Hi Jude,
Timely question!
As usual, as a smaller institution, we've taken the cheap and cheerful yet
highly effective solution:
Background
We have a (quad-lingual) stand-alone touch-screen kiosk with c. 250
photographs + associated text. All of the multi-lingual textual content
and links to the images are stored in a single simple UTF-8 encoded XML
file. Home-brew XSLT + perl + bash + wml re-generates the
standards-compliant HTML on demand whenever we edit it (usually when
adding new content or a new language). The resulting output is burnt to CD
and we use the Opera browser in kiosk mode to run directly from the CD.
This makes for great reliability (just flick the power on and off at the
mains each day), ease of update and maintenance at very low cost (total
system cost for us was c. GBP 250 - though we did some hardware
components donated).
Posters / print on demand
We could have retro-fitted the kiosk / bought a new one with printing
capabilities etc. at probably substantial cost (not to mention creating /
buying software to handle the added printing functionality).
Instead we have an HP Photosmart 1315 printer (2002 vintage - there are
probably more recent / cheaper models with the same or better
functionality) which, crucially, has:
a) a colour LCD preview screen
b) Media (spec. Compact Flash) card slots and
c) Can preview and print selected images without being attached to a PC.
So, we simply have a duplicate set of the kiosk images on a Compact Flash
card inserted into the printer which is situated next to the kiosk (even
though they are not actually connected except in the minds of the
customers). CF media cards are c. GBP 7, ink re-supply is c. GBP 12, paper
is whatever glossy paper costs. The printer itself retails around GBP 70.
Even better, because the kiosk application is web-based, it can be
accessed wirelessly by customers with web-enabled PDAs etc. from our
intranet server which can be accessed via. a WiFi router. The printer also
has an Infra-Red port so IRDA-compliant mobile devices can simply beam an
image picked off the server over WiFi (or Bluetooth) directly to it via
OBEX.
Regards,
James
On Tue, 6 Nov 2007, Dicken, Jude wrote:
> Date: Tue, 6 Nov 2007 16:41:44 -0000
> From: "Dicken, Jude" <[log in to unmask]>
> Reply-To: Museums Computer Group <[log in to unmask]>
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: [MCG] 'Print on Demand' Shop Facility: Set-up Costs & Hardware
> Suppliers?
>
> Hello,
>
>
>
> This is a very general query regarding the current trend towards 'Print
> on Demand' facilities, usually as a touch-screen kiosk within the Museum
> Shop; The National Gallery, London is I think a leader in this regard in
> its facility at its shop in the Sainsbury Wing.
>
>
>
> We are investigating costs and suppliers for providing a facility of
> this kind within our own Museum building. I wondered if anyone with an
> existing 'Print on Demand' kiosk facility would be willing to send me
> approximate hardware set-up costs (content creation costs aside) and the
> name of the hardware supplier they used?
>
>
>
> I am happy to summarise findings for the listserv (given permission from
> respondents to do so).
>
>
>
> Many thanks,
>
>
>
> Jude.
>
>
>
>
>
> Jude Dicken (Miss)
>
> Curator: Documentation Officer
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> Manx National Heritage
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>
> Fax: +44(0)1624 648001
>
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>
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