Denver-based ExpressDigital makes software that lets photographers touch up pictures and manage the photo printing process business.
In addition to private photographers, the company’s digital darkroom software is in use at 1,200 Sears Portrait Studios, at area ski resorts and at individual photo kiosks at places such as FlatIron Crossing.
The software line, ranging from $495 to $4,000, was designed for photographers who don’t have full knowledge of Adobe Photoshop, a leading graphic design program.
“We have 90 percent of the Santa Claus market,” said president and chief executive Graham McFarland, referring to the company’s software in use at shopping malls that sell photos of children with holiday characters.
Founded in 1994, ExpressDigital is privately held and has 50 employees. More than 17,000 photo professionals use the software, the company says.
The company also lets photographers upload photos to an Internet storefront, Photoreflect.com, where customers can buy their prints.
Kids projector displays DVDs, games
From Hasbro, the maker of the Easy-Bake Oven, comes another light-bulb-powered toy, the Zoombox DVD Entertainment Projector.
This $300 device, which could come in handy at sleepovers, projects DVD movies or video-game images onto the wall or ceiling of a darkened room.
The projector’s features include an integrated CD and DVD player, good-quality stereo speakers, a headphone jack and three RCA plug inputs – two for audio and one for video. Despite the name, the lens does not zoom. In fact, the dim image reminds you why bulbs for standard projectors often cost more than this entire unit. The Zoombox uses a common 35-watt halogen bulb, which costs about $6 and lasts about 500 hours.
– Warren Buckleitner,
The New York Times
