Successful Adaptation to Changing Times at PhotoGraphics Maui

Fine art photography printing and mounting
This fantastic Hawaiian surf image by Franck Berthuot of Berthuot Visuals (www.berthuotvisuals.com) was printed on Sunset Photo eSatin Paper and mounted to Masonite.

PhotoGraphics Maui illustrates how someone can do what they love while their business model changes radically over the years. In PhotoGraphics Maui’s case, the company’s evolution started about 30 years ago when Japan was the world’s economic powerhouse.

Printing and mounting fine art photography
The customer was blown away by the treatment of this photo, which is Sunset Photo eSatin mounted to black-stained bamboo and finished with a non-glare plexiglass.

In the ’80s, Japanese tourists were flocking to Maui, Hawaii. Arriving literally by the busloads, PhotoGraphics Maui’s owner, Renee Zaima, started shooting tour group pictures.

“We processed our own film and pumped out pictures every day. Then we would go to the airport and sell the pictures to them,” explains Zaima. “Then we got into wedding photography and videography with the Japanese. We used to send our small prints out, but the lab was closed on weekends. With the Japanese we were doing an average of 80 weddings a month and we had to get the albums to them before they left. So, if the wedding was at four o’clock that day and they were leaving the next morning at 8 we had to have the photos and the video ready for them.”

That business largely dried up in the ’90s, coinciding with Japan’s “lost decade” when markets dived and Japan’s economic growth slowed to standstill, a harbinger of things to come in the American economy in 2008.

Fine art and photography printing
Most of these images were printed on Sunset Photo Metallic Paper and mounted to aluminum. Renee Zaima, owner of PhotoGraphics Maui, says a lot of customers come in and buy the images off the walls. "I don't take a commission on the ones we sell because I know the photographer or artist will want to print more," she says.

Fortunately, PhotoGraphics Maui was able to pick up the slack by shifting its business to traditional photo lab work for photographers while still offering photography services. The next big shift came with the Internet boom and the digital age.

“When the digital world and the Internet happened, we started concentrating on fine art. We still do everything, but we print more reproductions for artists than we did before,” says Zaima. “You have to change with the times. It’s hard to catch up when you don’t stay on top of those changes. We’ve done that by going to large format inkjet printing and offering the mounting services.”

Inkjet printing photography and mounting to aluminum
This image is Sunset Photo eSatin Paper mounted to aluminum and finished with non-glare plexiglass.

Those two differentiators are the company’s bread and butter; the bread being the large format printing and the butter the mounting services. In order to keep that business smooth and efficient, Zaima needed to supply the two Epson Stylus Pro 9800 inkjet printers with consistent products.

“We were getting everything from a variety of vendors, and sometimes the boxes weren’t even marked or the products weren’t consistent. We were wasting money because we had to keep re-doing our projects, and finally we found someone who was consistent with our customer specialist at LexJet, Sukesh Pathak,” explains Zaima. “We love the canvas and the coatings we get from LexJet [Sunset Select Matte Canvas, Sunset Satin Coating and Sunset Gloss Coating], and Sukesh has been on top of things for us. I get emails when he’s not even at work to follow up with me on products and shipping. I also have LexJet’s Sales & Application Guide book that I can show my customers, because everyone’s looking for something different.”

Those different media options for PhotoGraphics Maui include LexJet Sunset Photo eSatin Paper and Sunset Photo Metallic Paper. The combination of different media with a range of mounting substrate options helps set PhotoGraphics Maui apart.

PhotoGraphics Maui mounts to aluminum, Masonite, bamboo and other materials, sourcing and cutting the materials themselves. The prints are typically applied edge to edge with a layer of non-glare plexiglass on top and channels on the back so the pieces “float” off the wall.

“I can’t compete with stores that offer prints terribly cheap. We stay away from that, which is why we’re so glad we found LexJet because now we can order everything we need,” says Zaima. “We go with what our customer’s needs are, so I’m constantly looking for something new that will catch their eye. I can’t make money printing 4x6s; that era is gone. With a product like Sunset Photo Metallic and our floating frame, it looks very modern and contemporary and the photographers love it; it’s probably our most popular product.”

Cash Back on Sheets and Rolls of Hahnemuhle FineArt Papers

Rebates and deals on fine art paperHahnemuhle is offering mail-in rebates of up to $50 back on cut sheets and rolls of its Photo Rag, William Turner, FineArt Baryta, Bamboo or any other Hahnemuhle Fine Art paper purchased between today and June 15.

Limit eight items per location, and order through LexJet to ensure free and unlimited product and technical support and one-day shipping to most of the U.S. at a flat rate of $9.99. The flat rate applies to any order, so if you need ink, banner stands, canvas stretcher kits, other inkjet media, software, or even a printer, go ahead and bundle it up.

The mail-in rebates include…

  • $5 back on 8 1/2″ x 11″ sheets
  • $10 back on 11″ x 17″ sheets
  • $15 back on 13″ x 19″ sheets
  • $20 back on 17″ x 22″ sheets
  • $20 back on 24″ x 39′ rolls
  • $30 back on 36″ x 39′ rolls
  • $40 back on 44″ x 39′ rolls
  • $50 back on 60″ x 39′ rolls

For more information and to print out rebate forms, go to http://hfapaper.com/campaigns/2012/4-11/, or call a LexJet account specialist at 800-453-9538.

Get Cash Back on Hahnemuhle FineArt Paper

Get cash back on rolls on inkjet paper for photography and fine artHahnemuhle announced today that it is offering mail-in rebates of up to $50 back on rolls of its Photo Rag, William Turner, FineArt Baryta, Bamboo or any other Hahnemuhle Fine Art paper from now until the end of the year.

Limit eight rolls per location, and order through LexJet to ensure free and unlimited product and technical support and one-day shipping to most of the U.S. at a flat rate of $9.99. The flat rate applies to any order, so if you need ink, banner stands, canvas stretcher kits, other inkjet media, software, or even a printer, go ahead and bundle it up.

The mail-in rebates include…

  • $10 back on 17″ rolls
  • $20 back on 24″ rolls
  • $30 back on 36″ rolls
  • $40 back on 44″ rolls
  • $50 back on 60″ rolls

For more information and to print out rebate forms, go to http://hfapaper.com/, or call a LexJet account specialist at 800-453-9538.