Number 248 - January 2004

Getting Real Photographic Prints from Digital Cameras (Review of Cooters On-Line Print Ordering Service)
By James Dunn, August 2003 North Texas PC NEWS
The new digital cameras are real cool. You can shoot as many pictures as you want and it costs almost nothing. You can even look at the image immediately after you shoot it and if you don't like it, you can just erase it and shoot again. You can send digital files to friends and relatives for them to look at, and you can also display the pictures on your TV with a DVD player. As long as you keep the image in the digital domain, the cost is minuscule.    But what if you want traditional prints? We now have inkjet printers that are capable of making color photographs that rival those made in the traditional way. It's even got a snazzy new name--the digital darkroom. Every month in the Digital Photography SIG we discuss various subjects, among others, the Digital Darkroom. It's not exactly a snap. There's lots to learn--dye inks or pigmented, icc profiles, color gamuts, and the many different papers. It's challenging and lots of fun and can be rewarding when you get excellent prints that you made yourself.    However, there are many people who do not wish to spend the time and effort to get up to speed with printing photos. Or perhaps they have tried with unsatisfactory success. Even those who can make their own prints find that, considering their own time investment, they have not saved money doing it themselves. They just want good prints and are not interested in climbing the learning curve.    For those who choose not to do it themselves, Cooters Village Cameras at 12 Highland Park Village (Mockingbird at Preston) has set up a new on-line printing service for digital photographers. Cooters has a special machine (Noritsu QSS 2901) that prints digital files onto real photographic paper. They have connected this machine directly to the internet with custom software to allow you to upload your digital files directly into the printing machine's printing queue via their web site. Cooters will then send the prints to you via mail, or if you prefer you may pick them up in the store.    The Cooters web address is: http://www.cooters camera.com. On the home page, there is a button just under the logo labeled SERVICES. When you click this button, you are then taken to the Digital Photo page. There are two ways (upload or email attachment) that you can submit your digital files. You can upload your images directly to the Noritsu, or you can send them as an attachment to an email message to Cooters. There is also a third option, which is not mentioned on the website. The third option is to bring your digital files on a floppy disk or a CD to the Cooters Cameras store in Highland Park Village and then Cooters will process your digital images for you. But the whole point of the Cooters Online Services is to provide its customers with another timesaver benefit.    I tried the Cooters online services from home. The menu structure is quite self-explanatory. The uploading process requires that something called SoftArtisanXFile be downloaded and installed. When I did this, the certificate showed that it was registered to Software Artisans, Inc in Brookline MA.    If you are reluctant to install software from the Internet onto your computer there are other options. You can submit the files by attaching them to an email or, if you have the Java nm-time installed on your machine, there is a Java interface. Java is more secure for the home user than active-X. In any, case instructions on how to proceed are on Cooter's web site.    I had already prepared three JPEG test files, one each for 4 x 6, 5x7 and 8x10 inch prints. The files totaled about four and a half megabytes all together. The first time trried to upload went smoothly, but slowly. I think the upload would have been faster if I had installed the files on my hard drive. I uploaded them from CD-ROM and I'm sure that slowed down the upload process. After the upload the server took me to another screen for ordering. This screen showed thumbnails of each of the files I uploaded and asked me to specify how many and what sizes of each I wanted.	You can bookmark this page and you should do so. There is no other way to get back to here if you don't. You don't want to have to do the upload again. Cooters retains these digital files in the Noritsu for 30 days and then they are deleted. At the bottom of the order page is a link to send the order page to up to five other addresses, so that you can share the images with your family or friends. It doesn't matter whether or not you send the upload file to friends or family members, you should always make it a habit to send the file to yourself.    Next, I tried to send one of the digital files via email. The directions said that after I sent the file(s), I would receive an email message with a link to the order page. This might be the preferable way to do this, if this link remains active for re-orders. However, four megabytes of attachments per email might be a problem. You might need to send a separate email message for each digital image attachment. Although Cooters' email address has no size limitations on it, but most ISPs have size limits on your emails. Check with your ISP before sending attachments larger than a two megabytes. Be aware that the larger the files sizes, the longer the upload will take. That also applies equally to email messages. The larger the size of the attached files, the longer it takes for your ISP to process the outgoing email. If you are on a 56k dial up, there is no way around the upload speed, except to upload the files to the Noritsu or to bring the files on CD to Cooters Village Camera store.    When you use Cooters Online Services, payment is handled via credit card over a secure server. The files are printed on genuine Kodak photo paper (not inkjet) and available the next day. I opted to pick them up at Cooters, since I hadn't been to their store in a while. I like to see what new stuff they may have from time to time. You can of course get the prints sent to you via US mail, so that you don't have to make the trip.    Two weeks after my original order, I received an email from Cooters offering re-prints of the same files. This email had a link back to the ordering page. Cooters keeps the file for only 30 days then deletes them, so do not rely on Cooters for archival storage. Keep the original digital files yourself.    In summary, this is a very valuable service for people who need real photographic prints from their digital camera files. The people at Cooters Village Camera are very friendly, knowledgeable and helpful. You will want to give it a try at http://www.cooterscamera.com TOGGLE Editors's Note:    While the author is referring to a store in Dallas his remarks are valid. Many stores offer the same or similar services both locally and on the Internet. Most, if not all on the Internet, accept uploaded files and mail 4x6 prints to you, at a cost of 29 cents a print (some as little as 18 cents a print). Charges are by credit card. While not endorsing any--but simply making you aware of their existence, here are some we found with a simple Google search: www.images.com, www.ezprints.com, www.ofoto.com. Look in your own local area first.    Kodak www.kodak.com - You might also look locally for in-store Kodak (or other brand) kiosks which allow you to scan and/or print your own photos. We have seen floor model kiosks in Tacoma at both Walgreens, 4315 6th Ave. at Stevens, and Bartell Drug, 3601 6th Ave. at Union. At the Bartell store they also had a counter-top Kodak Picture Maker Digital Station which, in addition to taking floppies and picture CDs, will directly accept the following digital cards or sticks: MultiMedia SD, CompactFlash, Smart Media Memory Sticks, XD Picture Card. The images are displayed on the screen and you can select those to be printed. 4 by 6 prints are 29 cents and are available in the store in a minute or so. This,of course, is an alternative to the high initial cost of buying your own photo printer and supplies. Recent Fry's ads listed Canon i350 4x6 or 5x7 printer at $59 and i860 4x6, 5x7 or 8.5x11 printer at $149 and cheapest 4x6 paper on sale at about 10 cents a print.
Number 248 - January 2004