Kodak, CVS extend retail relationship

[photo.net_industry_news]

<p>Relax, you’ll continue to be able to pick up prints and prescriptions at one location: <strong>Kodak </strong>announced it’s extended its relationship with <strong>CVS/pharmacy </strong>through 2016, adding that the four-year “extension of our relationship is great news for both companies, and for consumers who enjoy our services.”<br>

CVS operates 7,400 stores across the U.S. and is the largest customer of Kodak’s Retail Systems Solutions business, <a href="http://www.kodak.com/ek/US/en/Kodak_Extends_Retail_Printing_Relationship_with_CVS/pharmacy.htm">Kodak says</a>, with more than 15,000 Kodak kiosks in its stores.<br>

As part of the agreement, CVS will upgrade and expanding its APEX dry lab systems, which Kodak says “provide a more economical way for retailers to produce photo products, improve profitability, reduce their environmental footprint, and expand their customer offerings.”</p>

<p>Source: <a href="http://pmanewsline.com/2012/12/10/kodak-cvs-extend-retail-relationship/">http://pmanewsline.com/2012/12/10/kodak-cvs-extend-retail-relationship/</a></p>

[walter_degroot]

<p>I see references to "dry lab". I \see no reference to "wet lab"<br>

of the processing of traditional C-41 film. I emailed Josh Root.<br>

I requested that he use the power and influence of Photo.net<br>

to determine if Wal-Mart still does C-41 processing and returns negatives to the customer.<br>

Many of USA based members do not live in big cities and Wal-mart and drug stores such as CVS are our only local source of film developing.<br>

Is digital taking over YES. But there are still many of us that prefer and use traditional film.<br>

it is encouraging that Kodak is expanding and offering support for an extended period of time.<br>

We can hope that the " great yellow father" will remain an important part of photography.<br>

Kodak and its products based on research have changed photography and added much to it's success.<br>

perhaps this is the first step in a new direction for Kodak.<br>

management not products often cause a company to decline and fail.</p>

<p> </p>

[User_502260]

<p>When you are talking about a dry system what you mean is making prints from digital files with inkjet or dye sub technology. A dry system does not include RA-4 or C-41. The assumption is that money can be made by selling the supplies and that no one is interested in prints from negatives or slides any more or even in making negatives from C-41 film. The percentage of digital exposures resulting in paper prints is very low. The only thing that keeps the printing supply chain alive is that such large numbers of exposures are made. As the hard drives and CDs/DVDs fail over time it will be the prints that survive. People will have to decide whether it is worth making more prints. By the time they decide many of the images will be lost forever. We can only hope that future technologies offer more stable storage of digital image files and that "dry" printing technologies become less costly and more stable. </p>