Photokina 2000 (World Image Trade Fair): Imaging Technology Brings Different Changes to Print Mode

(Photokina 2000: The Printing Model Revolution for Photography is Different) The printing and publishing of digital pictures and texts is moving dramatically toward the "first release and later print" mode, which has now emerged. Obviously, millions of consumers now share digital images over the Internet and print at home – but the quality of images and text printing is still very different. Image experts have been looking forward to the constant transformation of digital still photography technology. The recent biennial Photokina in Cologne, Germany, showed that the result of rethinking the printing model was to expand it into the photography field and use a different way from printing. Imaging. However, what it means does not change much less than how to deal with film and digitize this change. More than 160,000 visitors are expecting new things to appear at the "World Image Trade Fair." They are not disappointed. Digital output on image film can now be performed without the need for full processing of the film. Dry digital processing At the beginning of this year, ASF developed the first dry film digitizer, which is a technology that has been focused on since the birth of advanced image processing technology. But at Photokina, people were still surprised when they saw Digital Now, a company from Vienna, showing film digitizers. They could convert undeveloped films into numbers, and could further digitize color negatives. This is an ASF technology that cannot be achieved. Why are people interested in developing dry film technology? Because it is easy to obtain digital files from film, it undoubtedly extends the life of the film. Cameras, especially disposable ones, are inexpensive and can be seen everywhere. After wet and dry, there is no need for wet processing. The operation of the darkroom can be converted into digital files in just a few minutes, and no other tools are required. This is different from electronic processing. What ASF and Digital Now did was: make a silver salt image on top and bottom of the color negative film, and use a very sophisticated computer computing system to infer color and density information missing from the middle layer of the film. Surprisingly, neither of them has reached the level of satisfaction of most discriminating audiences. Some people may remember the history of their photographs, recalling that early 20th century Kodak color film was the first two-color film, but there was no advanced computer to correct the image. Printing Technology Color film processing on Photokina is not the only new technology focus. Laboratory digital printing services have many surprising results, including inkjet technology and electrophotography. At the Photo Marketing Association's trade show in the beginning of the year, we heard about the announcement of a joint development plan for the development of laboratory inkjet printers. This is the company that was eventually named Phogenix, who designed an inkjet printer for microlabs that can print 500 sheets per hour. Phogenix executives are currently in Photokina, but their presses were not processed in time and did not catch the show. Another inkjet printer for microlabs, from PhotoHub 208, was developed jointly by Gretag and Epson. It has the appearance of a beautiful Italian industrial design, but the interior is a traditional ink jet printer designed to print 150 printed sheets per hour and has not been completed in time to catch up with Photokina's exhibition. The product works by providing several satellite input stations through which consumers can deliver their designs or digital images to a printing facility. What's surprising about electrostatic printing customers' products is that PhotoHub's press is very similar to a new product launched by Xerox, Pixography, which is designed for and has been widely adopted in DocuColor 12 color. Copier/printer supporting work. (Xerox chose its Pixography product to be launched at the Graph Expo in Chicago.) With the trail system with a touch screen, Pixography takes care of both consumers and service providers, and both parties feel easy to use. Because the consumer's information is directly fed back to DocuColor 12. On the output side, Xerox has produced a digital color photographic paper that uses a waterproof glossy overlay film to eliminate the paper surface unevenness that occurs during color-printing electrophotographic processes. An important feature of Pixography is optionality. It can program fully automatic cutting machines to cut the printed sheets to any size, or into sheets or rolls. The final printed page can be cut only once for input and then folded without any manual operation. Pixography will be available soon and will be sold directly by Xerox. The system, together with the DocuCutter 545, is $20,995 and $13,995 without a cutter. Paying attention to the launch of Pixography is an interesting thing, because several other companies like Agfa Gevaert, Fuji, Gretag, Kodak, Pixel Magic and others also publish their workstations. This trend makes the printing model itself hint that will continue to pay attention to family The demand for printing has risen with the demand for high-quality output in the retail sector. Digital press makers' transitional electronic imaging printing technology is more dramatic in image finishing. The digital printing company Indigo formed a strategic alliance with Hewlett-Packard, bringing several interactive printout systems that can be applied to the printing of various images from model studios to microlabs. Indigo's exhibition is very similar to the exhibition of Durpa's printing event last May. The valuation is close, and the product can be shipped before Photokina launches. For professional studios, their Photo e-Print Pro solution is a sheet-fed press that can produce glossy paper prints in sizes of 12.5 x 17.5 feet and 4 x 6 feet. At the same time, their picture cutting system will soon be installed at the second test station to assess quality and productivity. Photo e-Print Pro, an image electronic printing specialist, is expected to sell for $205,000 and was already available in the first half of 2001. For the "image and electronic printing expert 5K", the expected selling price is 350,000 US dollars and it can be listed in early 2002. "Image Electronics Printing Expert 20K" is also expected to be available for sale in 2002 at a price of $800,000. All printing machines are the same except for different paper handling and classified input and output. The glossy paper includes the outermost coating to weaken the uneven surface appearance. Competitor Xeikon showed digital color printers connected to label makers and packaging machines to form digital image finishing stations. Xeikon's employees think that the invention of a label manufacturing station can be described as a fluke, because the company's production positioning is not far from the European Indigo. Because the Xeikon printing machine uses a web of paper, the label maker is very suitable for cutting the length and width of the paper. The representative of Xeikon said that his product can print 8,600 sheets per hour and can be expected to reach 20,000 sheets per hour. The expected price is between $400,000 and $450,000. With regard to more retail sales, a large number of new products have been launched at Photokina, with the goal of providing digital printing services to retail or wholesalers. Frankly speaking, the quality of these products is barely acceptable and has a photographic quality. Indigo and Xeikon have many years of printing experience, and their products are judged by many observers to have a photographic quality. Kodak's I system uses silver halide color photo paper in the laboratory, which has reached 7,800 sheets per hour and is expected to reach 20,000 sheets in the near future. You can conclude that as these large machines are put into use, the competition will be more intense.