Pod

Interesting info, Tom.

From what I understand that is correct. The main difference with Pixels.com is the business model.

I swear the prints I get from Shutterfly are not as good as I get through FAA. Never heard of Society6

Agreed, Joseph -- I've never seen a 'high quality' print from Shutterfly. I convinced my niece to stop using them for her baby pics, for that very reason.

Perhaps they have an arrangement to use different papers or printers . . . or something.

yeah, that's not really news. the hard part is making a website that deals with the customers and setting it up so it's easy to use. technically anyone can do it, and at some point i may try. but its a lot of work. the main point on a pod is that people find them faster due to the amount of artists. and they do all the work.

---Mike Savad

Didn't Kodak Gallery give their business to Shutterfly when they went bankrupt? Boy, what a downgrade .... that is when I switched to Snapfish for personal pics.

.....These POD company’s only startup costs are getting a website built and finding enough artists to attract buyers.

That's why new POD companies shoot up on the Internet every day.

And "selling enough to keep artists interested" is the other part of the equation.

When I was working at the Writers Computer Store a decade ago, we were all writers, and our biggest gripe with the screenwriting software that we sold and used, was that it was written by computer geeks and not writers.

A good Artists' POD should be put together by artists. Someone who understands an artist's needs, not how to make prints of Fido and the baby.

Addendum: I know, I know. It's all about money. Isn't everything?

It's a business model - and artist are often the last person you would want to start up a POD - I'd much rather have someone interested in art (a collector) and a computer geek - and we could wish they would "get it right the first time" and then LEAVE IT ALONE. don't play eBay with it.

The paper it is printed on makes a world of difference.

Good article. Now you can see why you just can't set up a printer anywhere in the world. These printers are doing huge volume and also have suppliers that have their own distribution logistics, You just can't duplicate the business model. Especially when you really have almost no control over the printing end of the business.

I like what he says about the site design. Its not just how up to date it is visually. It is the points he listed and 'discoverability' is a big issue. The visitor need to be able to quickly narrow down choices. Its extremely important that all good artists and work are shown right away and then a way to link into their portfolios for more. You don't have to put whole portfolios out front. Just links to the portfolios.

"Design. It’s more than just looking pretty. Good design includes ease of setup, mobile responsiveness, ease of purchase, discoverability of work, performance of the site, and other elements. A well designed site matters a lot. "

http://theabundantartist.com/print-demand/