Like most input-output processes, digital imaging is no different. The success of such systems requires compatibility of both these processes. For most users, traditional photography workflow simply requires a user to shoot a picture on film, and then send the roll to be quickly processed and printed by a photo lab.

With the advent of digital photography, users found themselves having to be more intimate with their photos--at least much more than before (transferring the images to the PC for editing, sharing, storing and, of course, printing). For the IT-shy, this hasn't gone down particularly well, causing some to refrain from moving into the realm of digital imaging.

Manufacturers were quick to realize this and we saw the proliferation of various variants of direct print connectivity between cameras and printers. The only caveat then was that you needed a printer and camera of the same brand, or an Epson-compatible camera with some of Epson's printers. Obviously, this didn't work well for users. After all, with traditional photography, you didn't have to bother with different brands of film and photo retailers.

All that changed in February 2003, when CIPA (Camera & Imaging Products Association) announced the establishment of PictBridge. If you haven't been living under a rock all these years, you'd know that PictBridge is an open standard enabling the direct printing of photos without the need of a computer. Six months later, Canon launched the first set of wares sporting the new connectivity and the world looked forward to true interoperability.

Now, 15 months on since the term was coined, PictBridge hasn't gotten very far. While digicam manufacturers have warmed up to the standard, the story on the print side is vastly different.

Apart from Canon, Epson is really the other only firm to offer PictBridge inkjet printers--and just one model. The most notable vendor missing from the PictBridge list is imaging giant HP. The company has thus far concentrated on marketing its "total print system", which are printers with built-in memory card readers.

Mention PictBridge to HP and the imaging giant is quick to point out that it's one of the companies which established the standard. However, it's only recently that HP has rather quietly released its first PictBridge-compatible product, the 5-megapixel Photosmart R707 digital camera. With something to show and tell, this may have prompted the company to be more forward with information regarding the PictBridge standard. Margaret Ong, vice president for Asia Pacific and Japan, Imaging and Printing Group, has also committed to a range of PictBridge-enabled products in the fall of 2004. We hazard that this will be in September when HP characteristically launches a large number of wares.

Until that happens, PictBridge isn't getting enough of a much-needed boost--at least in terms of brand diversity and numbers. As things are moving, we fear the damage may have already been done. This once-promising technology could find itself displaced or, at the very least, trivialized.

Photo labs and kiosks may have been slow to react to the emergence of digital photography. However, they've been recovering judging by figures highlighted in our previous article. It appears that these photo development centers are filling the void that PictBridge was meant to address. After all, you don't hear complaints from anyone about not being able to print directly from a camera anymore, do you?

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