Printer apparatus with integrated graphical user interface and method for using the same

1. A stand-alone printing apparatus for transferring one or more digital photographs captured by a digital device to a printable medium, said printing apparatus comprising:

an input member for receiving said one or more digital photographs from a source;

an image processor for generating an image corresponding to each digital photograph;

an integrated graphical user interface with a video display for displaying said images and for selecting one or more of said digital photographs for a printed page;

at least one drive for receiving a computer readable medium, wherein said source is a computer readable medium disposed in said drive; and

a print control for producing on said printable medium a pattern associated with said printed page;

wherein said user interface further comprises an operator panel having a plurality of activating members for initiating instructions to the user interface, and wherein said video display is located on said operator panel;

wherein said user interface further comprises a plurality of different states, and wherein said video display varies between said different states;

wherein said different states comprise: an image view in which an image is depicted on said display, and a page view in which a page is depicted on said display; and

wherein activation of said print button in said image view instructs said print control to produce a pattern on said printable medium corresponding to an image on said video display.

2. A stand-alone printing apparatus for transferring one or more digital photographs captured by a digital device to a printable medium, said printing apparatus comprising:

an input member for receiving said one or more digital photographs from a source;

an image processor for generating an image corresponding to each digital photograph;

an integrated graphical user interface with a video display for displaying said images and for selecting one or more of said digital photographs for a printed page;

at least one drive for receiving a computer readable medium, wherein said source is a computer readable medium disposed in said drive; and

a print control for producing on said printable medium a pattern associated with said printed page;

wherein said user interface further comprises an operator panel having a plurality of activating members for initiating instructions to the user interface, and wherein said video display is located on said operator panel;

wherein said user interface further comprises a plurality of different states, and wherein said video display varies between said different states;

wherein said different state comprise: an image view in which an image is depicted on said display, and a page view in which a page is depicted on said display; and

wherein said different states further comprise a device view in which a representation of said printing apparatus and any attached devices is depicted on said video display.

3. A graphical user interface for a stand-alone photoprinter capable of transferring a digital photograph from a source to a printable medium, said user interface comprising:

a video display integrated within said photoprinter for graphically depicting an image corresponding to said digital photograph;

a plurality of activating members for initiating user instructions to said user interface; and

a plurality of different states in which to depict information on said video display, one of said states being active at a time, said user interface moving between active states in response to activation of one or more of said activating members.

4. The graphical user interface of claim 3 , wherein said different states comprise an image view in which an image corresponding to a digital photograph is depicted on said video display, and a page view in which a page comprised of selected images is depicted on said video display.

5. The graphical user interface of claim 4 , wherein said different states further comprise a device view in which a graphical representation of said photoprinter and any attached devices is depicted on said video display.

6. The graphical user interface of claim 4 , wherein said user interface further comprises formatting options for formatting said digital photograph, and wherein said user interface formats said digital photograph in response to user instructions and updates said image on said video display with a formatted image.

7. The graphical user interface of claim 4 , wherein said page view is comprised of digital photographs selected in said image view.

8. The graphical user interface of claim 7 , wherein said image view and said page view are shown simultaneously on said video display, and wherein the active state varies between said image view and said page view by activating one of said activating members.

9. A method for previewing and printing digital photographs on a stand-alone photoprinter comprising the steps of:

receiving said digital photographs from a digital photograph source, wherein the digital photograph source is a computer readable medium disposed in a drive integrated within said photoprinter;

generating an image for each of said digital photographs in an image processing member;

providing a user interface having a video display integrated within said photoprinter;

activating an image view in said user interface to display said images on said video display;

selecting from amongst said displayed images to form a printed page;

activating a page view in said user interface to preview said printed page on said video display; and

instructing a print control in said photoprinter to produce a pattern associated with said printed page on a print medium.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising the steps of formatting an image in response to user instructions to said user interface, and updating said display in said image view to depict said formatted image.

11. The method of claim 9 , further comprising the steps of formatting a printed page in response to user instructions to said user interface, and updating said preview of said printed page in said page view to depict said formatted printed page.

12. The method of claim 9 , further comprising the step of moving between said image view and said page view using one or more activating members of said user interface.

13. The method of claim 9 , further comprising the step of instructing said print control to produce a pattern associated with an image displayed in said image view in response to activation of an activating member on said user interface.