One of the companies I met with at PMA was RocketLife. I am interested in them for many reasons. One of the reasons is that they have a great resellers program that would allow a store to have their own website with their own brand (powered by RocketLife) and allow a store to compete with the big sites out there. One of the challenges in this industry is being able to compete on a technological level with things like photo printing. You can never be cheaper than the national store and your customers will let you know that you aren't cheaper. So, many scrapbook stores have ignored or given up trying to compete there. But, RocketLife levels the playing field in the digital book arena. Their quality is just as good as the "big boys" and their prices are just as competitive.
One stat I heard at PMA that surprised me is that over 70% of all started photo books are NEVER finished. They are just abandoned at some point either because they were too time consuming, too difficult or, perceived as too expensive. I bet most are abandoned because people just don't know HOW to organize a digital book. My traditional scrapbooks are sort of random. But, I find that when I tackle a digital book, I need a theme to stay focused. Right now I am doing my family year book for 2007. Enter the traditional scrapbook store. You'll have a way to profitably print the books at competitive prices and you can offer the classes to help your customers finish them! It's a no-brainer.
Anyway, the other reason I like RocketLife is their software. I blogged about it back in December. But, they just released their new version and it's so much better! Their CEO told me there are like 1000 new features and tweaks to it. The one that interested me the MOST was the fact that you can now upload your own PNG files and they retain their transparency. So, I can now add my own digital embellishments and backgrounds to use. Another great feature is the ability to have multiple text boxes on the page. With all the photo fixes, effects and touch-ups they have, it's basically a digital scrapbooking solution now. I like that it can be as simple (a 5 minute book using their smart arrangement technology) or as complex (a full digital scrapbooking experience) as you want it to be. RocketLife can literally be used by the beginner, intermediate or advanced digital scrapper.
The totally awesome thing that sets them apart is that you can take a layout and turn it into a mug or puzzle or mouse pad or calendar automatically without changing a thing! It all resizes the page(s) for whatever you want to order. Oh, and the calendar is completely customizable. You can add photos and text to the calendar pages themselves!
Anyway, I am off to work on my book some more. I just downloaded the new version today and had to share! It really floated my boat!
One stat I heard at PMA that surprised me is that over 70% of all started photo books are NEVER finished. They are just abandoned at some point either because they were too time consuming, too difficult or, perceived as too expensive. I bet most are abandoned because people just don't know HOW to organize a digital book. My traditional scrapbooks are sort of random. But, I find that when I tackle a digital book, I need a theme to stay focused. Right now I am doing my family year book for 2007. Enter the traditional scrapbook store. You'll have a way to profitably print the books at competitive prices and you can offer the classes to help your customers finish them! It's a no-brainer.
Anyway, the other reason I like RocketLife is their software. I blogged about it back in December. But, they just released their new version and it's so much better! Their CEO told me there are like 1000 new features and tweaks to it. The one that interested me the MOST was the fact that you can now upload your own PNG files and they retain their transparency. So, I can now add my own digital embellishments and backgrounds to use. Another great feature is the ability to have multiple text boxes on the page. With all the photo fixes, effects and touch-ups they have, it's basically a digital scrapbooking solution now. I like that it can be as simple (a 5 minute book using their smart arrangement technology) or as complex (a full digital scrapbooking experience) as you want it to be. RocketLife can literally be used by the beginner, intermediate or advanced digital scrapper.
The totally awesome thing that sets them apart is that you can take a layout and turn it into a mug or puzzle or mouse pad or calendar automatically without changing a thing! It all resizes the page(s) for whatever you want to order. Oh, and the calendar is completely customizable. You can add photos and text to the calendar pages themselves!
Anyway, I am off to work on my book some more. I just downloaded the new version today and had to share! It really floated my boat!
2 comments:
RocketLife may "rock", but they are seriously behind the times when they only offer one browser that it can be downloaded to....Internet Explorer. I haven't used IE in years, and would never consider going back to it now. I'll check back with RocketLife later...maybe they will be able to download to more than one browser, because it does sound interesting, and I would love to investigate it.
Hi Focus. RocketLife now runs on Firefox and Chrome as well, along with Safari on the Mac. Try the new RocketLife in Kim's PhotoBooks{etc} store and see what you think.
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