In 1972, when it was first introduced, the Polaroid instant camera created waves it
symbolised the birth of an instant world that was to envelope our lives later. Click a photo, and it would be with you in a matter of minutes, sometimes even seconds as the pace of technology quickened. It was a fascinating era. When the '90s dawned, instant photos were a part of life, and we never even gave them a second look.
So why should we be so excited about photo printers?
If the 1990s was the era of advancing film camera technologies, the new millennium has brought with it advances in digital technologies, and a 5 megapixel digital camera is commonplace. As digital cameras see a surge in usage because they give convenience and do away with the currently ubiquitous, friendly neighbourhood photo studio, it is only natural that photo printers become the logical, even standard, peripheral.
A photo printer, in a manner of speaking, is what the Polaroid camera was it gives you instant prints of your digital
photos. Say goodbye to PCs as the via media for storing pictures and then printing using your loyal inkjet.
The Kodak printer dock, for instance. It is the latest in the series of several innovations by leading companies such as Kodak, Canon, Epson and HP. These devices just about made their appearance in 2004, but digital camera usage surges this year, photo printers would too.
According to an IDC report, the first half of 2004-05 saw the printer market grow by 10 per cent in volumes over the same period last year. IDC India reported that the Indian market for photo printers grossed Rs 24 crore in FY 2002-03, the top three vendors being HP, Epson and Canon. IDC figures forecast that sale of photo printers will cross 60,000 this year compared to around half that amount in 2004.
