Digital Printers are Pursuing Personalized Photo Books to Increase Sales

By Erik Cagle

Barriers to Entry

For the record, having a digital press and some binding equipment does not automatically a photo book producer make. Sure, there’s money to be made, but there is competition galore and it's quite easy to make unwise, costly investments. Our pool of photo book printers have some advice for those companies that think they are ready to take the plunge. Read on:

Don Cayo, CCM Graphic Solutions: It's a great opportunity, because it's still a new space. But, it will take some serious focus. It's not something you’re going to get into just as a small value-add. You have to dedicate the time and resources to it. Only eight percent of households are purchasing photo books, but now you have organizations like Costco, Wal-mart and Target getting into it. There’s still some regional space available but, on a national basis, it is more challenging.

John Arleth, LifeCaptured.com: Do your homework; make sure you’re ready for direct customer contact. Like it or not, there’s a tremendously high rate of abandonment in photo products. If you don't handle customer inquiries in a hurry, won't take phone calls and provide great customer service, you'll lose them. You might get people to come to your Website, get halfway through it and not understand the low-resolution warning, for example. You have to be willing to hold their hands and walk them through it.

Rick Bellamy, RPI: It is very different from traditional print, partially because of the seasonality. You need to be prepared for that seasonal ramp, and most traditional printers are not. If you're not using digital print technologies already, there’s a high learning curve there. It’s a much different print platform than your traditional offset printing platforms, as well as the unique skills that are needed, in particular, in the book market to create a quality book. You take on a wide variety of skills, along with a significant investment in technology, in order to do the integrations with your partners.

Garry Gunter, Contac Services: Understanding just how much business you really have is the key thing. A lot of people tend to say, “Look, people are making money at this, so let’s jump in and do it.” You have to see how your business is positioned now, and assess if it's going to fit with your production, your workflow and whether it's something that’s easy to integrate. Second, do you have the clients out there or do you have the marketing power? It's a driven piece. You've got to pound the pavement and really build the process.

In his song Beautiful Boy, John Lennon cautions, “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.” The same might be said for photo book production in the grand scheme of offerings for the printing community. It was never meant to be a cornerstone product but, as the digital printing era exploded during the past six years, it grew in popularity as an ancillary offering.

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Photo Books : Never Too Late for Profits