Software Options for Minilab Volume Photography
A guide to choosing the best solutions for self-fulfilling printing
As a photographer, especially one involved in volume photography, you know the importance of having control over your work and keeping costs down.
Self-fulfilling printing with your own minilab allows you to maintain that control. Problems arise without reliable systems to streamline your processes.
This article explores the challenges and introduces possible scalable solutions to address your needs.
Getting the Balance Right
Volume photographers often prefer self-fulfilling printing to maintain creative control, uphold brand identity, and manage costs efficiently.
By handling everything from image capture to post-processing and order fulfilment, you can provide consistent quality and build strong customer relationships.
But to make this approach work, you need specialised software to support your workflow.
The Software Challenge
As a self-fulfilling photographer, you require volume photography software solutions that can assist you in:
> Categorising Images: Efficiently organizing large volumes of images is key. You need software that simplifies tagging, image management, and exporting of data (for schools).
> Data Matching: Matching subject data, order details, and product information with images is vital to ensure a seamless client experience and avoid mistakes.
> Online Storefront: Your webshop for the sale of your photographs should be user-friendly and optimised for mobile view. It is also important to be able to customise this to represent your brand and personality.
Scaling Up Your Business
As your photography business grows, you may encounter scalability issues with your existing solutions.
The software you initially chose might not offer the flexibility needed to adapt to new requirements or handle increased volumes efficiently.
This can become a roadblock to your business’s expansion.
This happened to us too. Our original software choice when we first went online became outdated and was no longer cost-effective. After exploring the possibility of self-developing a system and considering the industry-leading platforms, we found the solution that best fit our needs.
Now, you too can explore the possibility of:
> No Extra Charge for Outsourcing Editing: CloudPics does not impose additional fees for outsourcing editing tasks such as cropping, colour and exposure corrections, and retouching. This can significantly reduce your operational costs and free up more of your time to win clients and be out shooting.
> Green Screen Feature: CloudPics offers an advanced green screen feature with extractions, making it a breeze to place subjects in different backgrounds. Each extraction costs only 12 pence and you can choose which backgrounds you would like to make available.
> Choice of Payment Provider: You have the freedom to choose your preferred payment provider, ensuring convenience and flexibility for your customers.
> Full Access to Financial Reports and Live Statistics: CloudPics provides comprehensive financial reporting and live statistics, enabling you to monitor your business’s health in real-time and make informed decisions.
> No Penalty for Not Meeting Volumes: This system caters to photographers of all scales. It doesn’t penalise you for not meeting an arbitrary sales target or running your business how you see fit.
Whether you capture 30 heads a year or tens of thousands, CloudPics (powered by Netlife the Photosuite platform) is here to address the challenges you face in the volume photography industry.
Making the Choice
You may feel that it’s time to unlock your full potential in the world of volume photography or simply that you need a change to improve your efficiency and profitability.
Whatever your choice, ensure that you are focusing on seamless categorisation and data matching, a user-friendly webshop and the best cost-effectiveness that you can find without compromising on quality.
