Corbis Launches World's Largest Online Prints Gallery; Advances in Technology 'Break Open' the Corbis Collection to Consumers.

Business/High Tech Editors

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 16, 2000

More people than ever can now enjoy great art in their homes because today Corbis(R), the Place for Pictures Online(TM), has launched the world's largest online consumer print and poster store at www.corbis.com/shopping.

With more than 137,000 iconic and rare images from some of the world's best photographers and artists available now as affordable, museum-quality prints, the newly redesigned site offers art lovers the best place to find and buy photography and fine art -- online or anywhere else.

The new site expands upon Corbis' previous consumer offering and breaks new ground in a number of ways. First, in addition to now offering the largest number of prints, the selection within the carefully arranged Corbis galleries also leads the market in its diversity. Featuring subjects ranging from celebrities, landscapes, animals, sports, classic black-and-white images, exotic locations, fine art, masterpieces, limited editions, advertising art, and much more -- no matter what a customer's interest or passion -- Corbis has a picture of it. Second, the quality of Corbis prints is exceptional, utilizing state-of-the-art imaging and printing technology. Third, the site is now designed so that customers can find what they are looking for easily before selecting a mat and frame. Fourth, with prices ranging between $16 and $89, these museum-quality prints are affordable. Now, anyone can experience great art, as Corbis opens up the world of fine photography and art to more people than ever.

"Pictures are about passions and personal interests, and at Corbis, we believe more people should be able to experience the power of that special image," said Jill Ambrose, vice president for Corbis' consumer segment. "By expanding our offering and making high-quality prints affordable and accessible, we believe we can lead the photographic art marketplace."

Corbis can offer such a large selection of print products at reasonable prices because printing technology now makes it possible and affordable to print high-quality images on an individual, "one-off" basis. Carrying large inventories is a thing of the past. By partnering with Ofoto, Inc., Corbis is able to process individual orders as they come in. Additionally, for Corbis customers who select a frame or mat for their print, partner Michael's Inc. assembles the picture using hand-made frames and museum quality matting and glass. These factors combine to dramatically "break open" the massive Corbis Collection of images to consumers by lowering the cost for quality prints while significantly increasing the number of images on display.

Because they know that a customer's ability to easily find the right picture is key, Corbis has created truly easy and fun ways to search. Visitors to Corbis can explore the galleries to find pictures in a number of ways: by keyword search (artist, subject, or title); by media type (photos, fine art, advertising art, etc.); by using a handy menu of hand-picked artist collections and other thematic or edited sets; by browsing the special gift idea selection; or by exploring a unique room-by-room gallery that provides design ideas for any room of the house. After shopping, customers use a simple and secure checkout process and place their orders with a credit card. The orders are then delivered to the customer's home within three to 10 days. The site automatically carries the featured promotion through checkout, highlighting the customer's promotional discount on the transaction confirmation page.

Accessible to PC and Mac users alike, the new site also retains Corbis' huge selection of digital images that customers can choose from for personal use projects such as screensavers, photo-realistic e-cards, and customized, store-quality greeting cards and calendars that customers can create themselves.

About Corbis

Corbis Corporation -- The Place for Pictures Online -- is the definitive destination for photography and fine art in the digital age. With 65 million images -- 2.1 million on line -- it is the leading provider of images to the consumer, business, and creative professional markets. Corbis.com is the place where consumers can order framed and unframed prints and posters, send e-cards, and download personal-use digital images. The company also provides imagery to creative professionals in magazine, book, and newspaper publishing, advertising and graphic design, and Internet and new media publishing. Corbis is also the world's leading news photography agency. The company uses its extensive Internet technology to allow customers to quickly and conveniently access and purchase images. Headquartered in Seattle, with offices in New York, London, Los Angeles, Paris, and Hong Kong, the privately owned company has approximately 1,200 employees worldwide. For more information about Corbis and its products and services, call 800/260-0444, 425/641-4505, fax [phone], or visit the Web site at www.corbis.com.