By Shutterbug Staff

February 5, 2007 — Fujifilm U.S.A., Inc. has unveiled two high-speed digital photo printers for professional photographers, the ASK-4000 and ASK-2000 Digital Printers. The ASK-4000 and ASK-2000 Digital Printers allow studio, wedding and event photographers to quickly and easily provide customers with 4 x 6 inch prints in 8 seconds and 8 x 10 inch prints in 40 seconds. Onsite printing also eliminates the need and expense of organizing, printing and mailing photos in the days following an event. By simply connecting the printers to a laptop via a high-speed USB 2.0 interface, professional photographers can leverage the ASK-2000 and ASK-4000 dye-sublimation thermal transfer technology to produce prints onsite at client events. Both printers feature color-correction software incorporating Fujifilm's Image Intelligence™ technology, giving photographers lab-quality prints regardless of their location.

Fujifilm's Image Intelligence technology is the integration of vast image analysis, evaluation and processing know-how that Fujifilm has amassed over many years of experience in industries and applications as diverse as medical imaging, graphic arts and photography. The resulting technology – incorporated into many Fujifilm products - includes a series of software utilities collectively known as Image Intelligence. Among the key Image Intelligence features pro-photographers will see in this product are excellent color correction and smoothing of skin tones.

The ASK-2000 and ASK-4000 Digital Printers use Fujifilm's chemical-free dye-sublimation print technology. This method involves an ink ribbon, heated by a thermal head and coated with dye, which transfers the dye onto special coated paper. The paper absorbs the dye to form visible images, and is then sealed by a protective UV overcoat layer to provide a water-resistant barrier, helping to ensure the preservation of images.

The ASK-4000 and ASK-2000 Digital Printers feature small footprints of just 1.5 square feet and 1.3 square feet respectively, and easy maintenance. All operation and maintenance functions, from switching on the power to loading paper and changing ink ribbons, can be performed with the printer in place, and can be conveniently accessed by opening the front cover. No light-sensitive materials are required, so the printers can be installed and operated in normal surroundings. Powered by the standard AC100-240V current, the ASK-2000 and ASK-4000 are ready to print at the touch of a switch.

The ASK-4000 Digital Printer offers edge-to-edge printing and produces 8 x 10-inch prints in just 40 seconds, and 8 x 12-inch prints in just 49 seconds. The ASK-2000 Digital Printer offers edge-to-edge printing and is capable of delivering the following output sizes: 4 x 6-inch, 5 x 7-inch, 6 x 8-inch, 6 x 9-inch prints. The printer produces 5 x 7-inch prints at 16 seconds per print, allowing professional photographers to generate up to 225 prints per hour.

As with many of Fujifilm's digital printing solutions, the ASK-4000 and ASK-2000 Digital Printers have a wide range of applications beyond traditional professional photography, For agencies such as government and law enforcement organizations, high-quality prints are a necessity for crime scene photos, mug shots, evidence photos and photo I.D. printing. These organizations often do not have dedicated photo lab staffs and would prefer not to handle chemical printing processes, so the ASK-4000 and ASK-2000 provide an ideal "dry," hassle-free printing solution to meet their needs.

For additional information, please visit www.fujifilmusa.com.