Comstock Makes Major Commitment to Larger Royalty Free Image Scans; New 12-Inch X 18-Inch Scanned Image Size Offers Exceptional Resolution for Larger Uses.

Business Editors & High-Tech Writers

MOUNTAINSIDE, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 13, 2002

Comstock Images, a leading international provider of premium quality professional stock photography, today announced that all its future royalty free images will now be offered in a new "extreme" size scan.

Comstock is providing the new scan size for customers who are using the images in large media or who want to use only a portion of an image ("cropping") while still maintaining high-level reproduction quality.

Comstock's new "extreme" scans are a full 56MB scanned at 300DPI to a size of 12-inch X 18-inch and complement Comstock's pre-existing trio of scan options: 600MB for Web and multi-media use; 10MB for reproduction up to 5-inch X 7-inch; and 28MB for reproduction up to 8-inch X 11-inch.

According to Comstock technical director Ed Gronske, "These extreme scans are sublime. Going to a two-page spread or a billboard is no problem at all. Customers love them, printers love them, and I love them. Everybody's happy."

As is customary in the royalty free image industry, pricing for single images is based upon the scan size chosen, and Comstock's new extreme scans are priced at $249, as compared with $179 for the smaller 28MB version, or $99 for the 10MB version.

According to Comstock sales director Vivian Palma, there has been little price resistance to this new option. "Out of the gate reaction to this by customers has been wildly enthusiastic," said Palma. "Don't forget, if a customer needs the larger scan, it's usually for a pretty important project, and the small additional charge is insignificant to the overall budget."

Gronske added: "All our new discs and single images will be available in this new size, starting with our 'Go Wireless' disc and 'Just Folks 2' which have just been released. 'Just Folks 2' consists of images of regular people on white seamless backgrounds, which is the type of shot lots of people like to use enlarged in their trade show booths. This new scan size makes that a snap."

New Extreme Scan Option Further Narrows The Gap Between Royalty Free and Rights Managed Images

Ever since the royalty free licensing model arrived some years ago as a challenge to the traditional rights managed approach, there has been an increasing blurring of the lines of differentiation between the two. Two central product benefits of the rights managed libraries were image quality and the availability of superior scans. According to Comstock's CEO Henry Scanlon, that's no longer the case.

"We sell both royalty free images and rights managed, and I can tell you that in terms of image quality -- the aesthetics of the photography -- royalty free imagery can and does go toe-to-toe with rights managed images every day," said Scanlon. "Now, with these new high-impact scans, any technical differentiation is also gone."

What remains, then, is the pricing differential, and the possibility of obtaining protection against competing use of the same image with rights managed purchases. But, according to Scanlon, even that is changing.

"It's amazing how many people who buy 'rights protected' images don't realize that they're not actually getting any protection, unless they pay extra for it, usually through the nose," stated Scanlon. "They think the protection is automatic, but it isn't. Read the fine print."

Scanlon continued: "An increasing number of art directors and graphic designers are realizing that royalty free is their best option on all counts. Unless you're willing to pay an awful lot extra to purchase specific protection with a rights managed image, you're not getting anything you can't get in royalty free at a much lower price and with a much simpler transaction.

"Everything's there now -- image quality; technical quality and great customer service."

To learn more about Comstock's new "extreme" size scans or to review the newest disc releases that contain these scans, you can go to www.comstock.com and click on the "what's new" link on the left side of the homepage.

About Comstock Images

For more than 25 years, Comstock has been a world leader in the production and distribution of premium quality professional imagery to the advertising, graphic design, publishing, multimedia and corporate communities. Comstock's award-winning Web site (www.comstock.com) is one of the highest-trafficked image Web sites in the world, highly regarded for its fast, intuitive search system and ease of transactions.

Offering images in three licensing models in three divisions -- Royalty Free, Flat Rate and Rights Protected -- Comstock provides graphics professionals with the full range of image options in a friendly, intuitive and professional environment. Declared an invaluable resource by creatives of all levels, Comstock's "College of Photology" at www.comstock.com/college offers designers inside tips, how-to's and helpful industry information.

Unique to the industry, Comstock's Web site incorporates unrivaled image search capabilities with "Ask Angela," Comstock's patent-pending search system with revolutionary, visual-based image search capabilities.

Comstock operates from three digitally connected distribution centers throughout the world (Unites States, Canada and Europe). Full information on Comstock and its products can be found at www.comstock.com or by calling 800/225-2722.