Rangefinder Magazine
May 2007

Field Test by Harvey Goldstein
GP Eclipse Albums

RAY KALWAJTYS, General Manager of GP Albums (the album division of General Products LLC), knows how competitive the wedding album business can be; he also knows the importance of being three steps ahead of other album companies. GP Albums was looking to create an album that was not in the cookie-cutter style—something that a photographer could design for the bride and groom to bring out the spirit of their special day.

GP Albums was aware of the increasing popularity of the digital offset press in early 2004, but the company still remained unsure of how the technology could be used to create a professional album. Kalwajtys says, “Other companies were starting to make inroads in the consumer market, but while their books were nice, they didn’t have all of the characteristics that a professional album should exhibit. The early pages in these consumer-oriented books were printed only on one side on lightweight paper, and their covers were made of inexpensive material with a simple binding.”

Photo by Andrew and Kim Nock of Andrew Nock Photography

Kalwajtys’ goal was for GP Albums to produce a quality product with images on both sides and engineered to last a lifetime. The company was able to find a print-partner that would help meet its rigid quality-control requirements. From the very beginning, the demands were that the albums be printed on 100-year-plus-archival-life acid-free paper with outstanding color fastness, and that they would have laminate protection to guard against tearing, moisture-related damage and light damage. (Kalwajtys explains that the laminate used encapsulates the prints, is completely washable and provides UV filtering to prevent light damage.) In addition, Kalwajtys requested that the printer provide a large-format option above the common 10x10 format, and that the cover have a large page capacity for at least 250 images to fit comfortably in the book while still maintaining the quality of a fine professional album. Once the concept and page requirements were determined, the next step was to discuss management of the album workflow. The Eclipse ProAlbum Software, developed by the company’s print partner with input from the GP team, allows them to make digital composite pages that the professional market demands and manage communication with the digital offset press.

Kalwajtys explains, “Typically, these presses handle standard file types as input (jpeg, tiff, pdf). Most design software flattens a digital composite back to jpeg format for printing. This common flattening solution comes at a price. Because the entire composite reverts to a single file, the color correction is limited to the corrections that are best for the largest image on the page, often pulling the remaining images in the wrong direction color-wise. This may be very noticeable when there are three or four images on a page.”

GP Albums’ print partner came up with a solution and incorporated it into the Eclipse ProAlbum Software, allowing Eclipse users to view finished composite pages on screen while preserving the individual file structure critical to good color correction. Kalwajtys explains, “This gives the Eclipse ProAlbum Software a distinct advantage over many other digital composite software products on the market. This is true whether the end use is for lab prints or for other digital offset products like the Eclipse. Our policy is to send a free trial version of the software to any professional photographer upon request. If they like it, they pay the $75 fee to license it.”

GP Albums made the Eclipse ProAlbum Software easy to use, intuitive and photographer-friendly. It features a 100% drag-and-drop layout with easy access to tools for cropping, fading, rotating and black-and-white conversion, as well as a very special panorama tool. Kalwajtys says, “If you drag and drop your image onto the space between two facing pages, the software is smart enough to lay out the image as a panorama. It remains fully cropable and editable. A 12x30 panorama can be accomplished in 15 seconds. Our clients love the fact that they can create these panoramas on their first try with minimal effort and at so little cost.”

Photos by David Jensen

Once designed, GP Albums’ customers export their album to a folder on their hard drive. They can upload the folder via FTP or they can burn a disc to mail. Once GP receives the order, assuming that it is complete and accurate, the data is uploaded to the company’s print partner and work is begun on the cover. The pages are printed, laminated, collated and bound.

Andrew and Kim Nock, of Andrew Nock Photography in Salisbury, Maryland, have been using Eclipse albums for three years, and it is the album of choice for 99% of their brides. “The album blew us away from the start,” Andrew says. “The program, as far as design, is very easy to use. They have added several updates to the program that allow for dynamic page design, such as drop shadows, frames and masks. We have added our own Photoshop templates and page designs to create a more personal touch to the album. The digital workflow is minimal once the images are ready; it is a drag-and-drop program. We have provided our local vendors with sample albums, which have increased our business from referrals tremendously. The Eclipse albums are very durable, and the colors on the page are exceptional. My wife and I spent nine years developing a distinct style, and the Eclipse album has put us into a new category and made us stand out from the rest of our competition.”

GP Albums made the Eclipse ProAlbum Software easy to use, intuitive and photographer-friendly. It features a 100% drag-and-drop layout with easy access to tools for cropping, fading, rotating and black-and-white conversion,	as well as a very special panorama tool. If you drag-and-drop your image onto the space between two facing pages, the software is smart enough to layout the image as a panorama.

David Jensen, from Anchorage, Alaska, added Eclipse Albums to his studio portfolio about two years ago; now they have become his signature product. His albums average 50 to 60 pages with 200-plus images. While the albums measure 12x15 inches, the panoramas jump out when the book is opened allowing you to feel the full effect of the 12x30 spread. David designs every page, and even though each album takes more than 30 hours to produce using Photoshop CS2, he has no regrets because of the favorable reaction he gets from his brides and grooms. “How can I go wrong with Alaska-style weddings and Eclipse Albums? Imagine trying to fit the grandeur of any one of our mountains or glaciers on a mere proof or 8x10 cropped print or page. It would be an injustice to the work I put into the image. I plan to expand the album into other facets of my photography markets, including family histories. This would be a perfect way to present the images I created for many of my families over the past couple of decades.”

David adds, “GP Albums’ customer support is great. They keep an eye on the project from receipt of the album images to color correction details and binding. It is also nice that clients can drop their complete album onto an FTP site, speeding up the process and saving the cost of some of the shipping.”

Photos by Gordon and Judy Ricard

Gordon and Judy Ricard of Iowa chose Eclipse for their studio because of the quality of the cover and the encapsulated pages, which promise up to many years of family usage and are easy to clean without ruining the pages. The 15x12 album affords the Ricards space for a large photo or many smaller images on one page. They also like its digital quality, as it allows them to add a background image or develop a page in Photoshop. They use a combination of templates that are included along with their own designs to customize the book for their customers.

GP Albums’ Eclipse has been an instant winner. By offering photographers a quality product at a lower cost, photographers enjoy greater profits. The size of the book, 15x12 or 11x16, allows for larger images and stronger impact as well as the possibility for including up to 400 images. The easy-to-maintain album is another selling point for the studio. More importantly, by filling a niche in the market as a different type of album than most brides see in other studios, this unique product sets the Eclipse user apart and places the studio on a higher level than the rest of the pack. This new product by GP Albums has most certainly eclipsed the competition.

Harvey Goldstein, from Branford, Connecticut, has been in the photographic industry for more than 30 years. He is a former studio owner and presently edits numerous association newsletters and magazines, as well as being a freelance writer.