Modules Provide Complete Solution, or Work with Many Existing Products

LAS VEGAS, March 2-The first complete digital workflow from a single supplier for school "underclass" and special event photography was announced today by Kodak Professional, a division of Eastman Kodak Company. The Kodak ProShots Groups Workflow Solution seamlessly links customers' photograph order data collected at image capture to beautiful pictures at order fulfillment.

By embedding invisible bar code data into images taken with the Kodak Professional DCS Pro 14n digital camera, the Groups workflow solution whisks images through the studio and into the lab for printing using a wide variety of devices and technologies. This system offers an optional package that allows captured images to be rendered and printed onsite for proofs and fulfillment at special events, such as proms and sporting events.

"We offer 'crowd control' for professional imagers," said Wayne Didas, Worldwide Product Manager, Workflow Solutions, Kodak Professional. "Our ProShots Groups Workflow Solution is optimized for the high-volume, low-priced nature of school, sports and event businesses. It's also customizable to handle specific requirements."

While digital components from other manufacturers could be used at any step in the workflow, the system excels when Kodak Professional products are used, Didas said.

Here's how an optimal ProShots Groups Workflow Solution looks:

Images are captured by a modified DCS Pro 14n digital camera employing special firmware, which interprets standard bar code data picked up by a compatible bar code reader connected to the camera. "The source of the bar code can be on an order envelope or linked to data already in the workflow," Didas explained. "We built this system for ease of use and flexibility."