By incorporating Epson's high-resolution inkjet printing technology into a commercial-duty minilab, Noritsu is giving businesses of all types the opportunity to generate additional revenues by outputting prints from digital cameras. Hotels, tourist attractions, and retailers who don't want to mess with conventional sensitized photofinishing materials can install the Noritsu dDP-411 digital dry printer. (“Dry” photofinishing means that no chemicals are used and equipment owners don't have to worry about odors or waste disposal issues.) The unit is also suitable for use in photography studios, design firms, and corporate offices.
Sporting a footprint of just 11 sq ft., Noritsu's dDP-411 is less than half the size of standard minilabs. What's more, it operates on standard electrical current. The minilab can output up to 400 3 1/2- x 5-in. prints per hour as well as enlargements up to 12 x 18 in. It can process media from various digital camera cards and can be networked to PC workstations.
When the minilab is equipped with Noritsu's CT-1 consumer terminal, customers can load their own digital files and place orders from CDs and digital camera cards. At the recent Imaging USA Show for professional photographers, Noritsu demonstrated the system with Express Digital software for enhancing, proofing, previewing, and selling portraits and event photos, and then sending the selected shots to photo labs for processing. The software can also automate the application of overlays, borders, graphics and text to individual images or batches of photos. (Noritsu: www.noritsu.com)