Digital cameras are incredible creations that put the power and ability to take multiple shots in the hands of virtually anyone. Unfortunately, sorting through hundreds of images to pick the “keepers” isn’t always easy. And, even when this is done, storing data on a computer doesn’t quite provide the satisfaction that photo prints can. Fortunately, there is a solution to digital photo storage issues.

To avoid the trauma and tragedy that can arise when digital images are lost in a crash or accidentally deleted, it’s wise to take a preservation approach with the most important photos. Some of the best ways to ensure that backups are available include:

Creating photo prints – There is something to be said for creating a “paper trail” when it comes to digital images. Have the best photos on a disk printed and save them in albums or photo storage boxes. This will ensure that memories won’t be lost even in a crash or if a disk failure happens.

Using photo sharing techniques – Thanks to electronic photo sharing, it’s possible to have backup copies of photos in email boxes all over the world. Share photos with friends and family and chances are if a crash happens, photos will still be available.

Creating photo gifts – A photo calendar, albums and more provide a great way to make special people happy on important occasions. They also pave the way for creating hard copy backups of important images.

Burning them to disk – Rather than store images on a hard drive alone, it’s not a bad idea to burn them to a disk as a backup. Many people create their own photo catalogs this way.

Photo prints provide an excellent way to back up digital images for long-term preservation. Taking this simple step can ensure that no hard drive crash ever threatens precious memories.

Popularity: 3% [?]

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With the economy being what it is we are all looking for ways to cut corners and live smartly; this economic restraint extends to our homes, the cars that we drive (especially with the rising cost of fuel), and the luxury items that we would typically purchase with no hesitation but are now holding back on buying. This restraint has resulted in homeowners looking for ways to spend their money creatively; in a way that gives them far more bang for their buck.

One of the ways that we can decorate our homes inexpensively and creatively is through the use of photo prints. With the help of some frames and a little bit of time and planning, we can add color, depth, interest, and sentimentality to the walls of our home – with little financial investment required.

In fact, photo prints can easily be ordered through photo sharing sites that exist to help consumers manage their photography online as well as print physical photography products that can be shipped right to their home. With prices as low as .05 cents a print, photo sharing sites are an economical way to organize photographs, as well as creatively decorate a home.

Photo sharing sites allow users to create their own account where they can upload their photography whenever they choose. From there, users can organize their photos into online photo albums that can be shared with family and friends far and wide, order photo books for gifts and keepsakes, create unique photo gifts, and even order holiday photo cards to wish season’s greetings. Additionally, users can order photo prints of their very favorite photographs – at whatever size they choose – for fast delivery to their home. With minimal time – and a few attractive frames – photo sharing site users can easily transform any room in their home.

Popularity: 6% [?]

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The wedding season is upon us and before long many of us will be attending wedding celebrations, as well as planning our own affairs. There are many details to coordinate in order to host a wedding, and for the most part, brides and grooms are caught up in orchestrating such details months and months before the actual event. But following the wedding itself, there brings a whole new set things to consider including the writing of thank you notes for wedding gifts, and the organization of photography.

Most of us have professional photographers that capture the special moments of our day; photographs that they then organize into photo albums. But there are certain to be other photographs taken on that day; photographs captured by friends and family that were present at the wedding. And what is most surprising to people is the fact that often these photographs are just as beautiful and interesting as the photographs captured by the professionals; often their candid quality shows a more “behind the scenes” view of the affair.

For this reason, many brides and grooms may choose to create wedding scrapbooks that tell the story of their wedding day. The digital photographs taken by wedding guests can simply be uploaded to photo sharing websites where photo prints can be ordered. Because it’s necessary to order so many photo prints (after all, who does not want every single picture that was taken at their wedding?), it is helpful to work with those high-end photo sharing websites that offer the most affordable prices.

There are, luckily, photo sharing websites that offer high quality photo prints for as little as .05 cents a print. There, users can upload their photograph and choose to print any quantities of particular photo prints at whatever sizes they choose. With affordable photo prints in hand, photo sharing site users can create beautiful wedding scrapbooks that will last a lifetime.

Popularity: 8% [?]

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Home décor has become an industry in and of itself with television shows dedicated to its pursuit and websites that showcase the many methods to transform a house into a home. Wall art has long been a method through which homeowners can easily put their own stamp of personality on a room. But the collection of art can become an expensive pursuit; rather, many homeowners choose to decorate their walls with artwork that is more personal – photographs.

