Angie Pedersen's Scrapbooking Industry News

Olympus P-11 Digital Photo Printer

Olympus P-11 Digital Photo Printer Produces Photo-Lab Quality Prints At Remarkable Speed

Fastest Consumer Snapshot Dye-Sub Printer Delivers Professional Results In As Little As 30 Seconds

The new Olympus P-11 gives consumers everything they could want from a premium home photo printer including fast photo-lab quality prints, ease-of-use, portability and affordability. Unlike ink jet prints that play connect-the-dots to form images, dye-sublimation technology diffuses ink right into the photo paper, so there's no smudging or blotting. The P-11's edge-to-edge prints emerge dry to the touch and without perforated tabs. Moreover, the P-11 gives you the option to print pictures without a computer. Just connect any PictBridge compatible digital camera directly to the printer and enjoy rich, continuous-tone prints in 33 seconds or less.

"Dye-sublimation is the gold standard for photographic printing. When printing at home, the P-11 is as close to professional laboratory processing as you can get - minus the waiting, of course," said Michael Barnett, Product Manager, Olympus Imaging America Inc. "The P-11 produces sharp, color-accurate prints in about 30 seconds - half the time of other dye-sub printers. And unlike other printers, there are no microcut or perforated tabs to tear off, so your pictures come out ready to share."

Fast, Convenient Edge-to-Edge Prints
Olympus designed the P-11 Digital Photo Printer for high-quality prints at the fastest speed possible. The P-11 prints vivid 4" x 6" (approx.) or 3.5" x 5" lab-quality, edge-to-edge photographs in 33 seconds or less - making it the fastest dye-sublimation printer of its kind on the market today. And since the P-11 prints edge-to-edge, there are no microcuts or perforations, so your prints look like they were processed professionally.

Beautiful Continuous-Tone Dye-Sub Printing
In contrast to ink jet printers that use individual dots to create colors, Olympus precision dye-sublimation vaporizes dye that saturates the photo paper resulting in smooth, realistic, continuous-tone images - just like film prints. Because the dye infuses the paper, your pictures are also less vulnerable to scratches, fading and distortion. Prints emerge from the P-11 dry, durable, and in archival condition. Pictures are protected from UV light, fingerprints, even water - thanks to a special over-coating. PictBridge Compatibility Makes Printing Easy To make the printing process a snap, Olympus has incorporated PictBridge technology into the P-11 Digital Photo Printer so users can connect it to any PictBridge enabled digital camera and print directly - no computer necessary. Of course, users also have the option of printing from a PC or Mac. Space-Saving Design
The P-11 has a sleek, compact design ideal for the corner of a desk, bookshelf, or anywhere in the home. Unlike other dye-sub printers, the P-11's paper tray does not protrude from the front of the printer. Not only does this design allow for a smaller operating footprint (approx. 7"x7"), but prints are also protected from dust and debris during the printing process.

Availability
The P-11 Digital Photo Printer will be available in October 2005. The P-11 comes supplied with an AC Adapter, Paper Tray, 3.5" x 5" Conversion Tray, Starter Kit (Ink Ribbon Cartridge & 4" x 6" Paper), CD-ROM (Printer Driver), Instruction Manual, and Warranty Card. U.S. Pricing:
P-11 Digital Photo Printer Estimated Street Price: $149.99 (U.S.)

SOURCE: DigiCam News

QuicKutz & the Golden Squeeze Contest

QuicKutz recently announced their Golden Squeeze Contest.  There are two ways to enter:

1. Purchase a QuicKutz Squeeze hand tool between 8/30/05 and 12/31/05 and look inside the packaging for a possible Golden Squeeze.  If a Golden Squeeze is found in the package you purchased, you are a winner. There is at least one Golden Squeeze tool for every 2,000 tools shipped to retailers by QuicKutz, up to a maximum of ten (10).
   
2. Compose an essay of any length on “Why I Love My QuicKutz.” The essay may be written, videotaped, set to music, scrapbooked, or presented however best expresses your thoughts. Creativity and originality are encouraged.  Each essay will be entered into a random drawing, from which one or more winners will be selected. At least one winner will be selected for every 2,000 essays received, up to a maximum of ten (10) winners. In addition, at least one essay will be selected to win based upon creativity and originality.

