For the most part, I have full control over the customer’s experience with me. I know and understand every aspect because it is my livelihood and passion. I research my equipment, control my backups, work from calibrated screens, and meticulously establish how I deliver images to my clients. However, I’ve always been in the dark about one aspect of this process, the wedding album.
I control the design process and my clients choose their cover and personalize it to suit them. But who built it? How does it all work? Until I looked at it, I didn’t even know where the factory was. And so my curiosity became even better in me. I want to explain to my customers why I order my albums from a particular producer more than any other. My goal is to be passionate about the materials used and can say I’ve been there, watching them wrap and stamp their names on the leather.
And so I had a plan. First, I need to become an agent. A spy, like James Bond. I can hide in a shipment of leather and glue to sneak into the factory. I want to hide myself. In this way, I can instill the interesting secrets that the wedding album world has hidden.
But then I contacted the lovely people at Album Folio in the UK and asked if I could look around. Less interesting, I know!
Why Album Folio
It makes sense to visit the manufacturer I use. Folio has always intrigued me as an album producer because of its simple merits. They are not the most prominent manufacturers; they don’t release thousands of albums every day. They are known in the industry for their quality and service. As a wedding photographer, this fits my business perfectly.
My Expectations
I’m still wondering what will happen, that’s the point of doing this. The most significant probability, I think, is a businessman in a suit standing in the office. There will be some grumpy minions around him who hate their jobs. Machines in an equally shabby workshop will make albums. They will write industrial style books. I am a wedding photographer. I worked alone for many years and imagine this is how all big businesses operate.
Years ago, I worked at a photography studio with a printing lab. The giant wet processing machine was in the middle of the room. Unfortunately, a chemical smell also filled the room, so I was ready for an amplified version of that smell.
Main man
My morning begins (after a full English breakfast, of course) in a modern industrial estate in Yorkshire, England. It was a far cry from the workshop I expected. I envisioned a tired brick building, a throwback to the industrial revolution in England.
A friendly person named Stewart greeted me at the door. With just a glance at the website, I knew he was the CEO and founder of the business. How is this possible? He’s not a scruffy man in a suit. Instead, he is a former wedding photographer who dreams of making our lives easier. My dull expectations melted away, and I thought I had a pleasant morning.
Credentials and Green Impact
Before entering the factory and office, we sat down for coffee, and the conversation quickly turned to Folio’s core values. Stewart is passionate about researching the impact of his business on the planet and the environment.
Proof of green might seem less interesting to some people, as we all like to see albums crafted and printed. However, this part of the conversation is at the heart of what separates Folio from other manufacturers.
Out of respect for Stewart, whose values are so close to his heart, I must express this passion on his behalf. I hope I will give him a fair return. Therefore, Folio Albums is committed to producing handmade products in an eco-friendly way. They used eco-friendly materials, papers, packaging and suppliers from the very beginning. I’ll go into more of this later, but they also only print with inkjet printers, which means no chemical stench!
Almost 10 years ago, they moved to a new facility. This move allows them to push further towards their ecological goals, using LED lights and eco-friendly energy suppliers, among other things.
In the years that followed, they further developed manufacturing processes and techniques to reduce waste as much as possible and use plastic-free packaging. They have even doubled their warehouse space for storage, which means significantly more shipments from suppliers, which equates to a smaller carbon footprint.
This hard work led to being a member of Carbon Neutral Britain, which Stewart was proud to tell me. This membership means that any carbon emissions they cannot avoid will be offset by contributing to afforestation and forest management projects.
I could write an entire article about the Folio’s commitment to the environment, but we had to get on with my tour. However, their website provides more information than I could repeat.
Offices
I’m going to tackle this quickly, as we all want to dive into the matter. Stewart introduced me to his fun little group of office workers. Together, they are responsible for the customer-facing aspects of the business, including marketing and customer care.
We had a nice chat about their system when we received the order. I’ve never had a problem with an album ordered from them, and now, I can see why! When the order arrives, the files are checked and if anything goes wrong it is confirmed with the photographer. All of this happens before the order is sent to production.
We went into another room, in which Stewart seemed particularly proud. It’s filled with sample albums and fancy camera tech. Right on my way! This is a newer room of the company, installed during the pandemic. They use it for many purposes, one is video conferencing with photographers. Here, I would love to go through some sample albums. While I know how beautiful their products are, it’s nice to see some of the other photographers’ creations.
Where the magic happens: Printing!
We go downstairs to the main workshop. You know, where are all the secrets! I prepared myself for the bad smells, the noisy machines, the noisy workers. Finally, the door opened and… silence. Excuse me, the hustle and bustle place?
Workshop is calm, collected and controlled. It is well lit and clean, almost clinical. It is explained that light and climate are very closely managed and monitored.
Stewart introduced me to Chris, who was doing a printing job. This is where things get very different from most commercial photographic printers.
All Folio products use inkjet printers. Yes, like the one you attached to your computer, the one you last used eight years ago. But at the same time, there is nothing like it. They work with a collection of large format Epson printers with a wide range of premium papers. Once again, Stewart is very proud that they are one of the first European producers to work this way. They work directly with Epson to advance the technology. The images speak for themselves and the colors, sharpness, quality and feel of the prints are superb.
All this sounds like a much more modern approach. Old fashioned chemical processing printers are a dying plant in the art world, which is also great for the planet.
The magic continues
As we walked through the factory, I discovered the different processes that make the Folio unique. Some are top secret, even to great Fstoppers readers!
Everything here feels very upscale. No corners are cut, and the emphasis is always on the quality of the final product. We also discussed some materials. For example, carefully selected leather comes from Europe as a leftover from the food industry, which is great.
Something else hit me. All very cunning. Large “album machines” do not exist; instead, a group of skilled craftsmen assembled the beautiful books themselves. Yes, some machines and tools help, but the pages are carefully glued, tags and skins are measured and cut by hand.
Of course, everything is individually set, so this is the best way to work. However, there is also something oddly satisfying about seeing the books put together. It is a fascinating combination of traditional craft techniques and modern technology.
We wander in the personalization area. Again, several machines assist in this process, but each album is handled individually. I especially like that customers can use real gold and palladium on their albums.
Packing area as I expected. High stacked boxes, several machines for wrapping. One thing to note is that Folio currently uses plastic-free packaging for all of their orders. They always strive to be green.
Say goodbye
This whole visit has been an incredibly positive experience for me. After working exclusively in the wedding industry for six years (dipping my feet in the water a few years before that), I have ordered more wedding albums than I remember. But I don’t know where they were born. So now I’m there and monitoring the processes. Everyone is friendly and cheerful, and it’s all handmade, with love.
I have a few more questions for Stewart. First, I know many Fstoppers readers who live in the US or elsewhere abroad. However, he assures me that his international customer base is growing and urges anyone in the US or elsewhere to check them out. I want that too!
Finally, I asked him about his biggest challenge. Turns out what kept him up all night was studying. He wants photographers around the world to understand what print means and to pass that passion on to their clients. To be able to sell beautiful products to their customers to increase their profits.
He did this through Folio’s website and has a free online course on album marketing without the gimmicky sales tactics. I would urge anyone selling albums as part of their business to check that out.
And so, this article turned into a “praise Folio” article, which was not my intention. If I had had a boring time in a dirty factory with a grumpy man, you’d be the first to hear about it.
Instead, I learned about crafting techniques in every album I ordered, and I wanted to push the album into the hands of my customers more than I did. Thanks, Folio and Stewart!
