Mobile Imaging and Printing Consortium Gains Momentum with Six New Strategic Members.

SAN DIEGO -- Consortium Plans to Release Initial Guidelines for Consumer Printing of Camera Phone Images by Year End

The Mobile Imaging and Printing Consortium (MIPC), an industry group developing solutions and implementation guidelines for printing images captured with camera phones, today announced that six companies have joined the Consortium as strategic members.

The six new members are Eastman Kodak Company; Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.; Lexmark International, Inc.; Motorola, Inc.; NEC Corporation and Olivetti Tecnost S.p.A. They join Consortium founders Canon , Epson and HP and leading mobile handset providers, Nokia, Samsung, and Siemens, in working to provide consumers with a simple and spontaneous experience for home printing of camera phone images.

The MIPC was launched last February at PMA 2004, the Photo Marketing Association international convention and trade show. Since then, the Consortium's members have collaborated on development of initial consumer printing guidelines, which are slated for release before the end of the year. The guidelines will leverage existing connectivity technology standards and solutions, such as Bluetooth(TM) wireless technology, printing from memory cards and PictBridge.

"The Consortium now includes most of the leading handset makers and printer manufacturers, and we are making rapid progress on our first set of consumer deliverables," said Ramon Garrido, Chairman of the MIPC and Program Director, Consumer Imaging and Printing, HP. "Camera phones have quickly become a mass market -- one that will continue to grow exponentially. In addition, rapid improvements in camera phone imaging capabilities will drive consumer demand for making high-quality prints at home. The MIPC will address this demand by focusing the industry on developing consumer home printing solutions that are both easy to use and broadly adopted."

Tony Henning, analyst with research firm Future Image and editor of the company's "Mobile Imaging Report," noted that a recent Future Image study of consumer prints made from camera phone images(1) showed that even some of today's first-generation camera phones can produce 4 x 6-inch prints that are good enough for a family refrigerator or scrapbook.

"The megapixel- and multi-megapixel handsets that U.S. consumers are just now starting to purchase are even better -- they make 8 x 10s worthy of the wall or mantel," Henning said. "However, our study also showed that it's much too difficult for users to make prints from camera phones on their standard printers. We believe it's critical for companies to work together through industry initiatives to make the process easier."

"Mobile Imaging Report" forecasts that 180 million camera phones will be sold worldwide in 2004, more than doubling the number sold in 2003 and outselling digital and film cameras combined. The growing popularity of camera phones in every major market shows no signs of abating, the report said, noting that camera phones ultimately will produce more printable images than any other device.

About the Mobile Imaging and Printing Consortium

Launched by Canon Inc., Epson and HP in 2004, the Mobile Imaging and Printing Consortium (MIPC) is a non-profit industry association working to foster collaboration across the hardware, software and wireless technologies involved in mobile imaging and home printing. The Consortium is producing standards-based solutions and printing guidelines that will provide consumers with simple and spontaneous methods for printing pictures taken with camera phones. The MIPC expects to make its first set of printing guidelines available later this year. More information is available on the MIPC on the organization's Web site at www.mobileprinting.org.

The Bluetooth trademarks are owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc. (C) Bluetooth SIG, Inc. 2004.

(1) "4 x 6 Shoot-Out: Are Camera-Phones Ready to Make Consumer Prints?" (C) 2004, Future Image Inc.