DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY NEWS

LONG BEACH, Calif., Oct. 13, 2009 – The ultimate companion in photo printing has arrived with the release of the affordable, portable Epson PictureMate® Charm. Offering the same impressive features and results as previous models in the renowned PictureMate line, including superior photo quality, economical print costs, long-lasting prints, and powerful image enhancement tools, PictureMate Charm is the ideal solution for printing and sharing cherished memories at home or on the go.

 

“Photo labs can be inconvenient and don’t always produce great results because they often sacrifice image quality in order to cut costs,” said Stacey Tieu, associate product manager, Consumer Ink Jets, Epson America Inc. “Epson’s PictureMate Charm is the best alternative because it delivers the features that are important to consumers – uncompromised quality and ultimate convenience – allowing them to print superior 4”x6” photos with true-to-life skin tones, amazing detail and sharpness in as fast as 37 seconds1 whenever and where ever they want.”

 

Whether at home, at a party or traveling on vacation, PictureMate Charm consistently delivers durable, better-than-lab-quality prints that are smudge, scratch and water resistant. The beautiful, true-to-life prints last up to four times longer than traditional, film-processed photos, resisting fading up to 96 years under glass and over 200 years in dark album storage2.

 

In addition, PictureMate Charm offers easy, one-touch printing with or without a computer. It features a 2.5” LCD screen to view, crop and print photos, as well as remove red eye and select popular photo layouts and color tones such as black and white, sepia or color. PictureMate Charm also prints from all popular memory cards with built-in card slots3, and prints wirelessly from PDAs and digital camera cell phones with an optional Bluetooth® adapter4.

 

PictureMate Charm delivers affordable prints on glossy and matte paper with Epson’s PictureMate Print Packs, which include ink and either 150 sheets of 4”x6” glossy paper or 100 sheets of 4”x6” matte paper. In addition, an optional, rechargeable battery is available for maximum portability to print photos outdoors or on the road.

 

With its extreme versatility, PictureMate Charm is also a smart tool for many professional industries, including wedding photographers and medical or dental offices. Its high-quality photo output, long-lasting, durable ink, and ultimate portability allow photographers to instantly provide images to clients at events, while medical professionals can conveniently track a patient’s recovery through before-and-after photos without having to wait for them to be processed at a lab.

 

Feature Highlights:

• 2.5" LCD color photo viewer
• 4"X6" photos in as fast as 37 seconds^*
• Smudge, water and fade resistant photos
• Choose from various layouts and print in black-and-white, color or sepia
• Borderless photos, remove red eye, PC free
• Compatible with any digital camera
• Everyday low print price
• Easy to use
• Optional rechargeable battery for printing on-the-go
• Optional carry case and bluetooth adapter
  

 

Pricing and Availability

PictureMate Charm ($149.99*) will be available on Oct. 20 through a variety of online retail stores and Epson’s retail site, www.epsonstore.com. For more information, please see the PictureMate Charm fact sheet or visit www.Epson.com. 

 

About Epson America Inc.

Epson America Inc. is the U.S. affiliate of Seiko Epson Corporation and a leading provider of digital imaging products that exceed the vision of its customers. The company’s extensive range of printers, scanners and 3 LCD projectors are renowned for their superior quality, functionality, compactness, and energy efficiency. The Seiko Epson organization is proud of its ongoing contributions to the global environment and for the second year in a row, been part of the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index, an indicator for leading companies in economic, environmental and social criteria.

 

* See Specifications page on Epson website for notes