"William Robb" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >So far, we are down 40% from last year on film processing. >Last year, we were down about 15% from the year before. >This is the all important Christmas rush, which normally is a very >hectic and profitable time.
I think that's about what we're seeing. We do a considerable amount of printing from digital but that's not going to help for long. Digital print kiosks are popping up all over. A large portion of our film processing is from single-use cameras (throw aways) :( With 2-megapixel digicams already under $100.00 and 3-megapixels soon to hit that price point, I can see the writing on the wall. I saw a 2-megapixel digicam advertised for $49.00 recently. And there's worse news (for labs) on the horizon: One of Kodak's sensible (for the consumer) innovations with digital is the docking printer, to which you simply attach your camera and select the shots you want for 4 x 6 prints. Kodak has just basically made it an open system which any other manufacturer can use with no royalties or licensing costs. Nikon, Pentax, Olympus, Konica-Minolta and a couple of others have already signed up. (Canon is conspicuous by their absence. Sony hasn't signed on but it's typical for them to go it alone as with their "memory stick".) At the moment I think it's still cheaper to go to a photo shop rather than print your own with one of these but that'll change when volume goes up... -- Mark Roberts Photography and writing www.robertstech.com
