HP PCs are like digital darkrooms. Front access ports on the hard drive provide easy connectivity with your digital camera and other devices. You can download pictures from your camera instantly and connect to an HP photo printer effortlessly. And HP PCs include CD and/or DVD drives—which are customizable on some models—for backing up your pictures and creating virtual photo albums.

• Hard drive: If you’re just getting started in digital photography, consider a PC with an 80GB hard drive. If you’re really into digital photography, get one that’s over 120GB for even more storage. Because they’re smaller, notebook PCs usually have smaller hard drives (up to 100GB versus up to 500GB for desktops). But unless you’re working with high volume (think full-time graphic artist), this shouldn’t slow you down.
• Memory: For editing large, high-resolution photos, 256MB of memory is the minimum, 512MB is just right, and 1GB will handle professional-level graphics processing.
• Processor: Editing a simple image requires up to 100 times more calculations than using a word processor or spreadsheet program, which means you’ll need a powerful processor. The faster the processor, the more efficient your PC, so look for speeds of at least 1GHz.

• Edit: Remove red-eye. Crop. Resize. Rotate. Sharpen. You can make several photo enhancements with just a few clicks.
• Projects: Ready-to-use templates (complete with artwork) make it easy to create photo projects quickly. You can also print CD or DVD labels, jewel case inserts, and index sheets.
• HP Instant Share: Easily share your favorite photos with friends and family without huge e-mail attachments. With HP Instant Share software, you can select destinations, including e-mail addresses and printers, right from your camera … your photos will send automatically when you dock your camera to connect to your computer. Read more about HP Instant Share.
• Back up and restore: This software ensures that you’ll never lose your precious photos. Instantly back up your images on CD or DVD, use digital negatives to restore photos, and more.

If your PC doesn’t include HP Image Zone, you can download HP Photosmart Essential for free. It’s easy-to-use software that has many of the same photo-friendly features as HP Image Zone.

Most HP PCs also feature LightScribe technology, which lets you laser-etch a personalized label directly to a disc. Archive your photos to CD or DVD, then burn an image and text using the same drive that burns data.

HP’s PC selection
HP has several PC options that are ideal for digital photographers, from beginner to advanced. All models include a CD and/or DVD drive.

• Entry level
  If you’re new to digital photography, consider a computer with all the basics. You’ll not only get the software you need, but you’ll be able to download your photos and e-mail them to friends and family.
  
  HP Pavilion Desktop PC
  Besides HP Image Zone and LightScribe, this PC features a 9-in1 media card reader—so all media cards are compatible for easy photo transfer. HP offers a selection of hard drives, processors, and memory to suit your needs.
  
  HP Pavilion dv-series Entertainment Notebook PC
  Always on the go? These notebook PCs have stunning 14" to 17" widescreen displays — perfect for viewing photos and videos wherever you are. They also feature a 6-in-1 media card reader and Image Zone software. These award-winning entertainment notebook PCs are packed with many other great features.

• More advanced
  If you’re an avid photographer who spends considerable time on photo projects, opt for a faster PC with more storage. The faster processor will come in handy for editing images, and the dual-layer DVD burner lets you burn a large number of image files to disc.
  
  HP Media Center Photosmart PC
  These PCs have lots of options for photographers: HP Image Zone, LightScribe drive, a 9-in-1 memory card reader, and a dual-layer DVD burner (for largest-capacity DVDs) with CD capabilities, meaning you can create huge photo albums on disc. The processor speeds reach 3.0GHz and you can choose a hard drive sized from 80GB to 500GB. You even have the option to add 300GB of additional storage (that’s 150,000 5MB photos!) with HP’s portable personal media drive.

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