The Power of Print

This article is submitted by Andrew Funderburg, Founder of Fundy Software. To learn more about Fundy Software visit https://fundydesigner.com. Everyone has heard the saying, “a picture is worth a thousand words.” Well, the truth is: within a printed picture, there is always a story. The more we see a picture, and the more we talk about that image, the more the story becomes entrenched in our consciousness, both for ourselves and for our families. These become the family stories that are told over and over again. They are told so often, they become legends—and printed pictures are the catalyst for those legends.

Create a Legacy

People are taking more pictures now than they ever have, but they are printing less. Today, if you think an image is important enough to print out, you are drawing a line in the sand that says, “This moment has enough significance to be turned into a real physical, tangible item.” You are validating this moment—the one in the picture—as one worth cherishing. As photographers, helping your clients choose which images to print is the ultimate cull. It is the final keeper. You are literally printing out a legacy that can be passed down to subsequent generations. By choosing not to print, we are choosing to let ourselves disappear. By choosing not to print for our clients, we are allowing our clients to disappear. Without that visible documentation, this can be where our story ends.

Pass on the Story

I have a family print that was taken in a studio in the south of France in 1915 of my great grand-uncle. He had the portrait taken and sent it home to his family. Before he could return home, he was killed in WWI. Even though it is a century old, the print still looks fantastic. With today’s technology, he might have emailed the picture to his wife or posted it to Facebook or Instagram. It might be available on these digital mediums for years, but it would it be available in four generations? The big difference between digital and print is that in twenty years, thirty years, forty years, when someone other than us finds this artifact, how are they going to access it? Someday, these images will be found. Who knows if the same technology will exist? On the other hand, if you pull a print out of a box, you have instant access to that story. You are basically guaranteeing that your story will continue.  No matter who finds it, no matter who discovers it, they will have the final product. If every image that we hold dear is on a phone or some hard drive, it is too easy for the stories to disappear. I truly believe that if we have those images printed out, they reassure us on a daily basis. We print to reassure ourselves that life is going to be okay.  Our legacy will live beyond ourselves. This is the main reason that the Fundy Design Software  was conceived: to make it easier to design albums for personal use and for your clients, and to create a tangible keepsake of your images. We make it effortless to get your albums designed, saved and ordered. Our newest addition, the Gallery Designer, simplifies the process of creating wall art for your clients. Drag and drop the images into the designer to see what they will look like hanging in your clients’ homes. Printing images is important not just for enjoyment today but for generations to come. Don’t let your clients disappear. Make sure albums and prints are a part of your business.