A method for providing customized digital printing services over a network to provide a photo product including images including providing an electronic database of information describing a plurality of photo product options that can be selected by a user via a digital communications network and displaying at a location remote from the electronic database the plurality of photo product options. The user provides a first group of digital images and selects at least one photo product from the plurality of digital printing service options and provides a payment identifier specifying a payment account to be debited to pay for the selected photo product, establishing a service account for the user containing an identifier for the selected photo product and storing the service account data which includes information related to the format of the photo product. The user prints the first group of digital images using the selected photo product option(s) and delivers the photo product to one or more designated recipients. The user subsequently provides a second group of digital images and a service account identifier, accessing the user service account data to identify the photo product option selected in step c. The user then prints the second group of digital images using the same photo product option used in step d) and delivers the photo product to one or more designated recipients.
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
Reference is made to commonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/534,469, filed Mar. 24, 2000 (Pending), entitled "Configuring and Purchasing Imaging Devices" to Parulski.
An automated printing system for producing an image-based product comprises a server computer that receives from a first user a group of one or more copyright protected digital images and price information for image-based product. The price information can be distinct for each group of copyright protected digital images. The automated printing system also includes a computer processor that processes the copyright protected digital images in response to an order from a second user and calculates payment to the first user based on the price information and a digital printer that produces the image-based product in response to the processed copyright protected digital image.
A method for producing personalized greeting cards includes receiving a plurality of greeting card orders from users and separating the ordered greeting cards into batches. The ordered greeting cards are produced in batches and a batch-separation symbol is printed on at least one greeting card in each batch. The greeting cards produced are separated into batches using the batch-separation symbols.
A system which allows a user to transmit image data to a print laboratory technician and receive photo prints at a shop suffers cumbersome personal identification when the print laboratory technician reliably hands photo prints. To solve this problem, an electronic camera transmits image sensing data, and designation information which designates a print service which should print the image sensing data. An image gateway transmits the received image sensing data and a printing instruction for the image sensing data to the print service designated by the received designation information. Upon confirming that the print service has received the image sensing data and printing instruction, the image gateway transmits, to the electronic camera, receipt information which corresponds to the printing instruction and is used to receive a print.
The embodiments generally relate to a process of providing event photographs of a event for inspection, selection and distribution via a web accessible computer network. At the event a photographer takes photographs of the event and the event participants. At the end of the event notification is provided to the participants of the event of the opportunity to download at least one copy of the photographs at no charge.
A method for producing a digital photo album includes selecting a plurality of digital images each characterized by a portrait format or a landscape format, providing a library of page layouts each comprising one or more image areas configured to receive digital images. Each of the image areas is characterized by an image area format consistent with the image format. One or more page layouts are automatically selected from the library of page layouts in accordance with the selected digital images and their associated image formats. The selected digital images are disposed in the image areas on the one or more page layouts to produce one or more pages in the digital photo album.
