HP Expands Digital Photography Offerings for Consumers and Pros
New solutions offer users quality, ease of use and affordability
PALO ALTO, Calif., — In advance of the annual Photo Marketing
Association (PMA) show in Orlando, Fla., HP today announced several new
offerings designed to further the company’s leadership in the digital
photography market by delivering high-quality, easy-to-use and affordable
solutions for everyone from beginners to pros.
Highlighting this news, HP announced its entry into the $20 billion-plus
advanced amateur market with the introduction of the industry’s first
nine-ink color and black-and-white photo printer that produces finished,
professional-quality photos up to 13 x 19-inches.
To enable the best at-home printing experience for consumers, HP announced
photo lab-quality prints that can be produced for as little as 24 cents.
(1)
Recognizing that a great image begins with a great camera, the company also
expanded its line of award-winning digital cameras with the introduction of
five new models, including the limited-edition HP Photosmart BMW
Williams.F1 Team Special Edition Digital Camera.
For the professional photography market, HP expanded the HP Designjet line
with the new HP Designjet 90 Printer series – the most affordable 18-inch
photo printer on the market – delivering rich tones, true color consistency
and excellent resistance to light fading for prints that last for
generations. (2)
Today’s product announcements are the first of many digital photography
products – including photo printers, inks, specialty media, digital
cameras, scanners and PCs – HP plans to deliver in 2005 to support the
company’s strategy to deliver the best overall photography experience.
“HP provides a simple path for consumers and professionals alike to
capture, print and share their photos the way they want, when and where
they want,” said Vyomesh Joshi, executive vice president, Imaging and
Personal Systems Group, HP. “Our complete portfolio sets a new standard in
the industry for long-lasting, high-quality photos at affordable prices.”
Gallery-quality results that last for generations with HP photo printers
Bridging the gap between its professional and consumer lines of photo
printers, HP has entered into the advanced amateur market with the HP
Photosmart 8750 Professional Photo Printer. With the new HP 101 Blue Photo
Inkjet Print Cartridge, this printer enables nine-ink color prints that
deliver noticeable improvements in images with intense blues, including
landscapes, seascapes and sports photos.
Additionally, the Photosmart 8750 offers color management controls and
remarkable printer flexibility to produce realistic color and true
black-and-white photos with neutral grays. It is expected to be available
in April for an estimated U.S. street price of $499. (3)
HP Photosmart printers using HP Vivera Inks and HP Premium and Premium Plus
Photo Papers offer the optimal combination of image quality and fade
resistance, providing more than 100 years lightfastness under glass and
more than 200 years in archive. (2)
For creative professionals in the photography, design and proofing fields,
the HP Designjet 90 Printer series provides extraordinary color output and
enables professional color management capabilities with HP Professional
Color Technologies. A six-color, A2+/C+-size (up to 18 x 24-inches)
solution that offers full Mac connectivity, the Designjet 90 also has the
ability to print postcard-size images, full-color pages or banner-style
pieces with a C+-size tray and an optional roll-feed capability for
printing up to 18 inches.
When combined with HP Vivera Inks and select HP papers, the HP Designjet 90
Printer series delivers output quality, color accuracy and fade resistance
(4) similar to analog printing and faster turnarounds on proofs at a lower
cost. The HP Designjet 90 Printer series is expected to be available this
summer at estimated U.S. street prices of $995 to $1,150. (3)
Additionally, HP has partnered with leaders in the industry to offer a
complete solution for the digital photographer. These include digital input
from solutions such as: Creo’s Leaf digital camera backs and scanners;
color management solutions from GretagMacbeth – featuring software and
hardware profiling customized for the HP Designjet 90 Printer series; and,
photo manipulation and image enhancement using Adobe Photoshop=AE.
Stylish new line of digital cameras offer quality and simplicity
HP’s new line of cameras, including the HP Photosmart R717, M417, M22 and
M23 Digital Cameras with HP Instant Share, offer users quality, simplicity
and style at estimated prices ranging from $149 to $349. (3)
The HP Photosmart R717 Digital Camera, with durable, stainless steel
construction, and the HP Photosmart M417 both feature a unique ergonomic
grip. The HP Photosmart M22 and M23 Digital Cameras come in a new
weather-resistant all-metal case for taking photos in a variety of
conditions.
To help ensure that printed photos result in picture-perfect color output,
all of these new digital cameras feature HP’s exclusive Real Life
technologies — a series of technical advancements developed by HP Labs,
the company’s central research facility, that helps take the guesswork out
of digital photography and makes it easy to produce great photos that are
crisp, realistic and true to life.
Partnering with iconic brands for a personalized approach to cameras
This year, HP is partnering with influential brands to personalize one of
its top-selling cameras, offering consumers products that fit their unique
style. In time for the start of the Formula One racing season, HP worked
with BMW to create the HP Photosmart BMW Williams.F1 Team Special Edition
Digital Camera. Designed for car and racing enthusiasts, the navy blue
camera “revs” like an engine when turned on and features unique packaging –
a silver collectors’ tin embossed with the HP and BMW logos.
This comes on the heels of the HP Photosmart “Harajuku Lovers” Digital
Camera, (5) which HP co-designed with singer-songwriter, performer, actress
and now fashion designer Gwen Stefani. HP teamed with Stefani to design a
digital camera that would appeal to teens and tweens, a market where
Stefani has tremendous recognition and influence. Both limited-edition
cameras are stylized versions of the HP Photosmart R607 Digital Camera.
Photo cards provide consumers with an easy way to personalize
Complementing HP’s wide array of photo media, HP’s new line of 4 x 8-inch
HP Premium Photo Cards include HP Design Studio software, containing more
than 100 designs developed by AmericanGreetings.com. These cards provide
users with the flexibility and convenience to create and personalize
greeting cards for special occasions.
HP also announced the availability of HP Image Zone Express 1.5 for free
download on www.hp.com/go/ize. HP Image Zone Express provides an
easy-to-use software solution for viewing, organizing, editing, printing
and sharing photos with family and friends.
Pricing and availability
Detailed information on pricing and availability for the above-mentioned
products and more announced at PMA is available in an online press kit at
www.hp.com/go/pma2005.
About HP
HP is a technology solutions provider to consumers, businesses and
institutions globally. The company’s offerings span IT infrastructure,
global services, business and home computing, and imaging and printing. For
the four fiscal quarters ended Jan. 31, 2005, HP revenue totaled $81.8
billion. More information about HP (NYSE, Nasdaq: HPQ) is available at
www.hp.com.