Photography can actually become its own brand of affordable artwork. By ensconcing some of our most prized photography – of family, friends, cherished travel destinations, or natural scenery that we capture ourselves – in beautiful, matted frames, we are able to completely transform a wall and even an entire room. The other benefit, of course, is that such artwork is extremely affordable to create. Photo prints can now be found on photo sharing websites for as little .05 cents a print. When you consider how much the average homeowner would pay for a piece of artwork to hang on their wall, it becomes clear that with a little bit of creativity even the most affordable elements can create a dramatic display in any home.

Consumers can upload their photography straight from their camera to the photo sharing website where they can manage their photos through online photo albums. Then, according to the products they would like to create, photo sharing site users can choose the photos with which they wish to work. By ordering photo prints of all sizes, users can spend very little money to have beautifully reproduced photos; photos with which they can create a wonderful framed display on their walls in any room in their home.

Popularity: 9% [?]

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There is often a natural reaction to the word “cheap.” Such a word can connote low prices, for sure; but it can also mean less than desirable materials – something to which consumers surely give thought when they are considering a particular purchase. After all, what good comes from saving money only to wind up with a product that is low quality and doesn’t last? Luckily, there are products today that offer both low prices and high quality; that important combination that signifies a successful purchase.

The Internet has offered a portal for many of these purchases, as the offering of products through websites allows the retailer to save money on the overhead associated with traditional businesses – and to ultimately pass those savings on to their customers. Photo sharing sites, for instance, offer consumers the ability to not only manage their photos – where they can create online photo albums that can be shared with friends and family – but also to order products such as photo calendars, photo prints, and photo books for phenomenally low prices. In fact, some of the more cutting edge photo sharing sites are able to offer their customers photo prints for as low as .05 cents a print. Just as important is the fact that the photo prints consist of high quality images on high quality paper. Through modern photo sharing sites, consumers never have to sacrifice quality in order to get a low price.

Subsequently, by establishing a relationship with a photo sharing site – creating online albums to which consumers can upload their photos directly from their digital camera – consumers will quickly find there is an easy rhythm to their ordering and photo management. Customers can upload their photos, create online albums to share with loved ones, identify those pictures they may want to use for holiday photo cards, create unique, customized photo books, and order photo prints to be shipped directly to their home – all in less time than it takes to drive to the nearest photo retailer and drop off film, and certainly for far less money.

Popularity: 9% [?]

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The landscape has certainly changed in terms of modern photography. Long gone are the days when photographs were captured in bulky cameras on traditional film and developed over the course of many days and at substantive prices. Our cameras are sleeker, the technology highly advanced, and our options for purchasing photo prints far more extensive.

Because the Internet has opened up a whole new world in terms of commerce, we are able to find things at the touch of a button that we would have once had to have driven to find. Online comparison shopping has allowed us to find the highest quality products and services at the lowest prices available – including photo prints.

The extension of this new level of photography has been the development of a few high-end photo sharing sites where consumers can essentially manage their photographs. By uploading photography straight from their camera to the site, consumers are able to then save the photographs in photo albums, create photo cards, and order photo prints in a matter of moments. Every time that the user logs on to the photo sharing site they have the option to organize and manage their photographs in whatever way they choose.

There are online photo sharing sites today that offer photo prints for as little as .05 cents a print. And photo prints can be ordered at any size and at any quantity. Within days, consumers have their photos sent straight to their door at a fraction of the cost of traditional printing.

Popularity: 17% [?]

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Dutch firm says it can print digital pictures cheaper than its competitors
Dallas Business Journal - by Margaret Allen Staff Writer

With amateur shutterbugs turning increasingly to digital cameras, a fast-growing Netherlands-based digital photo printer is expanding into the United States with a U.S. subsidiary, Photofun Inc.

It will locate in Richardson.

At the low price of 5 cents a picture, Photofun expects to rapidly outgrow the initial 15,000-square-foot plant it plans to have leased, equipped and operating by early June, said Terry Rayner, president of Photofun Inc.

The company is searching for a site near Glenville Drive and Collins Boulevard in East Richardson’s Telecom Corridor.

