MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., May 1,2000 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- PhotoAccess.com Corp., a leading Internet provider of film-quality prints from digital photos, today announced its retail and e-tail promotion strategy to reach digital photography customers at the point of purchase through new partnerships with Sears, Roebuck and Co. and d-store.com.

PhotoAccess is offering free prints and/or other merchandise to Sears' customers with the purchase of any mega-pixel camera from Sears. PhotoAccess is providing d-store.com customers with complimentary software CD containing PhotoStreamer(TM) as well as free, high-quality prints with any purchase from d-store.com. Customers who qualify for these promotions simply register on the PhotoAccess.com Web site to claim their free offer.

By entering into these types of major distribution and specialty partnerships, PhotoAccess' goal is to reach the maximum number of digital photo consumers at the point of purchase in both traditional retail and online e-tail channels.

Sears is promoting the PhotoAccess offer, which runs from May 1, 2000 through July 1, 2000, across its 860 full-line stores. Sears will promote the offer using in-store, point-of-sale materials as well as newspaper pre-prints reaching 40 million consumers. Customers have until July 31, 2000 to register at PhotoAccess.com to claim free photo prints and merchandise.

"Sears is known for providing great value on products and services," said Chuck Cebuhar, vice president, Home Electronics for Sears. "Easily converting digital images to high-quality prints is an issue consumers are very interested in. We are very pleased to partner with PhotoAccess to help our customers get the same high-quality prints from a new digital camera that they're accustomed to getting with their film cameras. In addition to photos suitable for framing, customers can order fun merchandise like mouse-pads, mugs, t-shirts and other items all customized with their photo images."

d-store.com will market the PhotoAccess promotion to their customers on their Web site www.d-store.com using banner advertisements and via an e-mail newsletter campaign. Customers will receive a free software CD containing PhotoAccess' proprietary PhotoStreamer(TM) software for seamless uploading of digital photos to the Internet with any purchase before Sept. 30, 2000. Included with the software CD is a free photo offer that customers can claim by registering at PhotoAccess.com.

"We are dedicated to providing the digital photography enthusiast with the most up-to-date technology and highest quality products available through the power of the Internet," said Bruce Feldman, co-president of d-store.com. "We are very pleased to deliver this offer to our customers -- PhotoAccess' service makes ordering prints an easy and affordable process with just a few clicks of the mouse!"

"More and more U.S. households are adopting digital photography as the price point of mega-pixel cameras continues to drop," said Gene Wang, chairman, CEO and president of PhotoAccess. "First movers such as Sears and d-store.com are meeting their customers' demands for increased usability of their digital cameras with these promotional offers -- we are pleased to be teaming with these leaders to deliver our service to their customers. These promotions are the first of many that support our strategy for reaching digital photography consumers at the point of purchase."

    About Sears

Sears, Roebuck and Co. is a leading U.S. retailer of apparel, home and automotive products and services, with annual revenue of more than $41 billion. The company serves families across the country through approximately 860 full-line department stores, more than 2,100 specialized retail locations, and a variety of online offerings accessible through the company's Web site, http://www.sears.com.

    About d-store.com

Founded in January 1998 and based in Norwalk, Conn., d-store.com is the premiere Internet supplier of digital photography solutions for the consumer, professional and educational markets. d-store.com has been rated by SHOPNOW Consumer Guide, Yahoo Shopping, and 20-20 Consumer as one of the top ten sites for on-line customer satisfaction. d-store.com's customer commitment is to differentiate itself from other commercial web-stores through offering superior customer service and premier products at competitive prices. For additional information about d-store.com, contact Bruce Feldman at 888/313-1857 or visit www.d-store.com. d-store.com is the Internet presence of d-store, inc., a privately held corporation.

    About PhotoAccess' Service

PhotoAccess provides the easiest way to get film-quality prints from digital photos via the Internet. The Company's proprietary PhotoStreamer(TM) software can be downloaded for free and automatically launches when a digital camera is connected to a PC or Mac. It provides easy uploading of pictures directly to the PhotoAccess.com site, and one-click print ordering. PhotoMagic(TM) is proprietary server software that performs color management algorithms to produce the highest quality prints on a wide range of professional photo printers. PhotoDispatcher(TM), an automatic routing system, streamlines workflow across PhotoAccess' alliance of print partners for the fastest, best quality and most affordable order fulfillment.

PhotoAccess also provides free, secure image storage for users who log onto the service at least once per year.

Photo sharing capabilities include easy album creation, transfer of images between albums and self-service access to guests for viewing images and ordering prints and merchandise. PhotoAccess.com offers the widest selection of print formats available, including 3.5x5, 4x6, 5x7, 8x10, and 11x14, as well as a broad range of photo merchandise. PhotoAccess stands behind its product offerings with a "100% satisfaction or your money back" guarantee.

    About PhotoAccess

Founded in 1997, PhotoAccess provides partner sites and consumers worldwide with the most convenient, cost-effective way to obtain film-quality prints from digital photos. The privately funded company is headquartered in Mountain View, with offices in Seattle and Tokyo. PhotoAccess recently expanded into Asia, founding PhotoAccess.com K.K. and launching their Japanese Web site, www.PhotoAccess.co.jp. PhotoAccess has received venture capital funding from AVI Capital, JAFCO America and Allegro Capital. For more information on PhotoAccess and its products, please visit the U.S. Web site at www.PhotoAccess.com.