Sony Press Release 21/10/04

SONY DIGITAL PHOTO PRINTER PICKS UP THE PACE

UP-DR150 Sets New Speed and Quality Standard for Event Photos, Digital Kiosks

CHICAGO, Oct. 21, 2004 (PMA Fall Conference Booth # 717) - Sony Electronics today enhanced its line of digital photofinishing products with the introduction of the UP-DR150 digital photo printer, a dye sublimation printer that is now the fastest in its class of professional photo printers.

Designed to deliver quality prints and rapid turnaround in retail, studio, in-field event and kiosk applications, the UP-DR150 also offers high-volume roll printing, durable print heads, and a simple front-access design to minimize maintenance.

“We continue to accelerate the expansion of the digital photofinishing market and its technologies with the introduction of the UP-DR150,” said Jay Dellostretto, vice president for digital photofinishing in Sony Electronics’ Broadcast and Business Solutions Company. “Retailers and photographers can effortlessly deliver the prints their customers want faster and better than ever, making retail digital photofinishing an even more compelling offering.”

The UP-DR150 takes Sony’s fourth-generation dye sublimation print technology to new levels. The high-speed printing comes from combining the newly developed adaptive thermal print head with a high-speed USB 2.0 interface. This trims print times for 4-inch x 6-inch images down to about 8 seconds, and delivers a 5-inch x 7-inch prints in about 15 seconds, and 6-inch x 8-inch prints in approximately 20 seconds. Aside from speed, the new thermal print head is designed to be durable enough to meet the demands of industrial use, reliably turning out print after print, day after day.

According to Dellostretto, careful consideration to the UP-DR150’s design came from assessing and understanding real-life use. The high-volume roll capacity means that this workhorse can deliver 550 4-inch x 6-inch prints without reloading (335 5-inch x 7-inch prints). When it is time to replenish paper and ribbon, the auto-loading mechanism makes it simple to re-load. The front-loading layout makes the most of precious countertop space fitting into narrow spots without surrendering service access, and side-mounted interface connections are recessed to make this a drop-in installation.

“Print By Sony” Quality
The UP-DR150’s thermal print head delivers a high quality print that exceeds expectations for digital imaging, producing crisp, vibrant prints with lifelike, continuous tones. Skin tones reproduced with the UP-DR150 approach the natural warmth that is the hallmark of quality film prints. A choice of three print finishes - glossy, texture and matte - produces photo-like print quality. Four different print packs are available: 3 ?-inch x 5-inch, 4-inch x 6-inch, 5-inch x 7-inch and 6-inch x 8-inch.

The Sony UP-DR150 digital photo roll printer will be available in December at a suggested retail price of $2,595.