Eastman Kodak Company announced March 15 that two of its three EasyShare All-in-One Printers, originally launched this past February, are now available in Best Buy locations throughout the United States.
Kodak's AIOs are designed for printing documents and photos. The EasyShare AIOs come in three models, the 5100, 5300 and 5500, and use Kodacolor Technology, a combination of pigment-based inks, microporous photo papers, "color and image science," and the MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical-Systems) print head, to provide a high-quality printing platform for home users, according to the company.
"Significant opportunity exists to address the needs of value and quality-focused families with high-volume printing needs, as this group prints frequently and purchases more than the industry average of 4.6 cartridges per year," said Antonio M. Perez, chairman and CEO of Eastman Kodak Company, based in Rochester, New York.
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The new AIOs from Kodak feature printing, scanning and copying functions while the pigment-based inks will enable consumers to save up to 50 percent on everything they print, the company said. "With affordable premium inks, families can now create crisp documents and Kodak lab-quality photos at home," Perez told eWEEK.
The 5100 model can print up to 32 pages per minute in black and 22 ppm in color and can support PC-free photo printing from USB drives, as well as PictBridge technology, which allows users to print directly from their digital cameras without having to use a computer.
The 5100 also features Bluetooth wireless technology, allowing users to print photos from anywhere in the room, and allows for two-sided document printing with the optional Kodak 5000 series Two-Sided Printing Accessory/Duplexer Attachment.
The 5300 model from Kodak includes all the features that the 5100 has and adds a 3-inch color LCD display that allows users to view and crop photos directly from the printer. The 5300 also includes memory card slots that allow users to print digital photos without a PC.
Kodak's 5500 model includes all the capabilities that the 5100 and 5300 have and adds fax functionality, a 2.4-inch color LCD display, an automatic document feeder and a duplexer attachment.
"The three new printers provide high levels of print quality and ease-of-use while offering low total cost of ownership," Perez said.
The 5100 and 5300 models are available now exclusively at Best Buy locations throughout the United States for prices of $149.99 and $199.99, respectively. The 5500 model is expected to begin shipping in May 2007 and will be priced at $299.99.
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