Tap Packaging Solutions

Meet The Staff...

2012-01-24T13:00:00.000-08:00

Meet The Staff

Carmen Quintana joined the Tap family in June of 2011 following the closing of Albums, Inc. Carmen was raised in Connecticut and moved to Cleveland while working for Albums, Inc. Carmen has 18 years experience in the photopackaging industry, 17 years with Albums, Inc and 9 months with Tap Packaging Solutions. Carmen loves dealing with her customers. She enjoys educating them on how to best use packaging products to maximize their studio business. Her customers tell us that they love her energetic personality and her willingness to go above and beyond to meet their needs.

Carmen is fluent in Spanish and has a wealth of knowledge to share regarding how to best package your photography. She is eager to help you find different options in packaging including new products, colors and creative ideas to customize your work and strengthen your studios brand image.

While not working with her customers, Carmen is a certified Zumba instructor and enjoys dancing and watching basketball and football.

Contact Carmen at 800-662-1000 to learn how she can help you maximize your profits with packaging solutions from Tap.

Brian Hrdlicka

Director of Corporate Marketing

Aren't Your Products Worthy of Exceptional Packaging ?

2012-01-12T12:48:00.000-08:00

Your Products are Worthy of Exceptional Packaging

Creative, well thought out packaging lets your customers know you are passionate about your product and that your product is worthy of exceptional packaging. Exceptional packaging can go so far as to entice a customer to purchase without any prior knowledge of your brand or your product. Specialty packaging can most certainly enhance the perceived value of your product.

In creating your packaging approach, you must first decide who your target audience is and then decide what message you want your packaging to deliver to that audience. Packaging lends personality to your product. Everything you project to your prospective customers will create your brand image.

Photographic packaging comes in many forms. The first step is as easy as presenting printed images in folders, folios and albums. When delivering images on CD it is important to present those in a quality case. The all important finishing touches include a delivery box to hold your entire portrait package. Chose from a portrait box or case or a delivery box to hold an assortment of folders, folios and albums all tied up with coordinating, tissue and ribbon or a stretch loop.

Simple and inexpensive packaging can lead to higher perceived value which translates into profit for your studio. Your photography is your art. It is worthy of exceptional packaging.

Susan Auzenbergs

Marketing Specialist

Tap Packaging Solutions

Trends For 2012

2012-01-05T14:28:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the New Year, a time when we reflect briefly on the past and plan long and hard for the year ahead. As with most, I am certain somewhere in your consideration is your financial performance. Whether you’re a photographer, confectioner or manufacturer of products, presentation of your product is truly an art form. The appeal of the package affects the perception of value, and hopefully captures the customer’s attention in the few seconds you have in which to do so. Color and design make that possible.

Color is the spice of life: it makes viewing the world around us an enriching and awe-inspiring experience. Witnessing the clash and harmony of colors in nature and in man-made objects can be compared to observing artwork – color gives things life! The New Year brings a new color trend forecast and the fashion and design industry, having grown tired of 2011 colors welcome changes in the New Year.

Pantone has released its spring 2012 Color Report. We are likely to see "bold and daring" trends in 2012. We should expect to see a variety of colors, from "tranquil, serene" neutral colors, to "enriching and sustainable" earthy greens, to "calming" blues, to "brilliant, juicy oranges and pinks." We should also expect to see a lot of Pantone’s reddish orange ‘Color of the Year,’ Tangerine Tango in multiple fashion medias.

There are many things to consider when presenting packaged goods, color trends being just one. I hope this inspires you to research your options and carefully choose the packaging that adds the most value to your goods and increases your return in the

coming year.

I look forward to sharing more with you in 2012 and encourage your feedback or questions on our post. “Happy New Year”

Brian Hrdlicka

Director of Corporate Marketing

Tap Packaging Solutions

Perfect Page from Tap ~ The Layflat Solution

2011-07-21T07:09:00.000-07:00

As press books gain popularity as the ultimate photographic presentation, layflat pages provide a solution to the unsightly appearance of page fountaining that is unavoidable in traditional binding applications.

Why settle for photo book binding that obstructs the view of dynamic panoramic images? The Perfect Page from Tap Packaging Solutions allows your image to tell a continuous story.

Perfect Page’s advanced technology employs a laminated hinge that results in a completely flat, panoramic spread without obstruction from traditional binding applications. The superior toner adhesion and brightness of Perfect Page paper provides exceptional printability to meet the tough standards set by Rochester Institute of Technology Print Lab resulting in exceptional quality at a superb price.

Tap’s unbeatable prices make Perfect Page the best solution for a variety of printing applications including professional photo books, albums, portfolios, menus and many other practical, printable outputs.

Perfect Page, the perfect paper to print a perfectly flat pressbook.

Become Our Friend on Facebook to Win

2011-06-09T13:53:00.000-07:00

Our first Facebook contest was a huge success!

10 photographers won a packaging sample kit.

We are getting creative and hope you will too! Watch for our next contest to be posted on Facebook the week of June 27 for more chances to win. Go Now!