Prizes

• A 3 day/3 night trip to Orem, Utah to attend QuicKutz classes and tour the QuicKutz offices and see QuicKutz’s manufacturing facilities. Prize includes round trip coach air travel from major airport nearest winner’s home to destination, 3 nights standard hotel accommodations, travel to and from Salt Lake City airport, hotel, and QuicKutz offices, and meals.
• QuicKutz and other scrapbooking product worth approximately $1,000 SRP.
• Winner’s choice of a pink or black QuicKutz Squeeze hand tool (winner also gets to keep the Golden Squeeze tool).

For more information (and to watch the fun little video promo, a la Willy Wonka's OompaLoompas), visit http://www.quickutz.com/

Consumer Survey Reveals Digital Photo Trends

Americans Embrace Digital Convenience But Have Yet to Fully Master Digital Application Skills

OAKDALE, Minn., Aug. 24 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Admit it. Like most Americans, we've got shelves piled high with dusty shoeboxes of old photos and empty scrapbooks. And now, with the growth of digital cameras, we have CDs, DVDs, computer hard drives and e-mail boxes that are overflowing with digital photos and videos as well. It's true, according to a national consumer survey of 2,000 American adults, sponsored by Imation Corp, Americans are embracing digital technologies to capture and share their memories. Even so, many Americans have yet to fully master the more complex digital application skills, such as editing or digital scrapbooking.

In a year when the number of digital images captured worldwide is estimated at 100 billion , more than half of Americans surveyed (54 percent) are using digital technologies to capture and preserve their photos. In fact, the majority of Americans (71 percent) feel comfortable with the basics of storing, organizing and sharing their digital photos and videos and they are slowly tackling the more complex and creative tasks:

• Thirty-two percent are editing photos
• Twenty-four percent are creating digital photo albums

"Americans, like the rest of the world, are indeed 'hooked on photos.' And, increasingly, they are taking, saving and sharing digital photos with family and friends," said Carla Pihowich, marketing operations manager, Consumer and Office Products, Imation. "Americans wish they could do more and be more creative with the images and videos that fill their hard drives and stacks of CDs and DVDs, but many don't know just how easy it can be to turn memories into keepsakes."

Analyst firm Understanding and Solutions confirms the continued growth of CD and DVD sales with an expected 12 percent growth in 2006 over 2005. In addition, the market is shifting to higher capacity DVDs, showing a predicted 52 percent growth in 2006 over 2005.

"Digital technologies allow consumers to be creative with digital images in ways that weren't possible with printed photos - like photo editing, making DVD movies and creating digital photo albums," continued Pihowich. "And Imation has created some helpful tip sheets, available at www.imation.com, to help consumers get the most out of their photos and videos and preserve them on Imation CDs and DVDs."

Below are just some of the findings of the survey conducted this spring on American's attitudes, activities and concerns regarding capturing, editing, sharing and preserving digital memories.

Gone Digital: Americans Are Embracing the Digital Lifestyle
Eighty-nine percent of Americans surveyed say that sharing personal photos and videos is easy to do. And the majority of those surveyed (54 percent) say they are storing photos digitally.

• Nearly half (47 percent) of Americans keep both digital and hard copies of their personal pictures and
• Seven percent of respondents have gone completely digital, keeping only digital copies of their personal pictures on CDs, DVDs or other digital storage devices.

According to the survey, being young and/or part of a family increases the likelihood that an American will have "gone digital." The Generation X cohort (ages 25-34) is about four times more likely than their grandparents, (ages 65+) to:

• Edit digital photos (46 percent versus 12 percent),
• Create digital photo albums (35 percent versus 9 percent) and
• Edit and record home movies to DVD (18 percent compared to 4 percent). 

The survey also confirmed that families with children are more likely than couples or singles to preserve their memories digitally by creating digital photo albums (32 percent compared to 19 percent) or editing digital photos (41 percent versus 26 percent).

