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Definition - What is PictBridge?

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PictBridgePictBridge is the name of an industry standard for firmware (built-in software) that allows digital cameras and printers to communicate directly with each other.  The firmware allows a digital camera to send images to the printer without requiring the assistance of a computer or any special image-editing software.

A PictBridge-compliant camera connects directly to a PictBridge-compliant printer with a standard USB cable.  Once the devices have established a connection, the camera will “talk” to the printer and ask which PictBridge functions the printer has.  When the printer answers, the camera will display a menu on its LCD screen or viewfinder with print options. After a print function has been selected and the print job is completed, the printer will send confirmation back to the camera.

PictBridge is vendor-neutral but both the camera and the printer must be PictBridge-compliant for the software to work. The standard is overseen by the Camera & Imaging Products Association (CIPA). To determine whether a camera or printer is PictBridge-compliant, look for the PictBridge logo or consult the product specifications listed in the owner's manual.

Standard PictBridge Features Advanced PictBridge Features
> Camera-to-printer USB connection > Wireless connection
> Single image printing > Print multiple copies of a single image
> Error and status messages > Specify the exact size of a print
  > Print all images
  > Print part of image by specifying a clip area
  > Print images with a time stamp
  > Print an index of all images
  > Print two or more images selected from the
display on the camera

 

Learn more:

DigitalCameraReview.com offers digital camera reviews, price comparisons, deals and coupons for digital cameras and accessories.

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Details of the PictBridge standards are included in " CIPA DC-001-2003 Revision 2.0 Digital Photo Solutions for Imaging Devices."

This was last updated in May 2010
Posted by: Margaret Rouse

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