A WIRRAL company will help millions of shoppers save time and money when developing the images stored in their mobile phones and digital cameras.

Redten Computers are to bring state-of-the art kiosks to leading supermarket chain Tesco. It will enable shoppers to produce professional quality prints in the same time it will take them to do their weekly shop.

The Birkenhead company, best known for its touch screen Howie Computer, are to receive £250,000 from Tesco within the first phase.

The company's turnover increased five fold to more than £2m in 2004 and this is expected to double again in 2005.

Redten, whose factory is based at Birkenhead Docks, will have its Howie kiosks in more than 200 Tesco branches in the coming weeks. The kiosks will also be available in 500 Klick Photopoint outlets.

Managing Director for Redten Computers, Howard Matthews, 49, said: "Many people can't be bothered using a computer every time they want to print off a picture.

"It costs the equivalent of 58p to print a picture at home but at Tesco you can get 50 standard prints for just £5 by using the kiosk.

"On the home computer you are paying for the cost of the printer, ink, electricity, your time, and most of all, expensive high gloss paper.

"Many people don't even get this far but have drawers full of memory cards with family photographs which have never been developed," added Mr Matthews, who founded the company in 2000.

In seconds customers will be able to insert their memory card from their digital camera, preview the images on screen and select the size and number of prints required. The images will then be sent to the in-store lab for printing. The kiosks will also enable the customers to keep a permanent record of the images by saving them onto CD.

A spokesman for Tesco said: "The importance of the handy snapshot and the family album has been seriously underestimated in the UK.

"Customers place huge value on printed photographs of events such as honeymoons, Christmases' and golden weddings.

"The vast majority of the market do not want to have to turn on a computer to share these memories".

This month the firm will launch a second, self-contained kiosk at the Photo Marketing Association's exhibition in Orlando, USA. It is hoped the CAP-icture will be taken on by a wide range of clients.