MS Japan ties with 7-Eleven on Vista printing

Microsoft Corp.’s Japan unit will offer users of its new Vista operating system the ability to print out digital photographs through kiosks in thousands of Seven-Eleven Japan Co. Ltd. convenience stores across Japan, the companies said Monday.

The service is tied into the photo album software in Windows Vista and begins with a user selecting the photos to be printed. The photos are then uploaded to a server operated by Fuji Xerox Co., which manufactures and operates the machines in 7-Eleven stores.

When the picture upload is complete the user is given an 8-character alphanumeric code that is the key to retrieving the pictures from a machine at any branch of the convenience store. The code, which can be shared with others so multiple people can get the same pictures, is valid for a week from upload and is created at random by the server. The chance that a customer could stumble upon someone else’s images is very low, Fuji Xerox said at a Tokyo news conference.

Once input into the machine and the images are retrieved from the server, the user is prompted to select the pictures for printing and then payment is made — a large size print costs ¥30 (US$0.25) — after which the photos are printed and pop out of the machine. The images are deleted from the machine’s memory once they have been printed, said Fuji Xerox.

The new service is targeted at users who don’t have home printers or who want to distribute a number of copies of the same image after an event. For example, after a wedding or party someone could upload their images to the system and then send the 8-character code to friends so they could all print out the photos at their leisure and own expense.

“One of the goals of the service is allowing end users to easily and safely order photos,” said Kazuo Sakai of Microsoft Co. Ltd.’s digital entertainment partner division, at the news conference Monday. Uploading of the pictures from the PC to the machine is seamless and users don’t have to worry about online payment because they pay in cash in store, he said. Another advantage is that the system can be used anytime and anyplace there is a 7-Eleven, he said.

The service is possible thanks to the high level of information technology use in Japan’s convenience stores, where it’s possible to pay utility bills, buy air tickets, make concert reservations and send parcels in addition to buy food. The machines that will be used for the Vista printing service were installed into all 7-Eleven outlets in 2005 and offer a range of services including copying, photo printing from memory cards, printing out of tickets purchased online and faxing.

As of the end of November there were 11,507 7-Eleven stores in Japan and the machines are in all stores. The network makes Seven-Eleven Japan one of the country’s largest convenience store chain operators.