Rather than crowding around a digital camera's LCD screen to see a photograph, new technology may offer people a way to see their images in print immediately after a picture is taken.
ZINK Imaging -- a spin-off of the Polaroid Corporation -- created a new technology where people can print images from their camera phones or digital cameras without ink, said Deanna Clarance, director of marketing at ZINK Imaging.
"Looking at a picture on an LCD screen just isn't as much fun as seeing it in print," Clarance said.
ZINK (zero-ink) Imaging technology is based in the company's photo paper, Clarance said. As the photo prints, crystals embedded in the paper will be heated at different time intervals and temperatures, depending on the color that is being replicated. The paper, made from a composite material, is embedded with yellow, cyan and magenta dye crystals, she said.
Although the "paper" is actually a mixture of a base material, coated crystals and a polymer overcoat, it produces no waste and is recyclable with plastics, Clarance said. The environmentally friendly paper is water-resistant and does not tear, she said.
A pocket-sized mobile printer's target cost is $99, and an integrated digital camera with a built-in printer is targeted to cost $199.
Kathryn Jablokow, associate professor of mechanical engineering at Penn State Great Valley, said the progression of the ZINK technology is similar to that of most innovative advancements.
She said the progression begins with a drastic change in a technology and then the new idea is cultivated to make it practical.
"The way technology tends to work is someone will make kind of a leap where the technology they've introduced looks fundamentally, radically different in some way than the technology that already exists," Jablokow said. "And once you have that, you have to refine the technology."
Because the technology is new and different, Jablokow said students will likely want to try it, but she is unsure of how long the appeal will last.
"We are gadget- and technology-hungry, especially in the U.S., but whether or not it has a lasting market depends on how well the technology works and [on] the price," Jablokow said.
The printers, both created by ZINK around the original imaging technology, will be priced and sold by brand partners, Clarance said. Prints will initially come only in 2 inches by 3 inches, and are expected to cost around 20 cents each.
"The great thing about it is that it's applicable to many different [target consumers]," Clarance said. "It's having technology that can go with you wherever you're enjoying your digital technology."
The photo paper and printers are anticipated for release by brand partners -- who will be announced in late spring -- by the end of the year, Scott Wicker, chief marketing officer for ZINK, said. Consumer tests have been successful, Wicker said, and ZINK does not foresee any major problems.
"We think there's enough of a population of individuals who would really enjoy having one of these devices," Wicker said. "One of the reasons we've [introduced] the technology is that we're very confident we're going to launch the products by the end of the year."