Overall, those using digital photography, compared to those who still use analog cameras, are far more active in sharing their photo memories (94 percent and 59 percent, respectively). In fact, most respondents (61 percent) agree that keeping their pictures and movies digitally changes the way they share them with family and friends.

• Fifty percent report using e-mail as their photo and video distribution method,
• Twenty-two percent store digital files on CD,
• Sixteen percent share their memories on DVDs and
• Fifteen percent post movies and photos directly to their personal Web site.

Beyond Basics
The survey found that Americans are moving beyond basic digital photo and video tasks and are beginning to embrace more complex and creative applications.

• The percentage of respondents who find creating digital photo albums, movies, slide shows or scrapbooks to be easy is 62 percent.
• And nearly half of Americans (47 percent), find it easy to edit digital photos and videos.

Yet, even though approximately half of American adults find these creative tasks easy to do, less than one-third of Americans are actually doing them.

Case in point: Women are more likely than men (77 percent and 67 percent, respectively) to take photos of family and friends, but men are more likely to preserve those memories.

• Men are more likely than women to create digital photo albums on CDs or DVDs (26 percent versus 22 percent) and
• Men are more likely to edit, record or burn home movies on DVDs (14 percent compared to 11 percent). 

Whether an analog camera, a complex task or lack of time stands in the way, Imation's simple tip sheets on how to quickly and easily create, share, store and edit digital photos and videos can help consumers further embrace digital applications and turn their images into precious memories. For more information, go to http://www.imation.com/digital-lifestyle.

About the Imation Consumer Survey
The consumer survey, sponsored by Imation Corp, polled 2,000 American adults via telephone in May 2005, allowing for a margin of error of no more than plus-or-minus two percentage points at the 95 percent confidence level. A complete report on the survey's findings, including the questions and top line results as well as ways to save, store and share digital memories can be found online at http://www.imation.com/digital-lifestyle.

About Imation
Imation Corp is a leading developer, manufacturer and supplier of magnetic and optical removable data storage media. Additional information about Imation is available on the company's website at www.imation.com, or by calling 1-888-466-3456.

SOURCE: Imation via Yahoo! News
See also: The photo industry: a changing landscape

Scrapbook Answers Seeks Assoc. Art Director

Via the Future Network USA website

Associate Art Director - Brisbane, CA

Market-leading publisher based in the San Francisco Bay Area seeks a talented page designer to fill an associate art director position for Scrapbook Answers, a new women’s craft magazine focusing on the fast-growing and increasingly design-savvy scrapbooking market.

The associate art director will design feature stories and department sections; assist in coordinating photo shoots; edit photos (including Photoshop production on raw image files); work closely with editors and the art director to create and/or commission original art; and create and manage the magazine’s graphics archive.

Full job description and requirements

Canon Announces 24 New Digital photography Products

    

Via DigiCam News:

Canon has announced 24 new digital photography products today, inlcuding 2 EOS and 7 PowerShot digital cameras, 2 EF lenses, an EX Speedlite, 9 PIXMA and 3 SELPHY printers.

"With 24 new products added to our photographic lineup today, Canon continues to bolster its leadership position in the market by offering the most extensive choice of solutions for the entry level consumer to the seasoned professional," said Yukiaki Hashimoto, senior vice president and general manager of the consumer imaging group at Canon U.S.A., Inc., a subsidiary of Canon Inc. "Our customers continue to benefit from the highest Canon imaging technologies, such as our DIGIC II image processors and high density print heads ultimately being incorporated throughout the product range. The end result is consistent, spectacular photos for everyone."

 

Full list of the products, including pricing and availability information.

Creating Keepsakes' 2005 Readers' Choice Awards

Link to ballot: Creating Keepsakes' 2005 Readers' Choice Awards.

It's time for Creating Keepsakes' 7th annual 2006 Readers' Choice Awards! Cast your vote for your favorite scrapbooking products on the market to determine which scrapbooking products will earn this prestigious award. Plus just for voting, CK will enter you to win one of 10 copies of their recently released idea book, The Scrapbook Hall of Fame, Vol. 7.

Please vote for products you are familiar with and would recommend to your friends. You may vote for up to three products in each category. You do not need to vote in all categories. Listings are ordered by company name.