A Message From Tony Hyland, President & CEO

2011-06-09T09:24:00.000-07:00

Dear Valued Customer,

Since our taking over the business for Albums Inc. on May 2, 2011, you may have experienced some longer than usual delivery times and extended hold times for phone orders or in your efforts to reach a customer service representative. The seemingly inefficient transfer of business between Albums Inc. and Tap is primarily due to the short period of time between Albums going out of business on Friday, April 29th and Tap stepping in to service customers directly on Monday, May 2nd. We are working diligently to rectify these circumstances and to return to providing the outstanding customer service experience that you have been accustomed to with Albums Inc and Tap Packaging Solutions.

It is our sincere hope that you will accept our apologies for these transitional difficulties and give us the opportunity to prove that we are a world class supplier of photographic packaging products.

Sincerely,

Tony Hyland
President & CEO

DPS - Dual Purpose Packaging for Your Photography

2011-06-07T06:42:00.000-07:00

With the increase in online communication thanks to social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, clients are seeking low resolution images of their sessions to use on their internet pages. What a great opportunity this demand presents to upsell your clients. Move them into a higher priced package by offering them unique packaging for those electronic images.

A paper CD sleeve is the most economical option, but doesn’t hold value. A CD case is better. Numerous companies offer attractive CD folios, but why not WOW your customers with the latest innovation in digital delivery? Tap Packaging Solutions DPS dual purpose packaging line includes folios and easel frames equipped with a patent pending retractable CD tray hidden in the back seam, allowing for your images to be the focal point of the packaging.

In today’seconomy, it is more important than ever to emphasize the perceived value ofyour product offerings. Yourphotographs are your best advertising, but don’t forget the packaging makes thefirst impression when your images are delivered. Make your first impressions lasting ones!

The Perfect Add On to Deliver Your Chocolates

2011-06-01T06:23:00.000-07:00

Chocolate Hanger

In volatile economic times, it is more important than ever to find new uses and avenues to market your products. “Companies are forced to focus on creativity and innovation in order to deliver customer value" and to ulitmately thrive. (Scott Anthony, Forbes.com).

Thankfully, dieticians and physicians are constantly coming up with new findings on the health benefits of chocolate. The same can be said for red wine. Together, wine and chocolate make the perfect palate pleaser and the heart healthy benefits are an added bonus.

As confectioners we understand the impact gift giving has on our business. The greeting card companies can only come up with so many new holidays for us to benefit from! No matter the state of the economy, people will always make time to dine with friends and most will present a bottle of their favorite wine as a token of appreciation. Many attempts have been made to spruce up a simple bottle, from gift bags and boxes to bottle toppers and wine accessories. What better way to improve on a bottle of wine than to accessorize with chocolate.

The exclusive design of the Chocolate Hanger from Tap Packaging Solutions makes the perfect add on sale for wine or chocolate.

Simply load your confections into the hanger and place on a bottle to introduce your customers to the perfect gift duo.

Use Chocolate Hangers to entice wineries, wine shops, gift shops and grocery stores to carry your confections.

The Secret Is In The Packaging

2011-05-09T11:26:00.000-07:00

Tap's Stock Strawberry Box

Whether your packaging photography for delivery or the ultimate sweet confection, packaging is an important factor that can make or break a product. If correctly presented, people will buy solely based on packaging because many link superior packaging with superior product.

Much thought should go into the art, color selection and overall visual design of your package. The average consumer decides whether or not to pick up a package to learn more in a matter of seconds, therefore, making a strong first impression is crucial. The way you present your product not only indentifies your brand, but helps to promote consumer confidence in the brand. Creative innovative packaging lets your customers know you are passionate about your product and that your product is worthy of exceptional packaging. Exceptional packaging can go so far as to entice a customer to purchase without any prior knowledge of the brand or the product.

Packaging communicates both emotional and functional benefits to the buyer and should be in line with the brand personality. A well-designed package appeals to our emotions as well as our reason. When a consumer needs to make a shopping decision quickly they yield to their emotions. If your package excites as well as informs, it can provide comfort to your customers and eliminate buyers remorse.

Remember, many companies spend more on packaging than on advertising and packaging is often the most distinguished marketing effort in a products marketing mix. Give your products the packaging they deserve!

Branding Your Studio

2011-04-19T10:27:00.000-07:00

By (Guest Contributor) Greg Stangl

Most small business owners, including photographers, assume that the prospect knows what they (the business) are all about. The sad truth is most clients simply don’t know that much about your business or what you are trying to offer to the public. As a business owner it is your job to mold your brand into a consistent message that will encourage the client to interact with your business and hopefully, secure your services.
You have to work to develop a brand that the client will want to do business with. So, what exactly is a “brand”? Your brand is a collection of images and ideas that represents the essence of how you feel about your images. Your brand can consist of a set of associations and perceptions that have strong identifiable content and can be used to influence the client. You can use your brand to differentiate your business from your competitors and to bond with your customers to create loyalty and establish your position in the marketplace.
Your brand can be a collection of visual symbols such as your name, your logo, your tag line and even the car that you drive to photograph the wedding. It can be the colors that you choose to decorate your studio and it can even be the images that you choose to produce.
Brand is also embodied in your choice of portrait packaging materials. You are making a clear statement about how you feel about your finished images and how you value the client in the way you choose to package your finished images. How you present the finished images to the client can go a long way toward making a statement about the type of business you run.
Carefully chosen premium albums, folios and folders make a bold statement about your company. Photographers put a lot of emphasis on creating our portraiture; we need to put the same energy into choosing the proper packaging as a way of clearly establishing our brand.
Greg Stangl Photographer and Speaker

Will Your Granchildren Be Very Upset With You?

