DPOF is a format which allows the user of a digital camera

Digital camera

A digital camera is a camera that takes video or still photographs, or both, digitally by recording images via an electronic image sensor. It is the main device used in the field of digital photography...

 or other device such as a mobile phone or PDA to define which captured images on the storage card

Memory card

A memory card or flash card is an electronic flash memory data storage device used for storing digital information. They are commonly used in many electronic devices, including digital cameras, mobile phones, laptop computers, MP3 players, and video game consoles...

 are to be printed, together with information on the number of copies or other image information such as paper size, image title text, image orientation, contact information and more.

DPOF usually consists of a set of text files in a special directory on the storage card. This option can be accessed through one of the menu modes on the camera

Camera

A camera is a device that records and stores images. These images may be still photographs or moving images such as videos or movies. The term camera comes from the camera obscura , an early mechanism for projecting images...

. The storage card can then be taken to a print shop

Print shop

Print shop may refer to:* Printer , someone providing commercial printing services* The Print Shop, a desktop publishing software...

 or output through compatible desktop printers

Computer printer

In computing, a printer is a peripheral which produces a text or graphics of documents stored in electronic form, usually on physical print media such as paper or transparencies. Many printers are primarily used as local peripherals, and are attached by a printer cable or, in most new printers, a...

 at home.

DPOF was developed by a consortium of printer and camera manufacturers including Canon, Inc., Eastman Kodak

Eastman Kodak

Eastman Kodak Company is a multinational imaging and photographic equipment, materials and services company headquarted in Rochester, New York, United States. It was founded by George Eastman in 1892....

, Fujifilm

Fujifilm

is a multinational photography and imaging company headquartered in Tokyo, Japan.Fujifilm's principal activities are the development, production, sale and servicing of color photographic film, digital cameras, photofinishing equipment, color paper, photofinishing chemicals, medical imaging...

 and Matsushita Electric Industrial Co.

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co.

, formerly known as , is a Japanese multinational consumer electronics corporation headquartered in Kadoma, Osaka, Japan. Its main business is in electronics manufacturing....

 Originally released in October 1998, the specification was updated to version 1.10 on July 17, 2000.

The current version adds features which include

• printing multiple images on one sheet (contact sheets)
• specifying the size of the print
• sending images via fax
  Fax
  Fax , sometimes called telecopying, is the telephonic transmission of scanned printed material , normally to a telephone number connected to a printer or other output device...
  
  and Internet transmissions
• support for slide shows through an auto-play feature.