HP announces launch of Snapfish and new printer range at Photofair 2008

The fact that the world has firmly shifted from analog to digital is amply demonstrated by the plethora of digital photo technologies available at the ongoing Photofair 2008 at Bombay Exhibition Centre. Rich Duncombe, vice president, retail photo services, web services and software at Hewlett-Packard, admitted as much when he said, "It is our vision to create an all-digital photography marketplace".

Hewlett-Packard, though absent in the actual business of taking photos, has always been a pioneer as far as printing them is concerned. In this regard, HP unveiled a range of photo-printing solutions, both for the retail businessman as well as the individual buyer.

For the home user, HP had a wide range of products in its Photosmart range at special prices - 7368, 5368, A626, 8758 and all-in-ones 5288, 8188, 7288, and also showcased the Designjet 3100 and 6100 series for professional photographers. HP also exhibited the Photosmart PM 2000e Microlab and ML 1000 Minilab printers as part of its enhanced Retail Photo Solutions for businesses. While the Microlab represents the latest in digital printing technology by delivering high-quality photos at a fast rate in both 4"X6" and 5"X7" sizes, the Minilab offers a wider range of solutions at dimensions between 3.5"X5" to 12"X18".

Moving away from the usual hardware solutions, HP also unveiled a unique product that has already proved to be popular worldwide. Titled Snapfish, this is a service offered through its India-specific website which promises to serve the entire customer's photo storage and printing needs. Not only can the customer store his digital photos on the web in an organized manner, he can also order prints on high-quality paper at the nominal rate of Rs.2.95 each. In addition, Snapfish offers the option of printing photos on sundry gift objects like T-shirts and mugs at reasonable prices. As part of a promotional offer, HP is offering 20 prints free for customers who log on and order prints at Photofair.

All of these offerings are a part of HP's stated Print 2.0 strategy to extend its leadership in the imaging and printing segment. Rich Duncombe, vice president, retail photo services, web services and software at Hewlett-Packard, was quite confident about HP's future prospects in India, and said, "With our advanced Retail Photo Solutions supported by Snapfish and our fleet of photo printing solutions, we are confident to change the dynamics of the photo printing market".