Photofun will hire about 15 employees starting in late April, including a plant manager; information technology professionals; equipment operators at $20 to $30 an hour; and final assembly and packaging employees at $12 to $18 an hour, Rayner said. Employees will be trained at an existing plant owned by Photofun’s four-year-old parent company in The Netherlands, Webprint C.V., he said.

It’s expected Photofun will grow faster than Webprint, which is at $10 million annual revenue and profitable, Rayner said.

Photofun’s technology cuts production time and labor costs, giving it an edge over other online digital printers, he said. Driving growth is fast-growing sales of digital cameras and camera phones in the United States.

Photofun customers use an Internet site, www.photofun.com, to upload digital photos and place orders. The files move in real-time directly from the Web engine to its photo processing equipment, so that files are created, built and sent without any human contact. The company says its exclusive software reduces print time, cost and labor over that of competitors.

Customers can order various sized prints, as well as personalized photo products, like business cards, wall calendars, planners, greeting cards and photo albums. Most products are under $25, and the average sale per customer is $25, Rayner said. Photofun has no minimum order or membership fee.

Orders print and ship in two to three days, he said, except for photo albums, which take five days. The U.S. site went live March 15. For now, orders print in The Netherlands and ship via air cargo. Once the U.S. plant is operating, it will handle U.S. printing.

Market growth

In 2007, about 23% of total U.S. prints were ordered online and mailed, says Dimitrios Delis, director of marketing research at Michigan-based PMA, the international trade group for the imaging industry. For 2008, the projection is 26%. A 2007 survey of U.S. households found 46% have camera phones, a meteoric increase over 3% in 2003, he said.

U.S. spending on digital photos purchased from retailers or online stores grew 28% in 2007, accounting for 9.2 billion digital prints, Delis said. The price per print has fallen from 40 cents a print in 2002 to less than 10 cents now. Retailers still profit, selling personalized photo products, which carry higher profit margins, Delis said. Five cents is as cheap as he’s heard.

“Oh, my God, that’s close to maybe the cost of making a print under the most productive process possible,” Delis said.

Privately held Webprint C.V. is building a 90,000-square-foot plant in Hengela, The Netherlands, which will be completed in September as it expands throughout Europe. The company’s executives project its revenue will reach $100 million by 2011. Webprint has raised $2 million in venture capital from Dutch investors toward funding Photofun’s U.S. expansion, Rayner said. A remaining $3 million for equipment leases is being supplied through its equipment providers.

Photofun doesn’t plan to stay in its 15,000-square-foot plant for long. If it grows as expected, it plans to start construction in 12 months on a 90,000-square-foot plant in Richardson, Garland or Plano. That plant would employ 30 to 50 employees.

Snapshot

* COMPANY: Photofun Inc.
* BUSINESS: Online digital photo processing
* HEADQUARTERS: 7616 LBJ Freeway, Ste. 540, Dallas 75251
* OWNERSHIP: Private
* TOP EXECUTIVE: Terry Rayner, president
* EMPLOYEES: N/A
* ANNUAL REVENUE: N/A
* PHONE: 214-473-5021
* WEB: www.photofun.com

Popularity: 22% [?]

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After the blog comment about “it being hard to find our contact information on our website,” I wanted to follow up with some more information about Photofun so potential new customers (Photofuners) could understand who we are; where we come from and what we do.

We launched www.photofun.com on Saturday March 15, 2008 and are getting a steady stream of visitors, many of whom have signed up (to become “Photofuners”), uploaded photos and have ordered one or more of our outstanding photo-products.

To give you some background about www.photofun.com:

Photofun is a Texas based corporation, with its U.S. headquarters in Dallas, TX.

Photofun started in Hengelo, a mid-size town in The Netherlands, in 2004 and has grown to become one of the leading photo-sharing services in Europe. Photofun does business in The Netherlands as Webprint C.V. (www.webprint.nl) and as Photofun, Inc., (www.photofun.com) in the USA. For ease I will call both companies Photofun when referring to our company.

Due to our success and the quality of our product we now have millions of customers all over Europe, with thousands of new customers signing up each week.

In November of 2007 the decision was made to enter the U.S. market and now here were are!

