Save Time & Boost Your Profits! Spotlight on Fundy!

"Custom design in under 15 minutes."

That's what you'll read is possible on the Fundy Software website when it comes to designing your client's album using the company's Album Builder 5 software. 

We were thrilled when Fundy Software recently started carrying preloaded Dream Album sizes in Album Builder — making it easier than ever for you to design your Dream Album products using Fundy.

We wanted to introduce you to the company's Album Builder 5 software if you're not already familiar with it, bring you a few tips and find out about the story behind the company.

Fundy's founder, Andrew "Fundy" Funderburg, agreed to chat with us. Yes, Fundy is Andrew's nickname. Growing up, he was known as "Little Fundy" and the name stuck!

Andrew "Fundy" FunderburgIt turns out that Andrew was an established wedding photographer when he started Fundy back in 2008. As a photographer, he would encounter frustration when he would go to design an album using templates. He found that all the design programs were based on specific ones.

"There would be a template for two vertical shots or maybe a horizontal and a vertical," he points out. "What I found out is I would keep finding templates I would like and my images wouldn’t fit in them."

"We keep adding functions, giving more control to the user and giving the user a lot of control without forcing the user to do much work! 
Fundy's Album Builder software takes the opposite approach.  "If you want three vertical images in a row on a page, click a button and it does it," explains Andrew.

And, since time = money, your profit margin will go up.  "The faster you can design an album, the more profit in an album... The client doesn’t care how long it took you," points out Andrew.  "Portrait albums can be hugely profitable because they have so few images per page."

 "I think the main functionality I want people to know —  it can be fully automated and you can design a fully automated album in 15 minutes. You can get really involved and get really custom and still do it just as fast — just because the way it works, you have so much control over the automated process."

Andrew believes that his own photography background impacts Fundy's design offerings. "There are a lot of products out there for photographers that look cool and flashy... and when you use them they don't really make sense."

He and his team continue to test Fundy to make sure it "makes sense" for its users. 

You can download a free, 30-day trial download of Fundy's Album Builder as well as another software offerings from Fundy.  

Plus, Fundy is offering exclusive savings to our Dream Album Co. Family. If you purchase Fundy software anytime through July 31, 2013, enter DREAMROCKS20 at checkout and save 20% off your purchase.* 

Fundy will soon release new design templates with matching Facebook timeline templates and thank you cards geared for weddings, high school senior portraits and family portraits. Here's a link to a preview of the new templates.  

The company also has other software programs for building blog collages, for adding automated watermarks onto your images and more.

We just put Fundy to the test ourselves. As photographers, we so rarely get time to make our own albums. So, Kyung Jung tried out Fundy to make an album of her recent family vacation to Hawaii.  Take a look at the design below. It only took Kyung 10 minutes to design her album. We'll show you the finished album when it arrives! Stay tuned.

Have you tried using Fundy? Let us know what you think.

 *The Fundy suite is compatible with CS4 or above. Offers expires at the end of July 2013 and cannot be combined with another discount.

NEW Dream Album Co. Product & the Return of a Hot Item!

We’re incredibly excited to introduce the debut of a Dream Album Co. product and the relaunch of one of our favorites!
(images courtesy of Lisa Rostoen)

Our new 8x8 Dream Box, which holds 12 to 18 Dream Mattes, and this sleek, polished aluminum display easel make for a perfect pairing!

Your clients can use the easel to create a striking rotating display, spotlighting different matted prints. It’s an instant conversation piece. The easel was a limited edition offering last spring and is back by popular demand! It measures 6x12.5''.

The Dream Boxes, which also come in 5x7 and 8x10 sizes, are a longtime bestseller and for the first time are available in this unique square shape. With its 1’’ deep inner box, the 8x8 Dream Box can also hold 60 8x8 non-matted prints.  It features a black or milk inner box color and a complimentary CD mount option on the inside top cover for digital files.

Each Dream Matte is 2mm thick and features a bordered image, that is about 4x6 in size. Choose from a black or milk colored core and select from three Dream Matte borders or opt for none. Images are printed on FUJI professional photo paper, matte-coated and embossed. Additional Dream Mats can be ordered in even numbered increments. 

With the square shape of the 8x8 Dream Mattes, the orientation of your logo or any design on the back of the matte will match the front. The back becomes a canvas that you can use for branding with your logo, to print a baby’s vital stats or feature a meaningful quote.

images courtesy of Lisa Rostoen

Here's a gift from us to our members to celebrate our new size Dream Box and Mattes. Use this template to design your first square 8x8 Dream Box and the front and back of your Dream Mattes. Please click HERE to go to the download page. If you're not a member yet, here is a link to our registration page.

With this coupling of products, your clients can utilize the easel as a unique tabletop calendar, switching out the displays each month. It’s a memorable way to chronicle an infant’s first year, to share the story of a couple’s wedding day or to create a special display of the highlights from a family photo session.    

We can’t wait to hear what you think about these products and how your clients will use them! Please leave us a comment.