Konica outlines Internet printing service

4th March - 2002
By Ian Burley

Konica UK has revealed plans for an unusual Internet printing service, myphotoworld.com, that will be open for business next month. It’s unusual because it doesn’t offer any Web-based functionality. Instead, customers must use software provided by Konica to select and prepare their photos for online submission to the printing service. A simplified flow diagram is below:

Four software applications are provided: KD Image Print, which lets you order prints and photo-based gifts, KD Image Manager, an image management and simple image editing and enhancement program, KD On-line Print Wizard, which sounds a bit like KID Image Print but is for Windows XP users and takes use of the integrated print ordering system in XP and finally there is KD Image Share - this lets you share your photos, not via Web galleries, but via email.

The software will be supplied with Konica digital cameras and participating Konica dealers. You will also be able to download it from the myphotoworld.com Web site when it opens in April.

Konica dealers will benefit from the system if a customer chooses to have his or her pictures processed and collected locally instead of centrally and posted mail order.

Konica is not the first to by-pass the Web after a large number of Web-based printing services have fallen by the wayside over the last year. These services have fallen victim of high demand for online storage and related gallery services failing to be matched by print orders. Konica’s system is an attempt at providing an online service that avoids the problems of first generation services, while adding value for its network of Konica minilab high street processing partners.

Would you use an online print service without online photo sharing galleries? Click here to let us know.

www.konicaphoto.co.uk

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