I joined Photofun in December to head up the U.S. venture. I have been in senior management leadership positions in the printing industry for over 20 years in the USA, and more recently (for the last five years) have been in the “on-demand and personal variable data digital printing sector.” My personal philosophy when it comes to business is to service the customer to the absolute maximum, to delight them with quality, service and price, and to be a market leader. I believe strongly that the company that I lead should be the leader in the marketplace in every element; creating excitement, and great products at competitive prices. I will do my utmost to create a unique company that will bring all of these elements to you.

For the last three months we have been working hard preparing for the launch of the U.S. website. Photofun is in full control of all production processes; everything we produce is manufactured entirely in-house. We own and write all of the programs that underpin the applications you will use on our site. In fact, at the very instant that you place an order, the product you have created (online), is transferred directly to a production printing device and printed automatically. The core of our business is built around our web-engine; it is due to this direct transfer of files that we are able to offer our ground- breaking low-prices and the reason that the quality of our product is so high.

All of your files are stored electronically on secure servers that are networked across the USA and Europe, using some of the most powerful and fast connectivity available today.

Photofun’s credo is “Quality & Innovation,” so we will constantly strive to bring new and high-quality innovative products and services to our site; we will continue to work hard to remain the technology leader in our field and to bring new products and services to our site for you to use so that you will always enjoy your experience when working with us!

Photofun’s corporate headquarters in the USA is located at: 7616 LBJ Freeway, Suite 540 Dallas, TX 75251.

Should you want to learn more about Photofun you can contact me. My email address is terry@photofun.com or my direct line is 214-473-5021.

I have personally made photo-products on our site (my wife and children love them) and as a fellow Photofuner I am blown away with their quality and value!

I look forward to working for you and sincerely hope that you enjoy your experience on our website… Please have Photofun!

Terry Rayner
President, Photofun, Inc.

One note: The engine for our website drives all of our applications and as we started in The Netherlands the base language used was Netherland’s (also known as Dutch) – we then used a conversion tool to convert the base language to American-English, British-English, French and German (to cover the languages of the countries our customers reside in); due to this, we are currently noticing a few minor language glitches. We are jumping on these glitches and are cleaning then up as we find them… if you see one please send me an email and I will credit your account with an additional 50 FREE 4” x 6” photos.

Popularity: 75% [?]

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As modern consumers we are challenged with walking the line between needs and wants on a daily basis – all with an eye towards our household’s bottom line. It is a difficult challenge to say the least; especially when you consider all of the conveniences afforded to us – some of which provide a much easier way to accomplish those tasks that once cost us so much time and money. But there is such a thing as false economy and those consumers who are attracted by the opportunity to save money by taking on a project themselves often find the reward to come up quite a bit short. The do-it-yourself movement – having put tools in the hands of home renovators, amateur mechanics, and part time interior designers – is one such example where, unless you know for sure that the savings will be worth it, it is very often best left to the professionals.

One industry that has offered consumers a world of time and money-saving options is that of photo printing. After all, there are few among us who do not own a digital camera; and the industry has taken note – offering consumers low prices on photo quality printers. But those who have taken the bait and bought the high-end printer understand better than anyone that their financial investment was far from over. In order to continue to produce high-quality photo prints and the myriad projects that the average consumer wishes to do with their photos, there requires a continued investment in photo quality paper and ink. The result? A staggering .30 to .50 average cost per print!

Such prices are even more out of line when you consider what the average amateur photographer does with their photo prints. Keeping in mind that photos taken are generally used for everything from holiday photo cards to photo albums, it is not difficult to see how the industry is making their money.

Super retailers, understanding this trend – and their customers’ need for fast, inexpensive photo prints – are offering what has been considered rock bottom prices on photo prints; many under .20 cents a print. And online retailers are keeping pace. Some of the most well-known online photo services currently offer their customers rates as low as .10 cents a print.

Photo Fun, however, offers customers the comprehensive, high quality services they have come to expect from online photo services at the lowest prices available - .5 cents a print.

Faced with the expensive materials, the time spent on creating photo prints that are of the quality consumers have come to expect, and the unpredictability of the equipment, consumers are largely abandoning their hopes of creating an efficient at-home photo lab. With photo giants such as Photo Fun offering high-quality, fast printing for everything from photo gifts to photo books – at industry low prices – consumers know they just have to logon to have everything they need shipped straight to their door – at the lowest prices available.

Popularity: 100% [?]

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