2011-04-08T09:18:00.000-07:00

I’m willing to bet your grandchildren will be upset with you. Here’s why. Imagine, 50 years from now, as your grandchildren or great grandchildren are going through the boxes in the attic. They are enthralled with the treasures and keepsakes they find and how they tie into the story of your life.
Amongst all the old items, they find a number of round silver objects. Some have writing on them, some are blank, but they resemble some kind of a small platter about 4″ across, with a hole in the middle.
Puzzled, they take them to their parents. “What are these, Mom?” they ask. “Oh, I think those are all of grandma’s photographs. Yep, here’s one labeled ‘My Wedding’. Here’s some more labeled ‘Family Photos,’ and some more labeled ‘Vacations’.”
“How do we look at them?” they ask.
“Well, I’m not sure we can. First of all, no one has the device that reads these anymore. Besides that, I doubt after all these years that they’re any good anymore. Being stored in the attic, the heat and cold probably ruined them.”
The kids are very disappointed. Nowhere amongst all the treasures are any actual prints. All that history is lost. Their connection with the past and all the wonderful stories that might have gone along with all those photographs are gone as well.
Along with all the wonders of our digital age come some significant problems that most people have never thought of.
Did you know that over 90% of all images taken on today’s digital cameras are NEVER PRINTED? I’m guilty of that myself. I have gigabytes of personal photographs that have never been seen other than on a computer screen.
In the old days, film went to the lab and everything that was printable was printed. Even if it was a bad photograph, it still was a hard copy, a part of your family history and it had permanence. Even if they never went in an album, they at least went into a box, to be discovered as treasures years later.
The same problem exists in professional portrait studios today. Many people are simply asking for the images on CD. “I’ll print them later” or “I’ll design my own wedding album” are common phrases. Usually this is done with the thought that they’ll save some money by doing it themselves.
But you know what? Most never make it into any kind of an album. Life gets busy and 20 years later they’ll be looking for some way to read those disks.
I bring this up only to point out the importance of what we, as a professional studio do. Our job is not just to create the images, to create wonderful story telling photographs about the people in front of our camera; it’s to create a final product, whether it be a professionally retouched and printed single image, a family heirloom wall portrait, or an incredible storybook album using a collection of the images that were created.
It doesn’t matter whether it’s a wedding, a newborn baby, a senior or a family. Having the final product created for you is important. To do less is to leave the job half done and to short change the customer.
So, if you’re asked for a disk with all the images “so I can print them later”, that’s fine, just make sure your customers understand that if not printed, the conversation their grandchildren will want to have about their family history may never be able to happen.
Fred Molesworth
In addition to running a full time portrait studio in Salem Oregon, Fred Molesworth is a small business teacher and advisor, and the author of the Portrait Studio Marketing blog (www.portraitstudiomarketing.com). He’s also a nationally known business and marketing speaker in the portrait industry, and past president of the Professional Photographers of Oregon.

How to Effectively Use a Folio

2011-03-11T10:06:00.000-08:00

By (Guest Contributor) Allan Tyndell

Folios are an elegant delivery system used to advertise, market and highlight a photographer’s work. When folios are used properly, they generate revenue at no additional cost to the studio.

1. The folio gives the customer an ego boost and makes the images worth more.

2. A folio allows the student to share their photographic experience with friends.

3. Folios give the student instant gratification by the comments of their peers.

4. Senior photographs are a must have item. The need is created by the students. The more the students see their friends pictures, the greater the need to have their pictures taken.

5. Folios elevate the overall appearance of the product.

6. The folio is an easy to show item and can be easily transported.

7. The folio should always be imprinted with the studio name.

8. Folios allow the photographer to sell extra previews to the customer.

9. The extra previews that don’t go into the folio can be put into Royal Preview Packs.

10. Previews must be on your price list.

11. Photographers must sell their previews.

12. The cost of the previews with the folio must be less than just purchasing the previews.
Example: previews are $9.00 each, $72 for 8 or $69.00 for the previews and the folio.

13. The photographer should pick out the best eight photographs that they want to display to the general public.

14. After delivery, the customer is able to pick their favorite eight photographs from their original previews to put in the folio.

15. The customer receives a discount if they purchase the same folio that their previews were displayed in. Some studios lower the price of the folio by the amount of the purchase. The more money spent, the less the folio cost.

16. If the folio is purchased, the photographer can offer as a complimentary bonus, four low resolution images that can be posted on MySpace or Facebook. This gives the customer a feeling of satisfaction for their purchases.