Olympus today announced their P-400 A4 size (8.25" x 11.7") printer, with some interesting features including direct print from SmartMedia, PC Card, CompactFlash or Memory Stick as well as PC and Mac connectivity (USB, Parallel). Cost per A4 sheet (paper & ink) is said to be $1.90 and the printer takes 90 seconds to print a single page. List price $999.

Olympus press release:

Olympus Introduces The First Truly Affordable Dye-Sublimation Printer for 8 X 10 Photographic Prints

The P-400 Establishes New Market Category for Photo-Realistic Printing

MELVILLE, N.Y., June 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Olympus America Inc., the world leader in film and digital photography, today unveiled the P-400, a professional-quality, high-speed dye-sublimation printer that dramatically reduces the cost of photo-realistic printing for professional and amateur photographers, and digital imaging professionals in a host of other applications.

The P-400 prints an A4-size (8.25``x 11.7'') photograph in only 90 seconds, a significant increase in speed when compared to the several minutes typically required to output an ink-jet print. True, continuous-tone dye-sublimation technology provides professional photo prints with accurate color reproduction for ultimate output quality. Prints from the P-400 look and feel like traditional photographs showing fine detail and superb color. In addition to its range of data input options -- printing can be done either from a card or directly from a PC, using SmartMedia, PC card, USB or Parallel Port -- the P-400 offers considerable flexibility when it comes to output. Users can choose between a full-size image, a single-sheet photo album, a postcard or an index sheet with up to 260 pictures.

Olympus will bring the P-400 to market for a suggested list price of $999 -- a fraction of the cost of competitive dye-sublimation printers. (The cost per A4-size print, including paper and ink, is a competitive $1.90). With the P-400, digital photographers will be able to produce photo-realistic, continuous-tone, 16.7 million-color images -- that look like photographs developed at a lab -- at a fraction of the current dye-sublimation cost. The low price makes in-house photo printing affordable for the first time to professional photographers, high-end amateurs and other imaging professionals, and establishes a new standard for price vs. performance in the dye-sublimation marketplace.

``As the leader in digital photography, our goal is to offer the consumer a complete photographic imaging solution from image capture to printing,'' said Kenny Suzuki, Director of Marketing, Olympus Digital & Imaging Systems Group. ``The P-400 strengthens our printing solutions and complements our P-330N Personal Printer and Pictorico ink-jet paper products.''

``In the past, many professional photographers simply couldn't afford this technology,'' said photographer Greg Kinch. ``Olympus' new printer is ideal for portrait, convention, wedding and other photographers who need a true photographic 8'' x 10`` print in 90 seconds. It's also portable enough to take on-site, which makes it a revenue generator for professional photographers.''

The low cost and high image quality of the P-400 makes it a must-have for any photographer with a 2+ megapixel digital camera. The P-400 is a perfect solution for a wide range of applications, including professional and amateur digital photography, graphic design, architecture and real estate (listings and appraisals), travel and tourism, medical (lab work; X-Rays), science, insurance, law enforcement (accident scenes) and much more.

Olympus has been creating innovative solutions for consumers, health care and industry for over 80 years. The company offers a complete digital imaging solution, with a range of input and output options including a full line of digital cameras, Pictorico ink jet media and dye-sublimation printers.

Olympus America distributes a wide range of products for consumer, scientific, health care, commercial and industrial markets. These include film and filmless cameras, Microcassette and digital voice recorders, binoculars, film scanners, personal photo printers, medical and industrial endoscopes, biological and metallurgical microscopes and measuring instruments, clinical analyzers, and other high technology products. Olympus America is responsible for sales in Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America. For more information on Olympus, visit http://www.olympusamerica.com.

P-400 Fact Sheet

True, continuous-tone dye-sublimation technology provides professional photo prints with accurate color reproduction for ultimate output quality

  • 7.7 Megapixel
  • 16.7 million colors (8 bit/color)
  • 8.25" x 11.7" print size / 8" x 10" photo size
  • 90-second printing speed
  • Clear laminate layer protects you prints
  • Printing via Parallel Port, USB, SmartMedia, PC card, CompactFlash*, MemoryStick*, or directly from a PC
  • Printing modes: full size (8.25" x 11.7"; from 1 up to 16 images per page); card (2 or 4 postcards per page); photo-album (1- 6 images per page with background image); index (45 - 260 images per page)
  • Full-color, black & white and sepia filters
  • Trimming, frame, background and stamp functions
  • LCD Panel for checking and selecting images
  • Print selection of up to 50 copies at a time
  • 1 color cartridge supports 50 sheets of paper
  • Footprint: 30" high x 17" wide x 17" deep
  • Cost per print: $1.90
  • Suggested list price: $999

* Using PC Card adapter