This list was compiled from suggestions made by the participating scrapbooking companies themselves. However, if you don't see your favorite product listed, please add it in the "other" field. There are a few guidelines:       

1. Please list the specific company and product name with the company name first.
2. Only one product or company may be added to the "other" field.
3. Creating Keepsakes'and Simple Scrapbooks' products are not eligible to receive the award.
4. Please do not write in a company or product already listed.

The deadline for voting is October 1, 2005. Contest winners will be notified within two weeks and posted on the CK web site. Click here to read the full rules.

[Editor's Note: An excellent idea for a write-in vote on Category 12, Idea Books, is EFG's The Book of US: A Guide to Scrapbooking about Relationships, which was somehow left off the ballot.]

Camera phones to "steal" low-end digicam market

Via DigiCam News: Camera phones to "steal" low-end digicam market

OYSTER BAY, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 10, 2005--Within two years, low-end camera phones will take much of the market share now held by low-end standalone digital cameras. ABI Research principal analyst of global wireless operator research Kenneth Hyers says, "We believe that within the next two years, the quality of a mobile phone camera will be such that people won't need low-end standalone digital cameras. This will dramatically impact camera sales."

ABI Research's new study "Mobile Phone Imaging: Opportunities for Driving Usage of Camera Phones through Click/Send/Print" identifies the drivers for camera phone growth, explains how mobile imaging will evolve, and discusses why camera phones will eventually displace portions of the standalone digital camera market.

Within a short period, says Hyers, the typical 1.3 megapixel camera phone will be ubiquitous, and 5 megapixel models will not be uncommon. "We are in the midst of a megapixel race," he adds, "and by early 2006, 1.3 megapixel models will outsell VGA camera phones; in the following years, two-, three- and four-megapixel devices will replace the lower specification models." At the higher end of the range, the rest of the camera phone components grow in importance: is the software sufficient to make sense of the data? Is the lens good? Is the zoom accurate?

Hyers believes that the market will organize itself in tiers of quality. "Certain manufacturers, such as Motorola, are targeting the low end of the market, which is fine for getting enough inexpensive devices out there. But you've also got to have some higher-end models with greater resolution and better lenses, such as models being produced by Sony Ericcson, Samsung and Nokia, which establish them in consumers' minds as makers of prestige, high-quality imaging devices."

And the final requirements for success? Adequate storage capabilities; MMS interoperability among carriers (this is now in place throughout Europe and is becoming standardized in North America); and improved imaging and picture-management software.

Founded in 1990 and headquartered in New York, ABI Research maintains global operations supporting annual research programs, intelligence services and market reports in automotive, wireless, semiconductors, broadband, and energy. For information visit www.abiresearch.com.

Arctic Frog Design Team Try-Outs

Arctic Frog is "looking for a few 'froggy' people' to join their Design Team -- 5-9 people, to be exact.  According to the post on their website, they will accept entries for consideration between August 9th and September 16th.

Submit at least three separate scrapbook layouts and one project submission.  A "project" is another that is not a scrapbook page, such as altered paint cans, clipboards, home decor, mini albums, tag booklets, paper purses, etc.  (NOT cards -- something more "out of the box".)

Entries must not be previously published in print or ezine -- online galleries are fine.  Entries are accepted ONLY via email.

Read the Design Team call on their website for more specific information.

Scrapbooking Teleseminar Offered by Angie Pedersen

Attention Scrapbookers! Are you MIA in your scrapbooks because you're always the one BEHIND the camera? So often we scrapbookers are left out of our own albums because we are the ones documenting events. Stop being a silent partner in your family's history! You’ve lived a life worth remembering! Get yourself out from behind that camera and into your albums! Angie Pedersen, best-selling author of The Book of Me series of books, is leading one of the first teleseminars ever offered in the scrapbooking community, on Wednesday, August 17th.   

Join the call to get inspired and motivated to preserve YOUR stories. Let Angie help you build self-esteem and confidence by putting a positive light on your life and recognizing the contributions you have made to the lives of others.  This class is a SELL-OUT in local stores and conventions across the United States -- this is your chance to attend for FREE from the comfort of your home!  Hurry, only 95 spots are available on the conference call bridge!  EDIT: 9 spots left!

