2001 Input | Output

JULY 26
Profile: Large Format, Big Color Management
JULY 26—When you talk with Michael Gilbert of Limited Editions Maui about color management, you get the feeling that he thinks photographers who produce their own prints without using color management are missing the proverbial boat. Or that trying to produce quality prints from an original photo without color management is like riding a horse without a saddle–it can be done, but more often than not you’re likely to fall on your head.

MARCH 28
Agfa To Ship New Scanners
Agfa has announced two new models in its line of SnapScan flatbed scanners. The new e42 and e52 will both offer 48-bit color and four programmable buttons, as well as 1,200 x 2,400 DPI resolution. In addition, Agfa has also set a release date for Mac OS X drivers and applications for its scanners.

MARCH 22
Kodak Announces 6 Megapixel SLR
Kodak today announced a 6 megapixel SLR in its line of DCS digital cameras. The new DCS 760 uses Kodak's 6 megapixel camera back built on Nikon's flagship F5 Pro digital SLR camera body. In addition to the back, Kodak has also built in an ISO range of 80 to 400 (pushable two stops), a burst rate of 1.5 frames per second and a burst depth of 24 frames. (The camera will actually buffer up to 24 shots at 6 megapixels each before writing to the PC card.)

MARCH 20
Roland Introduces 64" Hexachrome Inkjet Printer
Roland DGA has introduced a new eight-color 64-inch inkjet printer. The Hi-Fi Jet Pro FJ-600 uses Hexachrome technology licensed from Pantone to simulate about 97 percent of PMS colors. Roland is the only company currently offering Hexachrome in its wide-format models.

MARCH 19
Olympus Intros C-700 Digital Camera
Olympus today introduced the Camedia C-700 UltraZoom, a 10x optical zoom digital camera with a 2.11 megapixel resolution. Unlike the C-2100, which offers the exact same features, this one comes in a compact design and will sell for $699—about $300 less than the C-2100.

MARCH 12
Kyocera Ships Card-Sized Digital Camera
Kyocera has released what it calls the smallest digital camera with a zoom lens. The new Finecam S3 offers a 2x optical zoom with a lens that's all glass and includes three aspheric elements. The camera is equipped with a Polysilicon TFT color 1.5 inch LCD and offers a 35 mm equivalent of 38 mm to 76 mm.

MARCH 6
Olympus Introduces Brio Camera
Olympus says it will start shipping the first model in its new line of point and shoot digital cameras this May. The first model, the Camedia Brio D-100, offers a 1.3 megapixel CCD for producing images at 1,280 x 960. It also offers a 5.5 mm f2.8 to f11 autofocus lens with 2x telephoto, a shutter release time of 0.3 seconds and a USB interface.

News: Microtek Debuts Film Scanner
FEB. 13—Microtek has released a new film scanner today that it claims delivers drum-quality film scans. The new model, the ArtixScan 4500t, is a multi-format scanner targeted toward imaging professionals on Mac and Windows that uses a 10,000-element CCD to produce 42-bit depth at a maximum optical resolution of 2,571 DPI and a 3.9Dmax.

News: Epson Brings 2,440 DPI to Large Format with new Stylus Pro 5500
FEB. 12—Epson today announced it's lowering prices on three of its professional large-format printers. The company also started shipping the Stylus Pro 5500, a 13" (wide), 2,440 x 720 DPI printer that uses Epson's new Archival Inks.

News: Canon To Ship High-Speed Film Scanner
FEB. 12—Canon says it will ship a new high-speed film scanner in the second quarter of this year. The new model, the CanoScan FS4000US, offers 42-bit, 4,000 DPI resolution; 14-bit A/D conversion; USB and SCSI-2 interfaces; and scratch and dust removal capabilities. The new scanner accepts 35 mm and Advanced Photo System films, including slide film, and has a dynamic range is 3.4.

News: SiPix To Ship New Cameras
FEB. 9—SiPix has announced two new digital cameras in its lineup that will begin shipping later this month. The SiPix SC-2100 is a 2.1 megapixel that will sell for $279. The SC-2100 features auto focus, a six-element glass lens, 1.8-inch color LCD and 2x digital zoom. It also has a continuous-shoot mode for taking up to four shots in rapid succession at full resolution.

