Electronic still camera for capturing digital image and creating a print order

An electronic imaging system including an electronic still camera for capturing images and a separate printing device for printing selected captured images, the electronic imaging system including:

• (a) an electronic still camera comprising:
• (i) an image sensor for capturing a plurality of images of scenes and for producing image signals representative of the corresponding scenes;
• (ii) an analog-to-digital converter for digitizing the image signals to produce digital images;
• (iii) a removable memory card for storing a plurality of digital image files corresponding to the digital images;
• (iv) an internal memory for storing at least one digital image to be displayed;
• (v) a processor for controlling the transfer of the digital images from the removable memory card to the internal memory and for producing a print utilization file;
• (vi) a display coupled to the internal memory for displaying at least one digital image;
• and
• (vii) a user interface for scrolling through the plurality of digital images stored on the removable memory card in order to display particular digital images and for selecting particular digital images to be printed, wherein the print utilization file includes the names of at least two digital image files to be printed by the printing device, the at least two digital image files corresponding to selected ones of the digital images produced from the images captured by the image sensor, and the processor stores the print utilization file on the removable memory card separate from the digital image files;
• and
• (b) the printing device comprising:
• (i) an interface for receiving the removable memory card;
• (ii) a microprocessor for reading the print utilization file from the removable memory card to determine the selected digital image files to be printed;
• and
• (iii) a print engine responsive to the microprocessor for producing the prints of the selected digital image files.

A method for capturing and selecting digital images to be printed by a separate printing device, comprising the steps of:

• (a) capturing a plurality of images of scenes and producing image signals representative of the corresponding scenes;
• (b) digitizing the image signals to produce digital images;
• (c) storing a plurality of digital image files corresponding to the digital images on a removable memory card;
• (e) providing a user interface for scrolling through the plurality of digital images stored on the removable memory card in order to display particular digital images;
• (f) in response to a user selecting particular digital images to be printed, producing a print utilization file and storing such print utilization file on the removable memory card separate from the digital image files, wherein the print utilization file identifies at least two digital image files to be printed by the printing device, the at least two digital image files corresponding to selected ones of the digital images produced from the images captured in step (a).