PMA Magazine - Connecting the Imaging Communities articles from November 2007

PMA Magazine - Connecting the Imaging Communities archives from November 2007

Enthusiasts share passion.(Newsline Newslide)(www.fliker.com/Nikon)(www.pentaxians.com)
November 1, 2007... There are photographers and then there are Nikonians, Flickrites, and Pentaxians. What takes people to that next level of devotion is elusive, but connecting with those people is getting easier and more interactive. Nikon Inc. now offers...

What the duck.(Connections)(Cartoon)
November 1, 2007... WHAT'S THE EASIEST WAY TO ENLARGE MY IMAGE? [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED]

Just Qipit!(Newsline)
November 1, 2007... It's getting easier to digitize the physical world. Using a cameraphone or digital camera, Qipit Inc., San Francisco, Calif., allows users to transform any physical document--including letters, contracts, whiteboards, restaurant menus, or...

Visual storytelling.(Newsline)
November 1, 2007... Many of the best stories use images as well as words, and digital technology makes this storytelling easier. At the 6Sight--Future of Imaging conference, Nov. 8-9, attendees can post and share event photos and stories at a dedicated website...

Data watch: a look at marketing photo storage services.(Newsline)(photo storage services and protection plans.)
November 1, 2007... Stories of people losing their files and photos due to computer crashes, viruses, system upgrades, and online account termination policies, have been well documented--if not experienced by many of us personally--during the last few years....

African adventure: Paul's Photo takes education into the bush.(Business & Marketing)(Cover story)
November 1, 2007... \ [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Shared passions for photography and travel among Mark Comon and more than 150 customers of his shop, Paul's Photo (www.paulsphoto.com), Torrance, Calif., have made the store educational photography trips a...

IKEA inspiration: retailer IKEA reaches out to businesses with much more than fixtures.(Business & Marketing)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] With more than 250 stores in 35 countries, IKEA (www.ikea.com) is well known for cool, stylish, affordable home furnishings. But for the past few years, the Swedish-based retailer has also been expanding into the...

Toronto draws a crowd: PMA Canada Exposition focuses on making specialty retailing "special".(Connections)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] The third edition of the PMA Canada Exposition closed its doors with a new record-high attendance of more than 1,500, a 30 percent growth in attendance at the 2007 version of Canada Expo, which ran from Sept. 23-25,...

Marketing for the greater good: community involvement marketing can work to everyone's advantage.(Business & Marketing)
November 1, 2007... For almost any company, getting involved in community efforts is a great idea for every reason, according to business development specialist Michael Guld, president, The Guld Resource Group (www.guldresource.com), Richmond, Va. "Studies...

Dreamscape:Fujifilm participates in High Line Portrait Project encouraging photography, dreams, and green spaces in Manhattan.(Business & Marketing)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] In New York City, everybody has a dream. What's your dream? And what does your portrait say about that dream? Jacob, a boy wearing a "Smart Guy" long-sleeve T-shirt and sporting a gold chain, wants "to be...

Changing focus: digital technology allows retailers to focus more on customers and their experiences, not just products.(Trends & Technology)
November 1, 2007... Digital technology has changed the face of all forms of media, including photography. Music, movies, and photography businesses have all been impacted by new, inexpensive distribution models and products. At a recent luncheon meeting of the...

Qualex breaks in to photo books: NexPress installation in Allentown brings digital capabilities in-house.(Business & Marketing)
November 1, 2007... As the largest wholesale photofinisher in the United States, Qualex Inc. has been in the forefront of the mass market for nearly 20 years. With its broad distribution network and six plants in North America, the Durham, N.C.-based company...

What's in a wrap: how customized gift wrapping sets retailers apart from the crowd.(Business & Marketing)
November 1, 2007... Tiny tots aren't the only ones with their eyes all aglow this season. Retailers and customers alike are gearing up for one of the busiest shopping times of the year. With the upcoming holiday season fast approaching, specialty retailers must...

Dilemmas and conundrums: German specialty store Foto-Video Sauter fights challenges with new market opportunities.(Business & Marketing)
November 1, 2007... Lomography, televisions, cameraphones, and software may not save a specialty store. They can, however, become niches of opportunity that not only set a store apart, but also diversify profits. Changing retail environment "We can't...

The "everyday" photo DVD: Photogize Producer offers private-label Web and software photo DVD solution for retailers.(Trends & Technology)
November 1, 2007... For consumers, photo DVDs provide a great solution for archiving, gifting, and commemorating an event. For retailers, they can be a new high-margin revenue stream--if they're fast and easy to make. The new Photogize Producer systems from Graphx...

A year in pictures: . Is this the end of the holiday letter or the beginning of something better?(Trends & Technology)(Companies are discovering DVD greeting cards.)
November 1, 2007... With busy lives and far-flung friends and relatives, it's no wonder many people long to reconnect during the holidays. Photo greeting cards are a popular way to let faraway friends and families glimpse just how much the kids have grown. Others...

Online lifespan: what happens to our online albums and profiles when something happens to us?(Trends & Technology)
November 1, 2007... Many of our memories have moved from paper to computer. In addition to--or in place of--the photo albums, diaries, and letters we used to keep, much of our information is now posted electronically. We correspond with others via e-mail. We...

Bringing memories together: PMA 08 and 2008 MemoryTrends Conference & Expo co-locate.(Connections)
November 1, 2007... It is without question that the memories market is a diverse and expansive industry; and with that in mind, PMA announced in June the MemoryTrends Conference & Expo (MTCE) will be co-locating with PMA 08, Jan. 31-Feb. 2, 2008. "The two...

New at PMA 08: PMA 08 to feature SMART Store, combining digital scrapbooking with rest of imaging industry.(Connections)(Trade show display exibition: to feature smart store, Combining digital scrapbooking with rest of imaging industry.)
November 1, 2007... PMA 08 in Las Vegas, Nev., Jan. 31-Feb. 2, 2008, is just around the corner; and with it comes a new addition, the PMA SMART Store. A product of The SMART Group, Carlsbad, Calif., and PMA, Jackson, Mich., the store is a working model aimed at...

Going green: West Coast imagers lead the way in environmentally responsible operations.(Trends & Technology)
November 1, 2007... Professional imagers are investing money, energy, and creativity into making their operations more environmentally friendly. Last month, PMA magazine looked at businesses on the East Coast that have made green practices the basis of their...

To fix or not to fix? The Anonymous Consumer weighs the pros and cons of repairing a digital camera.(Connections)
November 1, 2007... The Anonymous Consumer was faced with a quandary. One of his favorite cameras-the Kodak V570 dual-lens zoom camera--had developed an annoying habit of not focusing. Or, rather, one of the camera's two lenses developed the habit. The wide-angle...

In compliance: documenting the cleanup is cheap insurance against future problems.(Connections)
November 1, 2007... Q: Our waste hauler was moving a drum of processing waste from the store to the truck. The drum tipped over and spilled in the grass. How do we deal with making sure there won't be any questions about cleanup in the future? A: Keeping good...

Business blogging: Steve White, public relations manager of Graham Communications, discusses the pros and cons of blogging.(Parting Shot)
November 1, 2007... In his new book, "Naked Conversations," author Robert Scoble pretty much nails the whole "blogging" phenomena by directly linking it to the consumer's need for "human contact." He cites the frustration of being fed up with voice mail, menus of...