What: Go Scrap Yourself! Teleseminar
When: Wednesday, August 17, 2005,  8pm Central
(6pm Pacific, 7pm Mountain, 9pm Eastern and Thursday, August 18 at 01:00GMT)

How much: FREE!

Who Should Attend:

• Anyone who wants to preserve personal anecdotes, experiences, life lessons, and memories
• Anyone interested in personal journaling and/or lifewriting
• Scrapbookers of any skill level: Beginner, Intermediate, or Advanced

What You Should Have:

• Life experiences
• Values & Traditions
• Desire to preserve all of the above in a safe and creative environment

NOTE: no previous scrapbooking experience is required, but it’s helpful to understand scrapbooking terminology and concepts.

What You’ll Learn:

• Why it’s important to scrapbook about yourself
• Why it’s not selfish to document your stories
• Tips for making journaling more meaningful
• How to start and organize a Book of Me project
• How to generate ideas for quick pages to do about yourself
• How to do pages without any photos!

A SIGNED copy of 'The Book of Me' will be awarded at the end of the teleseminar. Don't miss your chance to get this best-selling, trend-setting book! (An excellent resource for anyone, even non-scrapbookers!)

How it works:

1. Go to www.bookgrapevine.com and register (no credit card necessary, just your contact info.)
2. Once registered you'll receive instructions and a phone number to call.
3. On August 17th at 8pm Central call the number and open your web browser. You'll hear Angie over the phone and see her slide presentation on the web. You can ask her questions through the interactive chat room.
4. Be inspired to tell the stories of your life!
5. Get a chance to win her book!  (Must be present at the end of the call to win)

Email Questions@bookgrapevine.com with registration questions.

Press release at PR Web

New Souffle'™ 3-D Ink Pen Rises to the Occasion

Sakura of America introduces innovative Souffle', its new raised ink gel pen available in 10 colors. Souffle' is ideal for crafting and papercrafting and creates an embossed effect without messy powders and heat guns.

Hayward, CA (PRWEB) August 4, 2005 -- Sakura of America announced today their most recent ink innovation, the Souffle' pen. Like the food dish of the same name, Souffle' ink rises, giving an embossed effect on coated papers and non-porous surfaces, such as stickers, plastic, glass and metal.

Like Glaze pens, Sakura's other raised ink pen introduced last year, Souffle' provides "writing you can feel" and eliminates the need for heat guns and powders which crafters have had to use up until now to create embossed, or raised effects on papercrafts and other craft projects.

Peter Ouyang, Vice President of Product Development and Director of Marketing, explains Sakura's excitement over Souffle', "Souffle' give crafters and consumers another choice in a raised ink pen, which no other company makes but Sakura. Souffle's ink dries to an opaque, matte finish which means Souffle' will also work on dark colored surfaces. This is a significant product development and we think consumers are going to respond to Souffle' as eagerly as they did to Glaze."

To achieve its greatest effect, Souffle' rewards the patient user. Sakura recommends that someone using Souffle' waits two minutes after application so the ink can dry and rise to the touch without smearing.

Souffle' comes in ten colors: yellow, orange, light orange, pink, purple, light green, green, blue, gray, and in white. It will be offered in two-pack pouches of each color with a manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP) per pack of $3.96. It will also be offered in a ten-color assortment with a MSRP, of $19.80. Sakura is offering retailers an attractive retail display featuring 36 ten-packs and 120 two-pack pouches, 12 packs of each color. Souffle' will be available in finer crafts, art and scrapbooking stores, nationally, starting November 1st, 2005.

Headquartered in Hayward, CA, Sakura of America is the U.S. subsidiary of privately held, Sakura Color Products Corp. of Osaka, Japan. Besides Souffle' and Glaze, Sakura manufactures the popular Gelly Roll gel pen, Pigma Micron fine-line pens, as well as many other high-quality writing instruments and art materials. Go to www.sakuraofamerica.com for more information on Souffle pens.

SOURCE: PR Web & Sakura Press Room