Instead of sending baby boots off to be bronzed, today’s young mothers are lining up at the self-service photo kiosk in their local supermarket to print out reams of glossy memories. Households with women aged 20-29 are by far the heaviest users of photo kiosks. Meanwhile, the more people in the household, and the higher the income of the household, the more likely that household is to use kiosks. Evidently, those who appreciate (and can afford) quality printouts—and have memories to preserve—are latching on to photo kiosks for that purpose.
 

That photo kiosks are becoming a fixture in the lives of many families is one of the insights gleaned from the recent Technology User Profile survey conducted by MetaFacts, Inc. Analysis of the responses from 9,983 PC-owning households across the country shows that photo kiosk use is a family-related activity, and is surprisingly prevalent among households that might be expected to print their own photos at home: home printer owners, the tech-savvy, and those with higher incomes.
 

Why is this important?
 

Understanding where Americans print the millions of digital images they are increasingly amassing impacts manufacturers of printers, paper, and inks, as well as film processors and the retail outlets featuring these kiosks. As printing digital photos leaves home for self-serve photo kiosks among certain market segments, this has a significant impact on a wide range of printer and consumables companies banking on the assumption that consumers will continue printing their images at home.