Photo finishing system with parallel cutter arrangement

Photographic processing system for processing photographic images in a photographic laboratory comprising:

• a) an input device which receives customer orders and the processing information assigned to the customer orders, the customer order comprising photographic images,
• b) a printer and cutter system which receives the photographic images and which prints the photographic images on photographic media and outputs print sheets, wherein said printer and cutter system is capable or outputting print sheets of the same customer order in parallel and
• c) a conveyor which transports the print sheets to a collecting station,
• wherein a controller controls said printing of images of the same customer order and said outputting of the print sheets such that print sheets of the same customer order are output to the collecting station without intermediate print sheet of another customer order.

Parallel print processing method for a photographic laboratory comprising the steps of:

• a) receiving at least two webs, each web bearing a plurality of photographic prints, wherein prints of the same customer order may be present on different ones of the received webs and photographic prints of the same customer order being arranged on the webs in respective web sequences without intermediate photographic print of another customer order;
• b) feeding the webs to at least two cutters, each cutter for cutting one of the received webs;
• c) cutting the webs by the at least two cutters into print sheets;
• d) feeding the print sheets to a collecting station;
• characterised in that
• the feeding and the cutting of the webs is performed such that print sheets of the same customer order and cut by the at least two cutters arrive at the collector without an intermediate print sheet of an other customer order.