The e-motion408 Digital Minilab affords retailers another opportunity for entry into the digital on-site photofinishing marketplace.

HOLYOKE, MASSACHUSETTS -- Gretag's e-motion408 is designed to provide retailers with a cost-effective, digital minilab that can be the retailer's entry into providing digital services to their customers. Occupying only 11-sq. ft. of floor space, the e-motion408 is capable of producing 400 prints (4 x 6-inch) per hour. With print size capability up to 8 x 12-inches, this digital minilab offers low entry cost, low operation and maintenance costs, while satisfying the growing demand for a fully digital minilab offering a complement of digital services. With a built-in film processor, the e-motion408 can also satisfy consumer desire to process film-based images along with digital images.

Extremely compact, the e-motion408 includes a film processor, high-resolution film scanner, digital printer, touch screen monitor, and paper processor. The film processor develops all types of film including 110, 135, 120/220, and IX-240, at a processing capacity of 21 films/hour. Based on Low Volume Thin Tank (LVTT) technology, the e-motion408 film processor helps to contribute to lower chemical and energy costs.

Gretag's e-motion408 Digital Minilab is part of Gretag's print@retail strategy that provides a systems-based print fulfillment strategy that focuses on providing retailers with the ability to fulfill the consumer's photographic printing requirements. This strategy includes enabling digital minilabs such as the e-motion408, to work with Gretag's digital photo station kiosks to provide consumer-operated digital image print fulfillment either in-store or from remote locations.

As a digital minilab, the e-motion408 comes with drivers for most common digital camera media and CD-ROM. With a touch screen monitor and intuitive graphic interface, the minilab's user-friendly operation ensures ease-of-use to the most inexperienced operator.

The core of the e-motion408 is a newly developed digital printer based on fiber optic imaging technology that is enriched with an innovative technique, "Micro Lens Array", for transferring the image from the digital engine onto the photographic media. Avoiding direct contact with the photo paper, this technique provides significant improvement in image quality. Along with Gretag's proprietary Image Enhancement Technology and expertise in color management, first-run, high-quality prints are ensured.

Once installed, the e-motion408 can be upgraded to provide additional digital services as the demand grows. With the addition of upgrade software, installed on a workstation of their choice, the retailer can offer additional plug-and-play digital workflow solutions increasing the retailer's range of services. Services that include automatic color correction and red-eye removal, and the production of picture calendars and greeting cards. The upgrade will allow the retailer to accept virtually any analogue and digital media including floppy disks, CD-ROM (with CD burner), Zip, PC cards, as well as digital camera cards and downloads and uploads from the Internet.

Gretag's Retail program serves the on-site retail photofinishing industry consisting of mass merchandisers, one-hour photo stores, independent photo retailing shops, and drug store chains. Facilities are located in Switzerland, Italy and the United States, with sales and service organizations located throughout the world.

The Gretag Imaging Group, which is headquartered in Regensdorf, Switzerland, is one of the world's premier suppliers of photofinishing and imaging equipment and systems. The Group's products and services range from minilabs and central lab equipment to Internet applications. Gretag employs approximately 1300 employees worldwide.