The What’s Happening July 2019 installment covers photo book bundles for pros and event photographers, featuring DNP photo printers. We also look at a new minilab photo printer and a new photo book options from MailPix.com. In addition, we report on a new photo kiosk for mobile photo printing.
What’s Happening July 2019
RBA Photobooths Bundles DNP Printers in Complete Photo Booth Packages
RBA Photobooths (Rey Borja and Associates) offers its customers complete portable photo booth solutions for events. Moreover, RBA includes custom road cases with every photo booth package, to ensure that as photographers travel to events, every product for the photo booth arrives safely.
RBA has 15 years of experience in the photo booth business and has exclusively used DNP dye-sub photo printers for five years. The company provides a selection of complete photo booth solutions. While photographers can customize their photo booth package based on their needs, each one comes with basic elements. The components consist of a DNP DS-RX1HS photo printer, a camera, a photo booth shell and strobe flash lights. 
“DNP printers are extremely durable, which makes it easy for us to work with them and ship them without having to worry,” said Allen Stinson, a sales associate at RBA Photobooths.
“We’re often shipping internationally and never have a problem. I’ve been working with DNP printers for a while and find them extremely easy to work with. I can quickly change out media. Also, I love that the printer can cut the media right there on the spot—saving me a lot of time.”
In addition, RBA designed a custom printer cover and tray to help the DNP printer seamlessly blend with the photo booth. “A good portion of our clients are DJs or event planners. As a result, it’s important to make our photo booths blend into the environment and aesthetic they’ve worked to create,” added Stinson. “We designed the covers specifically for DNP DS-RX1HS printers, and our customers love them.”
RBA Photobooths recently opened its first showroom. Photographers, DJs and event planners can check out all their offerings and test out the equipment.
Epson SureLab D870 Minilab Photo Printer
Epson’s SureLab D870 minilab photo printer is a dry lab printer for small-format photo production, such as retail and event photography. The SureLab D870 leverages Epson UltraChrome D6r-S dye-based ink technology plus an advanced print engine to deliver print speeds of 430 4×6-inch photos; 275 5×7-inch or 140 8×10-inch photos per hour.
The successor to the SureLab D700, the D870 delivers industrial level performance in a compact footprint. Featuring new media handling capabilities and a quick print mode, it prints on several finishes in various sizes, including glossy, luster and matte surfaces up to 8.3×39 inches. Formats include square and panoramic photos as well as borderless sizes.
With a roll paper holder developed to make changing media rolls easier, the printer supports a minimum media width of 3.5 inches. And an optional media output tray collects print jobs, keeping large runs organized. Complete print sizes are: 4×6, 5×3.5, 5×5, 5×7, 6×6, 6×20, 8×8, 8×10 and 8×20 inches.
In addition, its six-color UltraChrome D6r-S dye-based ink technology offers a wide color gamut for smudge-, water- and fade-resistant prints when using Epson photo media and ink. The printer also employs Epson’s MicroPiezo AMC printhead and AccuPhoto image-processing and screening technology to help achieve smooth gradations, accurate skin tones and sharp photos.
Epson Professional Photographic print drivers for Windows and Mac also enable printing from popular photo printing applications and kiosk systems.
Epson’s SureLab D870 minilab photo printer sells for $2,495, including a one-year Epson Preferred limited warranty; a limited on-site warranty with U.S.-based phone support; and an optional extended on-site service plan.
MailPix Adds Premium Layflat Photo Books & More Print Locations
MailPix announced premium layflat photo books are now available for every gift-giving opportunity as well as preserving vacation memories.
“These new photo books have to be seen to be appreciated,” said Fred H. Lerner, founder and CEO, MailPix. “Layflat photo books are the fastest-growing segment of the do-it-yourself book market. These books also set the bar high for quality and value. Each book has a personalized velvet-soft, deep-matte cover and full-spread page printed on real photographic paper with a luster-silk finish.” 
MailPix now offers four different styles of photo books: premium ultra layflat; layflat; hardcover; and softcover. Moreover, the books are available in a range of sizes from 4×6 up to 11×14 inches. The company also offers web-based photo book creation software.
In addition, the company’s 1 Hour Photo photo printing app for iOS and Android now connects to 20,000 retail locations. They include CVS, Walmart, Target, Walgreens and Duane Reade. Consumers can print 4×6-, 5×7- and 8×10-inch prints; photo panels; photo magnets; and also 4×8 greeting cards for pickup within an hour.
“MailPix is at the forefront of mobile photo printing with this easy to use app,” added Lerner. “Parents appreciate the ease-of-use and convenience of 1 Hour Photo. No credit card is needed; just pay when you pick up in the store.”
Photo Finale Expands Chain-Drug Clientele
Discount Drug Mart, the Medina, Ohio-based chain of 73 drugstores, has moved its online photo service to the Photo Finale platform. Photo Finale is a provider of white-label photo e-commerce services.
As a result, the drugstore’s customers can now order photo prints, canvas, photo books and photo gifts at https://ddmphoto.discount-drugmart.com/.
“Photo Finale is ready to offer the best in photo e-commerce to the Midwest,” says Steve Giordano, Jr., president of Photo Finale. “With the Photo Finale platform, any retailer can have a modern, secure photo business ready to compete with the biggest players.” 
Discount Drug Mart is the most recent drug chain to become a Photo Finale client. London Drugs Ltd., a Western Canada retailer with 78 stores, and Kinney Drugs, a nearly 100-store chain in central and northern New York and Vermont, converted to the Photo Finale platform within the past year.
“As mass retailers continue to evaluate their presence in the vibrant and fast-moving personalized photo category, the Photo Finale platform offers world-class security, mobile apps, modern design and also high-quality fulfillment,” added Giordano.
The software company, located just outside of Washington DC, provides photo kiosks, photo-ordering websites, professional proofing gallery sites. It also offers custom iPhone and Android apps to photofinishing retailers worldwide.
Fujifilm Launches GetPix Quick Photo Kiosks for Mobile Printing
Fujifilm launched the GetPix Quick photo kiosk. The platform specifically enables retailers to offer photo printing from mobile devices without the need for consumers to use cables or an app.
Building on the previous iteration, GetPix Quick offers more capabilities to make printing photos on the go easier. In addition to its space-saving countertop and pedestal options, Fujifilm announced new hardware configurations. As a result, retailers of any size have the opportunity to provide this printing service.
“We are excited to bring the new GetPix Quick kiosk platform to the market,” said Manny Almeida, president, Imaging Division, Fujifilm North America Corporation. “With its ability to offer extremely easy access to mobile images, GetPix Quick will continue to allow consumers to print and preserve their memories easier than ever before.”
Smartphone photographers can upload their images to mygetpix.com and visit a GetPix Quick photo kiosk nearby. Once there, they enter the code received after uploading their images and are ready to print.
Using Fujifilm’s ASK-300 dye-sublimation printer, the GetPix Quick platform prints photos in seconds. The kiosk offers various photo sizes, including 4×6, 5×7 and 6×8 inches.
In addition, two kiosk setups are possible: at full pedestal height or at counter height with the ASK-300 printer behind a counter or at another location. Payment with major credit/debit cards is an option via Square; payment via Apple Pay and Google Pay also now available.
GetPix Quick kiosks pricing starts at $1,499.
