Kodak Introduces Digital Photo Kiosk Lineup

Kodak has introduced a line of digital photo kiosks, bringing a smaller design and a name change to its retail printing option.

TWICE (This Week In Consumer Electronics) - December 15, 2005

Greg Scoblete

ROCHESTER, N.Y. - Kodak has introduced a line of digital photo kiosks, bringing a smaller design and a name change to its retail printing option.

No longer the Picture Maker, Kodak's new Picture Kiosk G4 weighs in with a 30 percent decrease in footprint and weight from the G3 family. Alongside the new styling, the G4 kiosk is said to offer faster print speeds, able to produce a 4-inch by 6-inch print in four seconds and a faster processor to speed image transfers from memory cards. Combined with a new user interface.

Kodak said the new configuration was designed to reduce transaction time and serve as an "economic alternative" to installing a digital mini lab.

Kodak also claimed to improve the system's overall reliability to reduce downtime.

The G4 supports printing and Picture CD burning from memory cards, USB drives, CDs/DVDs, prints and wireless printing via Bluetooth and IR. The kiosk can also print bordered photos and photo calendars.

The kiosk is anchored by the new Photo Printers 6850 and 8800 thermal dye sublimation printers, which can produce 8- by 10-inch prints in as little as 39 seconds.

Picture Maker software version 5.2 includes capabilities that will help to drive incremental sales of services, presents information for additional photo services available and allows adding an additional service to an order with just one touch. Version 5.2 comes standard on the G4 and is available for installation on thousands of existing Kodak Picture Maker G3 kiosks.

The Picture Kiosk G4 line will begin shipping to the first retailers now, with more widespread availability in 2006.