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Prints/Products - Auto-fulfilled
Overview
To automate the printing and shipping of print/product orders through your website, you can use one of our third party print vendors. Currently, PhotoShelter supports the following:A single print profile can support prints/products from multiple vendors. However, be aware that each vendor will charge your customers additional shipping. We recommend that you try to consolidate with a single vendor, and avoid using multiple vendors to fulfill a product of the same size and/or description (e.g. 4"x6" print).
Pricing Profiles
To view your pricing profiles, click Sell -> Pricing Profiles.
To add a new pricing profile, click the "Add Profile" button in the upper right. Then click "Prints and Products" in the pop-up bubble.
Anatomy of a Print Pricing Profile
A Print & Product Profile is a set of pricing, defined by you, that determines the rates and availability for a certain group of imagery and products. Many photographers choose to have multiple pricing profiles (e.g. Celebrity, Landscape, Portraiture, Friends & Family, etc.) so they can adjust pricing tiers on an image-by-image basis.
Once a pricing profile is created, you apply it to one or many images, at which point the image is available for sale according to the terms defined in the profile.
First, name your pricing profile. It's a good idea to make this recognizable like "Celebrity," "at cost," etc...) You may then also add an optional internal description and an optional external description (which will display to buyers) of the pricing profile..
Crop Preferences
The "typical" digital sensor has an aspect ratio of approximately 3:2. However, typical print sizes like 8x10 don't have the same width:height ratio. Therefore, we give you the option to specify whether you'd like the images to be cropped or fit to the size ordered.
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The image is sized such that the entire image fits within the print size ordered. This may lead to large white borders, depending on the aspect ratio of the paper size. | Pros: You control the integrity of the image by ensuring that no arbitrary crop occurs.
Cons: Customer might be confused by the large borders. |
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The image is centered and printed so that the shortest side matches the shortest side of the paper. This will lead to the longer side potentially "falling off" the paper, leading to a crop. | Pros: Maximizes paper area.
Cons: Arbitrary crop might cut out "important" detail. |
if you check the box next to "Allow the client to choose crop at checkout (via movable mask)," then the buyer will be able to override this default setting and select the crop of their choice. We recommend enabling this option.
Print Vendor Order Review
Select this box if you want to review an order before it's sent for autofulfillment. Enabling this option also allows you to:
- Replace the image (e.g. high-res retouched images)
- Adjust the customer's crop
Setting Prices
The different print vendors are separated into different sections. You can expand and collapse the vendor's prints/products by clicking the +/- symbol next to the vendor name.
In the blank fields next to each print/product name, enter the price at which you'd like to offer that particular product. The wholesale price indicates the price you will pay for the printing. You should mark-up the pricing to cover your cost of doing business.
If you do not want to offer a particular option (e.g. disallowing 4x6's for fine art prints), leave the field blank, and buyers will not see the product.
Vendor Specific Options: Backprinting and color correction
- Back printing allows you to enter text which will be printed on the back of the image (e.g. "John Smith Photography"). All of our automated fulfillment print partners offer this feature.
- Color Correction uses the vendor's color correction capability. This is recommended if you aren't color profiling every image. AdoramaPix is currently the only vendor to offer this option.
Next: Price your images
FAQs
How much am I charged for the prints?
You are responsible for the wholesale cost of the individual prints your clients order. When you make a sale, we will assess these costs, and charge you on the vendor's behalf on your next month's PhotoShelter statement.What happens if a client that orders prints and isn't happy with the print quality?
While transactions technically occur directly between you and your client, we are happy to serve as the first level of all support for auto-fulfilled orders. In the unfortunate instance there is a problem with your order, please contact us directly at ezp-support@photoshelter.com so we can address the specific situation.
What should I do if my customer's print is damaged en route?
The print vendors with whom we have partnered are usually more than happy to offer complimentary reprints if your customer's order has arrived damaged in any way. In the unfortunate instance your customer contacts you with this problem, please contact us directly at ezp-support@photoshelter.com so we may request reprints from the lab on your behalf.
Can I get a sample print from the print vendors?
The print vendors do not supply free samples. We recommend that you purchase one of your own prints to familiarize yourself with the process of ordering, printing and shipping.
How long does it take to print and ship an order?
Most orders are printed and shipped within 2 business days, and the time of delivery depends on what service the customer chooses. Remember, if a customer selects USPS as the shipping method, there is no way to track the package in-transit.
Can I print orders myself or offer custom products?
Yes, see Self-Fulfillment
How do I know when a sale has occurred?
All sales are listed in the Sales tab area of your account. You can click an individual order to see the items contained within it, as well as who purchased those items. You are also email notified when a sale occurs.
What happens if my image isn't large enough to print?
The order will still be accepted and sent to the lab for fulfillment, unless your pricing profiles are set to approve orders first. If you are set-up to approve orders before they go to the lab, then the image in question will appear with a blinking red exclamation point to notify you that it is too small to print at the size selected. At that point you may "replace" the image in the invoice with a larger version, and approve the order.