Epson on Tuesday introduced PictureMate Deluxe Viewer Edition, a new version of its PictureMate standalone photo printer that offers a 2.4-inch LCD screen for viewing images and editing them before theyire printed. Users can crop photos and adjust their brightness, color saturation and sharpness as well as watch slideshows on the screen. They can also now produce 3 x 4-inch and mini-wallet size photos as well as choose one of 15 Disney-themed frames as a border for a picture before printing it.
In addition, the new printer features support for an optional US$69 internal battery that lasts approximately two hours and can be recharged from an AC outlet. Epson also noted that the PictureMate Deluxe Viewer Edition can print 4 x 6-inch photos as quickly as 75 seconds each, 40 percent faster than the original PictureMate. Like its predecessor, the Deluxe Viewer Edition can print photos from and back up images to a CD-R or Zip disc or a flash drive. Itis also compatible with all popular memory cards and supports PictBridge, Exif print and Print Image Matching. An optional adapter adds Bluetooth connectivity for printing from Bluetooth-enabled camera cell phones and PDAs.
Epson expects to ship the PictureMate Deluxe Viewer Edition in June with a $249 price tag. The original PictureMate will continue to be available for $199. When connected to a Mac, the printer requires Mac OS X v10.2 or higher.