New Self-Service Digital Photo Printing Kiosks Introduced Aboard Carnival's Fun Ships

[CoachTerry14]

New Self-Service Digital Photo Printing Kiosks Introduced Aboard Carnival's Fun Ships

 

08/30/2004

 

NEW SELF-SERVICE DIGITAL PHOTO PRINTING KIOSKS INTRODUCED ABOARD CARNIVAL’S ‘FUN SHIPS’

 

New Technology Part of Line’s Fleetwide Multi-Million-Dollar Digital Photo Upgrade

 

 

Carnival Cruise Lines has introduced new self-service digital photo printing kiosks providing a convenient and cost-effective way for guests to download and print their digital vacation photos while sailing aboard the “Fun Ships.”

 

The new system, adapted for the shipboard environment by San Marcos, Texas-based Pixel Magic, a leader in digital photo technology, is currently on several ships and expected to be expanded fleetwide by the end of the year.

 

Pixel Magic’s iStation 150 photo printing kiosks are located near the ships’ photo galleries. To print their photos, guests simply insert the memory card from their digital camera into a card reader located within the stand-alone printing kiosk. After selecting photo size and quantity, the images are then printed in a matter of seconds on high quality digital photo paper using Pixel Magic’s latest MegaPixel III printers.

 

Guests can also customize their photos with colorful borders, backgrounds and other features. To pay for the photos, guests simply swipe their “Sail & Sign” shipboard credit card and the amount is charged to their account.

 

“With the growing popularity of digital cameras, we wanted to provide a fast, competitively priced means for guests to download and print their cherished memories from their ‘Fun Ship’ cruise vacation. The new Pixel Magic system offers all this and more, while providing a value-added service to our guests, who enjoy the most convenient and sophisticated photo services at sea,” said Bob Woodry, Carnival’s vice president of photo and communication services.

 

The new Pixel Magic self-service photo printing kiosks are the most recent additions to Carnival’s multi-million-dollar fleetwide digital photo conversion. The upgrade includes state-of-the-art professional Olympus E-1 digital cameras – the first such cameras ever employed on cruise ships – and the full line of Olympus retail cameras, as well as the cruise industry’s fastest digital photo labs developed in tandem by Carnival and KonicaMinolta.

 

Also new is a photo-retrieval kiosk currently being beta-tested on the Carnival Pride’s seven-day cruises from Long Beach, Calif. The new system – the first of its kind in the cruise industry – utilizes ImageWare Systems, Inc.’s innovative “facial recognition technology.” Developed in conjunction with Carnival, the technology matches a guest’s likeness with stored “Fun Ship” vacation photos shot by the ship’s photographers and displays the images on the computer screen for review and purchase.

 

Carnival has also expanded the photo accessories sold on board its ships to include ScanDisk digital memory cards.

 

About Carnival Cruise Lines

 

Carnival is the world’s most popular cruise line, with 20 “Fun Ships” operating voyages from three to 16 days in length to the Bahamas, Caribbean, Mexican Riviera, Alaska, Hawaii, the Panama Canal, Canada, New England and Europe.

 

The line currently has two new 110,000-ton SuperLiners under construction – Carnival Valor, scheduled to launch year-round seven-day Caribbean service from Miami Dec. 19, 2004, becoming the largest Carnival ship ever based at that port, and Carnival Liberty, which will inaugurate the line’s first-ever Mediterranean cruises with a program of 12-day voyages beginning July 20, 2005.

 

For additional information and reservations, contact any travel agent, call 1-800-CARNIVAL, or visit carnival.com.

 

About Pixel Magic

 

Since 1993, Pixel Magic has pioneered many of the retail imaging technologies that are accepted as standards today. The company has shipped over 6,000 systems to date to such clients as Eckerd Drug, Meijer Corp, Japan Camera Centre, and Carnival Cruise Lines.

 

Pixel Magic Imaging was founded on and continues to promote open architecture, modular digital imaging solutions designed to help consumers easily take advantage of the many benefits digital photography offers. Its One Touch Digital Printing™ is a unique one-touch software platform designed to offer instant digital services at the touch of a single button. Pixel Magic is located twenty miles south of Austin in San Marcos, Texas. For more information, call (800) GO PIXEL or visit http://www.pixelmagic.com.

 

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[LornaT]

Got this off of Pixel's web-site:

 

i STATION 150 FEATURES:

* The industries easiest to use kiosk featuring patent pending One Touch Digital Printing™.

* Automatically produces Pixel Perfect Pictures™ - available only from Pixel Magic Imaging.

* Prints from digital cameras as well as camera-phones.

* Supports Print2Store™ from home.

* Branded to promote your retail store brand.

 

Other capabilities include:

* Prints are delivered quickly (and even faster with our tandem printing capability).

* Ability to easily burn CDs and make index prints.

* New package print capability includes the ability to put up to 8 images on a single 4x6 sheet.

* Ability to easily enhance each picture with a suitable border.

* Multiple language support including English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Dutch, Japanese and Chinese.

* Accepts virtually all types of digital input - CompactFlash™, SmartMedia™, Memory Stick®, Memory Stick PRO™, Secure Digital™, MMC™, xD-Picture Card™; and CDs.

* Printed on the MegaPixel III printer using high quality, low cost 4x6 media.

* Built in receipt printer. Credit card enablement optional.

* Available in a choice of small countertop footprints:

a. 17.5 w x 17 d x 17.5 h

b. 20 w x 21.5 d x 28.5 h

 

Thought some might like to know this info. especially about what type of media

[LornaT]

Okay...............out of curiosity I asked Carnival if the system is/would be on the Legend when I sail in December and if possible what the price would be per print and the cost for transferring from Media Cards to a CD........here is their reply:

 

There will be a Pixel Digital iStation 150 placed by the Photo Kiosk Sales Desk in Photo Gallery on Deck 3 (Atlantic Deck). The Digital Photo (4X6" size) cost is $0.50 cents per print and the CD is $9.95 each.

 

Just in case anyone else wants to know this information.