snapshot printers.
In addition, people can now inexpensively print waterproof, durable, stain-resistant KODAK pictures at home for as low as 29 cents each with new 160-count paper-and-ink refill packs (US$46.99).
These products will begin reaching retail stores by October, complementing the existing EASYSHARE Printer Dock Series 3 (US$149), as well as multiple KODAK EASYSHARE Digital Photo Solutions packages that combine digital cameras, printer docks, and software.
"With today's announcement, Kodak innovation is making it even easier for anyone, regardless of their camera or mobile device brand, to print and share real KODAK pictures as consistently, quickly and effortlessly as possible," said Lisa VanDeMark, Kodak's worldwide marketing director for snapshot printing.
Innovative Picture Enhancement and Wireless Technologies
For the first time, innovative KODAK PERFECT TOUCH Technology is automatically applied to all pictures made with the Photo Printer 500 and Printer Dock Plus Series 3, resulting in better, brighter pictures with fewer dark shadows. People can also choose to reduce red-eye with the push of a single button.
The Photo Printer 500 and Printer Dock Plus Series 3 embed BLUETOOTH(R) wireless technology to help people print from devices such as mobile phones and PDAs without cables or additional accessories. With the simple insertion of the optional KODAK WI-FI(R) card, these printers allow people to print wirelessly from the groundbreaking KODAK EASYSHARE-ONE digital camera or computers on a home Wi-Fi network -- a first for dedicated snapshot printers. The Printer Dock Plus Series 3 also incorporates infrared technology for use with a wide variety of portable devices.
KODAK EASYSHARE Photo Printer 500
The universal KODAK EASYSHARE Photo Printer 500 brings the benefits of real KODAK pictures at home to virtually all digital camera and camera phone owners -- with or without a computer. People who use CANON, SONY, OLYMPUS, NIKON, HP and other camera brands can experience the same great quality that EASYSHARE camera owners have enjoyed for the past two years.
With the Photo Printer 500, people can view and edit their pictures on a huge, bright, 3.5-inch LCD screen -- the world's largest on a snapshot photo printer. The LCD screen can easily be opened and closed, making it more convenient to move around the home or take on trips, as well as protecting it from dust.
The Photo Printer 500 makes real KODAK pictures easily, directly, and consistently from virtually any digital media in about 60 seconds, including most popular memory cards (SD, MMC, CF, xD, MEMORY STICK), USB flash memory devices, PICTBRIDGE enabled digital cameras, mobile devices enabled with BLUETOOTH wireless technology, and Wi-Fi enabled computers (optional KODAK WI-FI card required for the printer).
Pictures are enhanced with KODAK PERFECT TOUCH Technology, automatically delivering better pictures without requiring users to master complex menu structures. Red-eye reduction is also available at the touch of a button.
KODAK EASYSHARE Printer Dock Plus Series 3
Only the EASYSHARE line of printer docks makes printing truly one-touch simple, not requiring people to connect a cable between camera and printer. The new KODAK EASYSHARE Printer Dock Plus Series 3 is the fastest, simplest way to get real KODAK pictures at home using a KODAK EASYSHARE or IMAGELINK print system enabled camera -- with or without a computer. Just place the camera on the dock, press the print button, and pick up the picture in about 60 seconds.
Pictures are now enhanced with KODAK PERFECT TOUCH Technology, and people can reduce the appearance of red eye with just one touch of a dedicated button.
Wireless compatibility simplifies connections to picture-taking and viewing devices, as does support for IMAGELINK and PICTBRIDGE technologies. A built-in SD/MMC card reader and optional 8-in-1 card reader provides additional picture input options.
Printer docks further simplify the digital photography experience. KODAK EASYSHARE digital camera owners benefit from one-touch picture transfer to a connected computer. They also gain the convenience of rapid, in-camera battery recharging in 3.5 hours or less, as well as reconditioning for optional KODAK Ni-MH rechargeable batteries to maximize their capacity.
KODAK EASYSHARE Photo Printer 300
The streamlined EASYSHARE Photo Printer 300 is designed to print real KODAK pictures in seconds from PICTBRIDGE enabled cameras, or from personal computers with WINDOWS or MACINTOSH operating systems. For people who want to edit their pictures prior to printing, the package includes a copy of KODAK EASYSHARE Software -- one of the most widely used picture viewing/storing/editing titles in the world, with more than 22 million copies in circulation.
Simplifying the Purchasing Experience - All-in-One Digital Photo Solutions
In 2004, Kodak was the first photography company to create a line of "bundled" packages combining digital cameras, printer docks, and software. The company continues to lead the market in this respect, with 15 EASYSHARE Digital Photo Solutions currently or soon to be available. New bundles will continue to be introduced on a country-by-country basis as the holiday gift-giving season approaches.
The KODAK EASYSHARE System
KODAK EASYSHARE digital photography system -- consisting of cameras, viewers, software, docks, home snapshot printers, services, papers and accessories -- makes taking, organizing, sharing, and printing high quality digital pictures effortless. More information on KODAK EASYSHARE products is available at www.kodak.com/go/EasyShare.
About Eastman Kodak Company
Kodak is the leader in helping people take, share, print and view images - for memories, for information, for business, and for entertainment. With sales of $13.5 billion in 2004, the company is committed to a digitally oriented growth strategy focused on four businesses: Digital & Film Imaging Systems - providing consumers, professionals and cinematographers with digital and traditional products and services; Health - supplying the medical and dental professions with traditional and digital imaging and information systems, IT solutions and services; Graphic Communications - providing customers with a range of solutions for prepress, traditional and digital printing, and document scanning and multi-vendor IT services; and Display & Components - supplying original equipment manufacturers with imaging sensors as well as intellectual property and materials for the organic light-emitting diode (OLED) and LCD display industries. More information about Kodak (EK) is available at www.kodak.com.
For photos of the EASYSHARE printers go to: http://www.kodak.com/go/presscenter
Compatibility with BLUETOOTH wireless technology requires that mobile devices support OPP and FTP profiles. Please check with individual handset, PDA, and other device manufacturers for specifications.
Wi-Fi printing from the EASYSHARE-ONE digital camera will be enabled at launch. Printing wirelessly from a computer on a home Wi-Fi network will require a free firmware update planned for later this year. Optional KODAK WI-FI card required.
Kodak, EasyShare, EasyShare-One, ImageLink and Perfect Touch are trademarks of Eastman Kodak Company. The Bluetooth wordmark and logos are owned by the Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and any use of such marks by Kodak is under license.
SOURCE: Eastman Kodak Company

Ketchum
Lisa Christie, 646-935-4004
lisa.christie@ketchum.com
or
Eastman Kodak Company
Kathy Rauschenberg, 770-522-2862
kathy.rauschenberg@kodak.com
Copyright Business Wire 2005 ********************************************************************** As of Monday, 08-29-2005 23:59, the latest Comtex SmarTrend(SM) Alert, an automated pattern recognition system, indicated a DOWNTREND on 08-03-2005 for EK @ $25.95. (C) 2005 Comtex News Network, Inc. All rights reserved.

Posted: Fri - September 2, 2005 at 08:09 AM          

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