About Noritsu...

As you know, I will be working in the Noritsu booth {#3000} at CHA Summer in Chicago next week. Several of you have emailed me asking me about the company, so I thought I would tell you more about them. {For those of you that have speculated, I wanted to quelch the rumor - I am not working for Noritsu on a permanent basis, although they're delightful folks and I was thrilled to have the opportunity to work with them at the show.} There is an excellent press release about Noritsu and digital scrapbooking on Yahoo Finance right now. You also might have read about them in the July issue of Craftrends magazine {page 74}, which rated them as a top provider of digital output machines ideal for scrapbook stores.

Noritsu leads the world in photo processing and digital imaging technology. What you must see at CHA:

• DP100 - The new DP-100 is a stand-alone digital dry inkjet printer designed for low volume, professional photofinishing applications. The DP-100 is the only professional-grade, dry inkjet printer in the industry to offer an extensive variety of print sizes in addition to occupying a minimum of floor space {6.5 square feet}. The DP-100 outperforms other professional inkjet printers with its print size versatility and high image quality. Output from the seven-color, pigment-dye printer is highly water-resistant and offers superior print longevity compared to other inkjet systems. The optional laminator attachment gives DP-100 prints an additional smooth finish and higher-gloss appearance.Capable of printing a wide range of print sizes: 4”x 6”, 5”x 7”, 8”x 10”, 8”x12”, 10”x 10”, 12”x 12”, 11”x 14”, 12”x 18”, 12”x 36” Not only can you offer prints to your customers, you can reproduce their pages making you a one stop shop for all their memory making needs.
• EZLab Home Kiosk Software - Installs on your customer’s home computer, enabling them to create print orders and send them online to your DP-100 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. EZLab Home Kiosk Software provides customers with the option to "print to store", so they can alter their photos or do their digital scrapbook page at home then upload their images directly to your machine. Just call your customers when their prints {any size} are ready and you have them coming into your store all the time. Printing via the internet provides the customer with the ultimate in simplicity. You are in full control of pricing and fulfillment options such as in-store pick up or mail delivery.

Noritsu says...
"...the retail scrapbooking market today {is very similiar} to the photofinishing landscape of seven years ago. {When digital cameras came out, people were worried that film would be abandoned. In retrospect, the two continued to thrive hand in hand.} The mixing of traditional and digital techniques is a growing trend in scrapbooking, bridging the divide between traditional paper scrapbooking to pure digital, where all the elements of the page are digitally produced. Because of the origins of the hobby as a hands-on craft, some controversy has arisen. There are some who narrowly define scrapbooking to exclude digitally produced pages. Yet the National Scrapbooking Association recently suggested adopting a broader definition of scrapbooking in order to make the hobby more inclusive to avoid driving away newcomers. As the industry adjusts to digital scrapbooking, the debate has spawned a new class of retailer who are actively seeking to unify the "warring factions." A new type of hybrid scrapbooking retailer has emerged, in response to the increased consumer interest in digital memory keeping. The objective of this hybrid retailer is to preserve the friendly, social aspect of scrapbooking while leveraging the convenience and speed of digital."

Emily says...
I think they're very smart. I think our industry and our craft is constantly evolving and to ignore that would be fatal. I love paper scrapping, the feel of paper, paint...the messiness of it - everything about it. Here's the thing - I have a digital camera. I use a computer in my scrapbooking with journaling. I'm already incorporating digital into my world. We all probably are to some degree. I have no plan to go 100% digital {that's just me}, but I do want to explore this exciting new way to preserve memories. The gift giving aspect is so inticing {infinite reproduction}. Have you taken a look at digital lately? Really looked? It's come a long way in a short time. If you doubt digital, just look at my blog header {that's a fun use of digital kits}. I also get a little hot under the collar when people say it isn't "real scrapbooking". Um, I thought the whole point of what we do is to be creative and to preserve our memories in any format. I'd love to talk to you more about what's happening in the scrapbooking market and about the hybrid future of our craft. See you in Chicago.