News: Wacom Offers Deal on Painter 6
FEB. 5—Wacom has started offering a special deal to its customers on the purchase of Corel Painter 6. Now through Feb. 21, owners of Wacom Graphire and Intuos tablet systems can buy Painter 6 for $199. (it's usually priced at $399.)

News: HP To Ship Designjet 5000 UV
FEB. 5—Hewlett-Packard today unveiled a new UV printing system designed for the HP Designjet 5000 series. The new ink system is UV-based and can be interchanged with HP's dye-based HP 81 system, according to the company. HP is also announcing the release of HP Durable Image Gloss UV printing material, which offers smear and moisture resistance for both indoor and outdoor applications. The coating is designed to provide fast drying for immediate lamination.

News: Toshiba Announces New Digital Cameras
FEB. 5—Toshiba today announced its new lineup of digital cameras, ranging from the $249, 1.3 megapixel PDR-M11 to the $599, 3.3 megapixel PDR-M65. The cameras will be on display beginning next week at the PMA show in Orlando beginning Feb. 11.

News: Nikon To Release Digital SLRs
FEB. 5—Nikon today announced the impending release of two new digital SLR cameras. The company says the new models are the fastest on the market, with high-speed image processing that produces three frames per second on the D1X for up to nine consecutive shots at resolutions up to 5.47 megapixels. The other new camera, the D1H, produces up to five frames per second for up to 40 shots at 2.74 megapixels.

News: Xerox Goes Wide Format
FEB. 1—Xerox Engineering Systems is added its weight to the wide-format market with the introduction today of the ColorgrafX X2 wide-format piezoelectric inkjet printer. The new model is a 54", six-color (tonal, not hexachromatic) printer that supports both 720 DPI and 360 DPI for final and draft output.

News: Fuji Introduces Three Digital Cameras
FEB. 1—Fuji Photo Film today introduced three new models in its FinePix line of digital cameras. Two higher-end models will see their debuts later this year, while the low-end FinePix 2300 will start shipping in April.

News: Epson Ships New Mac Inkjets
JAN. 16—Epson has announced two new four-color inkjet printers for use with Macintosh systems. Epson touts the new printers as "whisper-quiet." The new models include the Stylus Color 8³ and Stylus Color 880i feature up to 2,880 x 720 DPI resolution and 4 picoliter droplets. The printers deliver up to 12 pages per minute in black text and up to nine PPM for text and color graphics.

News: Monaco to Bring ColourMatch to Xante ColourLaser 1200 Pro
JAN. 15—Monaco Systems has announced an agreement with Xante to codevelop Xante ColourMatch for the Xante ColourLaser 1200 Pro Printer. Xante ColourMatch is a color management application that builds ICC profiles for monitors, scanners and printers.

News: Epson Intros New Expression Scanner
JAN. 8—Epson today announced the new Epson Expression 1680 scanner, a 48-bit color scanner that offers a resolution of 3,200 x 1,600 DPI. The Expression 1680 is similar to its predecessor, the Expression 1600, but offers the addition of an increase in dynamic range to 3.6 Dmax, a higher color bit depth of 48-bit and the inclusion (on three models) of LaserSoft SilverFast Ai 5 scanning software.

News: Agfa Announces Twin-Plate Scanner
JAN. 8—Agfa announced the first of its new generation of TwinPlate scanners, the Duoscan F40. The new scanner offers both FireWire and USB connectivity in a 42-bit DuoScan. The TwinPlate scanner provides separate beds for scanning reflective and transparent originals.

News: Wacom Offers Discounts on Tablets
JAN. 8—Wacom has announced a new deal, effective tomorrow, that will allow purchasers of Intuos tablets to receive $30 to $50 off through mail-in rebates. The deal applies only to Graphite-colored Intuos tablets with an active area of 6" x 8" or 9" x 12" (known as Intuos SE). Rebates of $30 for the 6" x 8" active area Graphite and $50 for the 9" x 12" active area Graphite will be available from participating resellers for products purchased from Jan. 9 to Jan. 31, 2001.

News: Olympus To Ship New Digital Cameras
JAN. 5—Olympus America has announced two new models in its Camedia line of digital cameras. The Camedia C-2040 Zoom 2.11 megapixel (1,600 x 1,200) 3x zoom compact digital camera offers an F1.8 high-performance digital zoom lens and USB capabilities. The second camera, the C-3040 Zoom, is a 3.34 Megapixel (2,048 x 1,536) model, also with a 3x zoom in a compact form. It also offers an F1.8 aperture digital zoom lens with an extended flash working range and USB capabilities.

