We've been sorting through the tons of info gathered at the WPPI convention a few weeks ago, and we're putting together a new product lineup of some extremely unique items. You wouldn't believe all the different things that are out there!

Here's some samples:

La-Vie Album
I've seen these albums elsewhere, but this was the first time I was able to put my hands on them. Talk about quality! These albums are handmade. Each image is cut out by a designer, as well as the archival papers used for the background images. Every page is laminated for durability.

Oh, did I mention how they open? Every page is a surprise. Foldouts, various sized pages, cutouts showing images from the next page - absolutely amazing. Truly a one of a kind album that I'm pleased to say we'll be offering soon.

www.la-viealbum.com


Rock-It Banners
Want to make an impression? Imagine walking down the hall to your reception, and on either side are 24x60 banners of you and your new husband on beautiful soft-as-silk satin. Each banner comes with a brass hanging rod, and looks absolutely amazing. What to do after the wedding? How about having someone make them into a quilt! Imagine that being handed down for generations!

Guest Books
Not just another magazine style album, but a unique combination of photo paper and high quality writable pages. Every other page is writable, and has spaces for the guests. This means no more smudging, damage to the images, and questionable longevity. Perfect!

Leather Asuka Books
I knew these were coming, but they felt even nicer than I expected. Talk about progressive - they have both real leather (sooo soft....very nice) as well as "animal friendly" leather substitute - which is even softer than the real leather! No pricing on these yet, but soon!

Fine Art Greeting Cards
Wow - these things feel like a million bucks. The papers they have are absolutely gorgeous, and have such a high end feel, you'd expect a $10 price tag on each card. Super rich colors, the textures are amazing, and the even come with lined envelopes.

Frames, Frames, and more Frames!
I can't even describe some of these amazing frames we saw. Floaters (the frame is a shadowbox style, and the image is supported from behind, giving a "floating" look), rich polished woods that look about a mile deep, and even wood mats! The frames interlocked, allowing you to create your own frame in a frame in a frame style - wow!

Of course, we met some longtime friends (Millers, MPix, WHCC, Asuka, Albums Inc, GraphiStudio) and finally got to put faces to the names. New press albums from both MPix and WHCC means faster turnaround on non-laminated coffee table albums. Gotta love it!

We also learned quite a bit from experts in the field. Building (and earning) trust, different photography techniques, how to improve our current setup, etc. We're processing this and working on making it benefit our customers. We're going to be adjusting our product and service lineup to help simplify the decision process, as well as focusing more on service. You just wait to see what we have in store for our customers!

Until next time!

Shan