Polaroid planning camera with built-in printer

Since Polaroid announced its decision to stop production for its instant film, many artists and fanboys have sent out petitions to persuade the company to revive its production line. However, with more and more shutterbugs adopting digital cameras, instant film clearly doesn't have a place in the industry now.

In what looks like a desperate attempt to stay afloat, Polaroid announced that it is engineering a new shooter with an onboard PoGo instant photo printer. But instead of using the conventional 2 x 3-inch photo paper, the company has decided that it will adopt the more traditional and familiar 4 x 3-inch media. Tentatively, the camera is slated to be unveiled in 2009.

The company is open to suggestions from photographers on how the new camera should be designed and what features are to be incorporated. This is part of a competition that Polaroid is organizing with Amateur Photographer, and the grand prize is a trip to New York and VIP pass to the Museum of Modern Art.

I am pretty sure the winner will also receive a set of the camera-printer hydrid device, if it ever makes it past the commercial launch.

Via Amateur Photographer

Zebra Technologies introduces G-series thermal printers

Zebra Technologies just announced its new "G-series" line of thermal printers. These little guys fall under the 4-inch desktop printer category and, while not specifically for the consumer market, will still appeal to industries that deal with printing labels, receipts, price marking tags, shipping and return labels, boarding passes, ID wristbands and tags, and admission tickets.

The new offerings from Zebra include the GX420t, GX420d, GX430t, GK420t, and the GK420d. Across the board, these printers feature a wide range of convenient, easy to operate printing solutions in the work or home office. Notable specifications include:

• Wireless: 802.11g and Bluetooth in addition to 10/100 Ethernet
• Speedy 6 inches per second print time
• Available in both direct thermal and a combination of direct thermal/thermal transfer versions
• Flash memory built into the printers for faster and more robust processing power
• Remote activation and management via ZebraNet Bridge Enterprise software

The new G-Series thermal printers from Zebra are available to purchase now on Zebra's Web site.

Via CNET Crave

Perhaps the greenest printer of them all

It's disturbing to see trees being felled to make paper, worse when most of us just print on one side of the sheet. Although duplex printing function is slowly being introduced into more inkboxes, we still have to buy more paper when the tray is empty.

This shouldn't pose a problem for Toshiba which has developed the B-SX8R. This printer can erase the contents on the paper, ready to be printed on again. The revolutionary idea works on the basis that certain mixtures of pigments change color when heated to a particular temperature. This is different from the technology Xerox employed by using ink that fades after a period of time.

The formula used in the B-SX8R turns black at 180 degrees Celsius, but between 130 and 170 degrees it is white. So by subjecting the paper to heat, the ink "disappears".

While the trees are being saved, we have to think about our wallets--this cocktail of pigments and chemicals definitely won't come cheap. Also, the heat required to operate may make the printer consume more energy, which contributes to carbon emission. While this inkbox won't save the Earth, at least the trees can heave a sigh of relief. For now.

Via Techeblog
Photo credit: Techeblog

Are you a perpetrator of workplace printer abuse?

According to a new survey released today, about 60 percent of the Canadian workforce is making personal use of their office printer.

The survey, conducted by Angus Reid Strategies for Samsung Electronics revealed that a large majority of Canadians who work in offices with high volume laser printers aren't using them for memos and work-related e-mails, but rather for personal letters, color photos, and even *gasp* resumes! The study breaks down the percentage of people that print out random documents:

Read more »

HP's newest multifunction printer includes a built-in DVD drive

The HP Photosmart C8180 isn't cheap, so we wouldn't recommend you throwing down US$400 for this multifunction unless you're an amateur photographer who needs a top-notch printer and won't mind waiting more than a minute for each photo.

We just finished testing the C8180 (full review), and we were impressed by its built-in LightScribe drive. LightScribe is a direct disc-labeling system that uses lasers to burn an image directly onto the disc. The LightScribe system is meant to eliminate the smudges and peeling that inevitably happens with sticker labels, and the fact that Hewlett-Packard decided to include this proprietary method in the c8180 speaks to the popularity of the media. Feel free to insert your opinion: Do you use LightScribe yourself or do you prefer the old sticker way?

Unfortunately, the c8180 isn't without its faults. First, there's no auto-document feeder, so forget about scanning and copying stacks of paper. Second, the printer is so slow we recommend you pick up a hobby to occupy your time while you want for the tray to spit out your photo. We ran our standard speed tests and the c8180 couldn't even print one photo per minute! The standard rate came out to about 0.66 photos per minute; like we said, slow. Good thing the prints themselves look great because HP would have to be crazy to think anyone would wait more than a minute per photo if it were anything less than flawless.

C8180 is already being available from November 2007 in Australia, Hong Kong, India, New Zealand and Singapore. While China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan available since March 2008. (HP Photosmart C8180 is known as the HP Photosmart C8188 in China and India).

Via CNET Crave

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