APPLE has finally brought its six-year-old photo printing service to Singapore. Mac users here can now create photo projects in the form of calendars, greeting cards, prints and professionally-bound photo books from Apple, and have their keepsakes delivered to their doorsteps.

The print service is available to Mac users who have Apple's iPhoto '08 image editing software. The software is needed for creating and ordering print products.

An 8.5x11-inch (21.6x27.9-cm), 20-page, double-sided, hardcover book costs $49, with each additional page adding $1.70. A calendar starts from $32; while a single-sheet 4R photo print costs $0.35. Photo greeting cards, which comes with included envelopes, cost between $1.20 to $3 each.

Besides hardcover books, Apple also offers softcover and wire-bound books. Single-sheet prints can be ordered in a range of different sizes, from 2R to a poster-sized 20-inch by 30-inch format. The latter costs $55 per print. All prices listed above includes GST charges but exclude shipping costs.

Apple's prices are comparable to other similar photo printing services that operate here. For instance, an online service called Photobook (www.photobook.com.sg/) charges US$55 ($77) for a 21x29.7-cm, 40-page photo book. Another local print service provider Fotohub (www.fotohub.com/) charges $65 for a 6x6-inch (15.2x15.2-cm), 20-page hardcover photo book.

To begin a photo project, users first select the digital photos that they want to print from within the iPhoto software. Users then choose from a number of templates to begin composing their project. When layout is complete, users can then proceed to order their customised print products via the software.

Apple's iPhoto '08 is available as part of Apple's iLife '08 suite of multimedia applications. The suite currently retails for $148 for a single-user edition from Apple's local online store. According to Apple, existing iPhoto '08 users have to update their software with the iPhoto Update 7.1.2 before they can use the print service. The update can be downloaded from Apple's website (www.apple.com). For more information, go to www.apple.com.sg/ilife/iphoto/printproducts.html#books