Introduction

With digital camera adoption surging to nearly 46 million households, an increasing number of consumers want better solutions for printing lab quality photos in the convenience of home. One of the biggest annoyances has been having to download images onto a computer and then fuss around with software in order to format and print photos, which can be difficult and time-consuming. And what about the growing number of digital camera owners who don't even own a computer? The top choice among consumers has been Epson's PictureMate personal photo lab, for easy printing of beautiful and affordable lab-quality 4" x 6" photos without having to use a PC or Mac.
Expanding
And now Epson is giving consumers yet another choice, expanding the product line with the PictureMate Deluxe Viewer Edition. This premium version has all the benefits of the original PictureMate, plus new features such as a premium color LCD screen and extra printing and editing features for computer-free printing. In addition, PictureMate Deluxe Viewer Edition prints photos as fast as 75 seconds per lab quality print, 40 percent faster than original PictureMate, and supports an optional internal battery for added convenience and portability.
Personal Photo lab
"Owners tell us they love PictureMate because, for the first time, they have an easy and affordable solution for printing brilliant, long-lasting lab quality photos at home without having to use a computer," noted Fabia Ochoa, group product manager, Photo Imaging, Epson. "With PictureMate Deluxe, we've made the first true personal photo lab even better, with new features and enhancements that offer greater versatility and convenience for printing 4" x 6" photos at home."
Printing options
A high resolution, high quality 2.4" color LCD screen with tilt adjustment for easy viewing allows users to select images before printing, watch slideshows, easily crop photos and preview photo adjustments for brightness, saturation and sharpness. In addition to a Personal Settings Wizard for customizing favorite print settings, only PictureMate Deluxe Viewer Edition features Epson's exclusive Print by Date mode for selecting and printing photos taken on certain dates. PictureMate Deluxe Viewer Edition also allows for manual photo adjustments for brightness, sharpness and saturation, as well as unlimited photo cropping options. And, in addition to simple printing of borderless, classic border and wallet size photos, the new PictureMate version allows for printing of 3" x 4" and mini-wallet size photos - all without having to use a computer. Additionally, PictureMate Deluxe Viewer Edition includes 15 fun Disney frames with popular Disney characters such as Mickey and Friends, the Disney Princesses, and Winnie the Pooh. The Disney frames can easily be added to create a colorful and lively border to any photo before printing. Users can print lab quality 4" x 6" photos as fast as 75 seconds - 40 percent faster than original PictureMate.
Improved Portability
PictureMate Deluxe Viewer Edition's optional internal battery (MSRP $69) supports approximately two hours of continuous printing (about 60 to 80 photos) and automatically recharges when PictureMate Deluxe is plugged into an AC. Like the original PictureMate, this new personal photo lab is designed as a printing accessory for digital camera owners and supports all popular memory cards, as well as direct printing from PictBridge cameras.