I was chatting with a colleague of mine and the topic of albums came up, I told him I liked albums with no "gutter" (hopefully I'm using the right word, it means with no "cut" in the middle of the album) and he told me he didn't like those because the come apart. So this got me interested in asking, what are your experiences with the albums you guys have sold to the couple after the years? Any particular trait or characteristic that makes an album have a life expectancy shorter than another? Have clients come back with a "fallen appart" album?
I asked Finao about the durability of their "gutter-less" albums, and they said their sample albums still look good after being opened & closed repeatedly at various shows. YMMV.
I use Renaissance and I would expect the albums to last a LONG time.
Our sample album has been opened and closed hundreds of times and has also seen multiple temps in a short period of time and multiple humidity changes in a short period of time... all good.
We have an album contract. In it, it states that we guarantee the album to arrive in perfect condition. If not, then they have 30 days to inform us of any defects. After that time, it is now their responsibility to pay for any problems that were not reported to us. We also state we can not guarantee how many years the album will last due to poor handling. We recommend how to take care of it and if followed, then their album should out live them.
We have an album contract. In it, it states that we guarantee the album to arrive in perfect condition. If not, then they have 30 days to inform us of any defects. After that time, it is now their responsibility to pay for any problems that were not reported to us. We also state we can not guarantee how many years the album will last due to poor handling. We recommend how to take care of it and if followed, then their album should out live them.
Very good practice Paparazzinick, but sometimes even if you take care of things they fall apart, that's why I'm asking about this because I'm interested in knowing if there are any special characteristics of albums that clients over the years have found to be more fragile than others, gutterless albums came into the conversation because those are the albums I would like to offer to clients because to me they look great, but if they're too fragile I would not recommend them and would look for other options.
Sold a lot of no cut albums over the years. None came back with any issues. How things will turn out in 50 years - nobody knows.
I have 6 year old samples that are used a lot. No problems with them.
Cut albums trend looks like an excuse for bad quality.
I think it probably comes down to quality and the manufacturer. If its some relatively new company, perhaps lower priced, perhaps with not as much experience / knowledge, then they might not be put together quite as well - that's just speculation. I've not had any issues with mine, but they're from a pretty big company here in the UK, so I would have thought if there were some issues they'd look at addressing them as otherwise they'd lose business...
This is not a problem. You also can't possibly know how someone will take care of their album. It's not as if the book will sit there and fall apart on it's own when never viewed.
Like other replies, we have potential clients view the gutterless books more often than couples will ever have their books pages turned in a lifetime or more. We handle our books for meetings and have travel to shows with the same books for a few years. They look like they are still new.
There are other factors too such as storage area temps, moisture, etc. You can only provide a guideline on best way to care for the books.
I believe your friend is basing this info on what was read somewhere. Sure, it could happen but it's not as if it's an epidemic and expected to fall apart.
Cordellwillis, yes that was my thought as well but sometimes its good to ask people who have actually sold albums (for me its still a dream) and see if their experiences vary
Cuervo79 wrote:
Very good practice Paparazzinick, but sometimes even if you take care of things they fall apart, that's why I'm asking about this because I'm interested in knowing if there are any special characteristics of albums that clients over the years have found to be more fragile than others, gutterless albums came into the conversation because those are the albums I would like to offer to clients because to me they look great, but if they're too fragile I would not recommend them and would look for other options.
that is very true. there are a lot of shitty products out there that will fall apart no mater how great you treat them. But you need to analyze what you want to spend on albums for clients and then how much are you going to charge. For me it is simple. My clients are blue collar and dont have a ton of money. So we make most of our money upfront by shooting the wedding. $2800 or so. Then if they want an album, they have a choice of a budget album we get from millers that is pretty decent. Or they get a higher end finao. I dont like to spend more than $600 for a client album. Mainly because I know they dont have a lot of money to begin with and I refuse to sell a $1500 album to a client for $2000 because I know they cant afford to pay more. SO I get a lesser quality album but still awesome, finao, and it costs me $600 and I will sell it for $1500.
