EarthLink brings photo site into focus

Internet service provider EarthLink launched an online photo service Thursday in a bid to add subscriptions to its roster.

Called EarthLink Photo Center, the new service is a partnership with online photo-processing company Snapfish. People can mail film to EarthLink, which will develop it for $2.99 per roll, plus shipping and handling.

Snapfish will scan the prints for viewing on the Web and allow digital camera users to order prints on Kodak paper for 29 cents apiece.

Online photo developing is growing in popularity, prompting many companies to create businesses around the process. A recent study by research firm Gartner Dataquest predicted that U.S. digital camera sales will grow 30 percent in 2002, fueled in part by increased options in developing prints.

The major online media players have also stepped into the arena. America Online has for years maintained a "You've Got Pictures" feature on its service that allows subscribers to share online photos. Yahoo has also begun capitalizing on the popularity of its Yahoo Photos service. The Web portal recently tacked on new fees for the service, requiring people to pay for extra storage and for viewing high-resolution files.

Earlier this week, a coalition supported by some of the biggest companies in digital imaging announced an open standard and network intended to simplify ordering photo prints.

The International Imaging Industry Association--a nonprofit trade group supported by Eastman Kodak, Hewlett-Packard, Fujifilm and others--is developing the Common Picture Exchange Environment for distributing photos over the Internet.