Digital Camera News

February 06, 2007

Kodak Enters All-in-One Printing Market

February 6, 2007 – Eastman Kodak Company announced today its expansion into the printing market with what they promote as cost-effective, all-in-one printers, the Kodak EasyShare 5500, 5300, and 5100. Once limited to the photo-dedicated printers, the new Kodak printers include photo printing, scanning, and copying abilities. Kodak also launched ink cartridges at under $15 to compliment the EasyShare AiO printers, priced at $150 to $300 that will be available in the spring.

"After today, the inkjet market will never be the same," said Kodak chairman and CEO Antonio Perez in a press release today. "We are changing the rules in this industry to ensure that consumers can affordably print what they want, when they want, easily and at a high level of Kodak quality they’ve come to expect," he said. 

Called a "revolution in the inkjet industry," according to a company press release today, the new Kodak all-in-one printer campaign will be marked with an event at NBC studios in New York City and the launch of a new website, www.inkisit.com.

The Kodak EasyShare 5100 All-in-One Printer can print, scan, and copy up to 32 pages per minute in black and white and 22 pages per minute in color, stated the release. Users have the option to connect their PictBridge-compatible camera to the printer directly, without the use of an intermediate computer. The Kodak 5100 Printer will retail for $149.99 when it becomes available in March at U.S. Best Buy retailers.

The Kodak EasyShare 5300 All-in-One Printer adds a 3-inch LCD screen to the functions of the 5100 AiO printer. The printer has an in-printer editing function for previewing and cropping photos without the use of a computer. The Kodak 5300 has a suggested retail price of $199.99; it is scheduled for release in March.

The Kodak EasyShare 5500 All-in-One Printer is geared for the home-office with printing, scanning, copying, and faxing abilities. The printer has a 2.4-inch LCD and an automatic document feeder. The Kodak 5500 will retail for $299.99 when it is released in May.
All the Kodak printers will be available online in April at the Kodak online store, www.kodak.com.

These new Kodak printers promise to be cost-effective for the home user.

"For far too long, people have felt restrained from printing due to the high cost of ink," said Perez.

Replacement ink cartridges typically range between $30 to $85 each, stated the release. The new Kodak options allow users to save up to 50 percent on prints, according to Kodak. In addition to the launch of the new all-in-printers, Kodak announced new ink cartridges, a black ink cartridge priced at $9.99 and a five-ink cartridge at $14.99. The prices of the ink would allow a user to print a 4x6 at 10 cents per print, according to the release, lower than the cost of print at most local retailers.

Kodak last year announced that the company would discontinue manufacturing digital cameras and would outsource the production. Since then, the company has refocused its efforts onto other areas. Last week, Kodak launched new Photoshop plug-ins and today announced its emergence in the all-in-one printing market, giving competitor HP, manufacturer of cameras and printers, a run for their money.