PictBridge

{{Short description|Historical computing industry standard}}

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File:Pictbridge symbol.png

PictBridge is a historical computing industry standard introduced in 2003 from the Camera & Imaging Products Association (CIPA) for direct printing. It allows images to be printed directly from digital cameras to a printer, without having to connect the formal name is "Standard of Camera & Imaging Products Association CIPA DC-001 — 2003 Digital Solutions for Imaging Devices".{{cite web |url=http://www.cipa.jp/english/pictbridge/FAQ_E_05122003.pdf |title=Archived copy |accessdate=2004-07-27 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20040727141048/http://www.cipa.jp/english/pictbridge/FAQ_E_05122003.pdf |archivedate=2004-07-27 }} CIPA DC-001-2003 Rev. 2.0 has been published in 2007.

Implementation

PictBridge is typically implemented using USB ports and the USB protocol. PictBridge-capable printers typically have a USB type A port which is connected by cable to the USB port of a PictBridge-capable digital camera (typically a Mini-B). The user selects the images on the camera to print.

Licensing

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The PictBridge specification is not an open standard; it can only be obtained from CIPA after agreement not to disclose any information from the specification to others.[http://www.cipa.jp/pictbridge/documents_e/ObtainingStandard_E.pdf section 2.2 of the agreement] In practice, this means that PictBridge cannot be implemented as free and open source software, other than by reverse-engineering the protocol, if publishing source code of an implementation of the PictBridge standard is considered to count as "disclosing information" from the specification.

A printer may implement functions similar to a PictBridge printer without the non-disclosure agreement merely by treating the camera's memory as a USB mass storage device, although the user interface for image selection would necessarily be on the printer rather than the camera in this case.

See also

References

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