Fuji Film recently introduced one of the lightest printers in the market, one
which weighs just 250 grams. This printer prints high resolution pictures that
have photorealistic quality. Also, it is easy to carry, communicates
wirelessly and works without a PC. There are similar printers from Sony,
Kodak, Canon, Zebra, Epson, Olympus and even Hewlett-Packard (considered a
computer and instruments company). What is interesting about these printers is
the paradigm shift in the thinking of the end consumer about the
role of the printer and the deep inroads made by digital technology in
the consumer space. (my Column in Financial Express that appeared on July
25, 2003)
Much of the desktop printing traces its origin to computer printers.
Starting as line printers that were used for printing large volume, data
processing reports (payroll and inventory), printers moved to the desktop,
thanks to dot matrix printing technology that enabled graphic printing. Soon,
by replacing the mechanical pins with laser beam and inkjets, there were
superior quality laser printers and inkjet printers; they were quiet too. It
was just a question of time before they embraced colour, making them far more
attractive to the end user. Today, practically every other desktop printer
is an inkjet or laser colour printer.
It is natural for computer and information processing professionals to view
printers as “peripheral” to a computer, as output devices for data stored in
the computer memory after due processing. Often, what is printed is a
document; letter, report, research paper and the like. Thanks to technology,
many devices are getting to be digital, for example, cameras. Many devices are
adding new functionalities, for example, mobile phones are coming with
cameras. In addition, every device starts communicating with every other
device, that too using both wired and wireless communications.
Within wireless communications, you have the option of IR (Infrared),
Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. With so many options, you get new possibilities. Today’s
digital camera does away with black rooms, films and silver iodide; you just
click and print on to your desktop printer. Better still, you e-mail it to
your friend (or a shop) with a printer. In both cases, you may use a wire to
connect to a printer or send them over the air wirelessly. In such a scenario,
the object of printing is often not a document but a photograph; the setting
is not a business setting, but a home environment or a tourist destination.
Thus, while the first generation of printers was indeed peripheral to a
computer, the printers we have in mind are entertainment-enabling devices, a
complete paradigm shift from data processing printers.
This generation of personal printers is more akin to your home stereo, camera,
TV and address book than a computer peripheral. Naturally, the factors that
influence their design are very different. They must be absolutely easy to use
(the way cameras are look and click); the quality of printing must lead to
photo-realistic images; border printing is a no-no; they must be light, easy
to carry, and work on batteries (which should be chargeable when electric
power is available); and there must be provision to store images (of photos)
in memory devices (memory stick, flash RAM and/or portable hard disk).
If need be, there should be provision for direct printing from the camera/
mobile phone/PDA with no need for a computer. Of course, for photo
enhancements (such as effects using Adobe Photoshop), one might use a PC, in
which case the software must be intuitive and easy to use (ie, without
manuals). The printing technology must use minimal consumables so that the
cost of printing is reduced, for example, using dye sublimation technology
(instead of inkjet) to save on costs. The resultant photographs should not
fade away soon. The resolution must be in mega pixels (at least 1200 dpi so
that no grains are visible), with an ability to print 4×6 size photos
effortlessly on media that are available in any stationery shop and not a
computer shop.
Last but not the least, they must be inexpensive too (in the $50-300 range).
Luckily, today’s mobile photo printers manage to meet all these requirements.
Over the next couple of years, the face of the printer industry would be
completely changed thanks to these mobile photo printers.
