Cutting out the 'middleman' in digital image printing

A standard is always a good thing to have, although all standards have to be flexible enough that they can be updated as technology advances and enhancements are added.

Until recently, we did not have a standard for direct digital image printing. Hewlett-Packard (HP) has its PhotoSmart printers, which are intended to print stunning photos from photo files stored in the computer. Canon, Epson and the other printer makers also have their own products, which are based on proprietary specifications.

However, what happened was that, if you had a Canon digital camera, you needed a Canon photo printer to print directly from the camera. Similarly, if you had an HP digital camera (they do have good digital cameras, mind you), you would also need an HP PhotoSmart printer to print without the help of a computer.

Six companies -- Canon, Fuji, HP, Olympus, Seiko-Epson and Sony -- realized that as long as the industry remained fragmented, the growth of the digital camera and imaging market would be hampered. So they wisely got together and worked out a standard, which they then brought to the Camera and Imaging Products Association, or CIPA.

The standard allowed a compliant digital still camera (DSC) -- and perhaps later, a digital video camera (DVC) -- from any vendor to "talk" with a compliant photo printer from a different vendor. The commercial name of the standard is PictBridge.

Although the standard was announced only recently, Canon recently launched no fewer than seven printers that support the PictBridge standard. These printers still support Canon's proprietary specifications that allow direct printing from Canon cameras.

What makes this standard a welcome one? It ensures that all PictBridge-compliant products such as DSCs, DVCs and photo printers will be able to use PictBridge specifications. With the new standard, no computer is necessary. In other words, you no longer have to upload your photos first onto your PC or Mac, and then print them on the printer connected to your computer.

The USB has been chosen by the CIPA as the standard connection between digital camera and printer. It is a logical choice, as most of these devices already have USB ports and the USB connection is easy to set up. The printer becomes the host, and the digital camera is regarded as the USB device.

However, the PictBridge standard is not really limited to a particular hardware connection. With more and more devices using Bluetooth, it should also be possible to print photos directly to a PictBridge-compliant printer wirelessly. The standard will also allow direct printing by inserting the camera's compact flash memory into the printer.

Moreover, as the standard can be adopted by any device that can capture images, we should also expect to see cell phones with a PictBridge-compliant camera.

Today, we already have HP printers that can print photos captured by a Nokia cell phone without a computer. It will not be long until we begin to see PictBridge camera cell phones on the market, too, thanks to the initiative of these companies.

All PictBridge-certified product will bear the distinctive CIPA logo, so keep your eyes peeled! -- Zatni Arbi