News: Microtek Ships Scanner, Digital Camera Bundle
JAN. 4—Microtek has started bundling a low-end digital camera with its ScanMaker 4600 image scanner. The MN100 digital camera is a 100,000-pixel CCD still camera capable of capturing audio and 30 FPS low-resolution as well. It can also function as a Webcam for live streaming. Microtek says the bundle is the first "complete Internet-ready digital imaging solution with a USB scanner and digital camera combination" designed for Web users.

REVIEW: Wacom Intuos 9" x 12" Graphics Tablet
JAN. 2—The mouse is a clumsy, limiting tool ill-suited for the process of creating art on a computer. If you're anything like me, one of your first peripheral purchases back in the early days was a graphics tablet or a mouse shaped like a pen (or, in my case, both). But in the early days these alternatives were, at best, reminders that technology was a long way off from adapting itself to the needs of artists working in a digital medium.

2000 Input | Output Archives

NEWS: Pictorico Expands Wide-Format Offerings
DEC. 13—Pictorico Ink Jet Media today announced the expansion of its offerings for wide-format inkjet printers, as well as a new printing service for digital photographers. As an increasing number of professional and amateur photographers print their images on inkjet printers, the ability to select from a variety of inkjet media substrates and sizes is becoming more important to the creative process, the company says.Pictorico Ink Jet Media today announced the expansion of its offerings for wide-format inkjet printers, as well as a new printing service for digital photographers. As an increasing number of professional and amateur photographers print their images on inkjet printers, the ability to select from a variety of inkjet media substrates and sizes is becoming more important to the creative process, the company says.

NEWS: YARC Releases Mac RIPs for HP
DEC. 4—YARC Systems today released its first Macintosh Ethernet Postscript RIP for the Hewlett Packard DesignJet series of wide-format printers. Based on version 3.0 of YARC's Xtreme software RIPs, the new Ethernet transport supports all DesignJets with an HP JetDirect interface.

News: Microtek Ships High-End ScanMaker
NOVEMBER 30—Microtek has introduced the latest in its professional line of flatbed scanners. The ScanMaker 8700 is a 42-bit, 2,400 x 1,200 DPI scanner that includes a FireWire chip set and USB port. The dual media ScanMaker 8700, designed for professional graphics, features Microtek's proprietary Emulsion Direct Imaging Technology (EDIT). The scanner includes an internal transparency bay and film templates with holders for batch scanning of multi-format film.

Review: Wacom Graphire Power Suite
NOVEMBER 17—The low end of pressure-sensitive tablets sure has come a long way. I remember my little ADB pad from back in the early '90s—one of the first truly affordable pressure tablets. It was a great idea, but it just wasn't all there. The sensitivity was too sharp, and the driver was slow as the dickens. (Remember watching Photoshop finish sketching your strokes 15 seconds after you stopped drawing?)

Review: Olympus Camedia C-2100 Digital Camera
NOVEMBER 17—Your first thought about the Olympus Camedia C-2100 might be that $999 is pretty pricey for a 2.1 megapixel digital camera. And you'd be right, if you compared it with cameras that have no extra features and optics that would make you cringe. But the C-2100 is in a different league.

Review: Olympus Camedia P-400 Dye Sublimation Printer
NOVEMBER 17—If you're a purist in terms of the image quality that comes out of you're printer, you're not going to be able to do better than the Camedia P-400 printer from Olympus for $999. The P-400 is Olympus' latest addition to its printer line, a dye-sublimation model that can handle paper sized up to 8.25" x 11.7".

News: Epson To Ship 'Macified' Version of 2,880 DPI Printer
NOVEMBER 14—Epson has announced a new four-color inkjet printer based on the Stylus Color 777, but with styling to match iMacs and Power Mac G4s. The Stylus Color 777i, priced at $99, offers 2,880 DPI resolution and four picoliter droplets, as well as 8 page per minute printing in black and white. Text and color prints can come out at six pages per minute.

News: Umax Ships AstraCam 1800
NOVEMBER 6—Umax Technologies has debuted the AstraCam 1800, a 1.2 megapixel point and shoot camera. The AstraCam 1800 features an a power management system designed for extended battery life, USB connectivity and NTSC video out for viewing photos on standard television sets.