Imagely launched an automated print fulfillment service that allows photographers to let their customers buy photo prints from the WordPress website. Imagely, the developers of NextGEN Gallery, has launched a new product that will make life easier for photographers selling photos with WordPress.
Even though WordPress represents about 30% of all websites, it never had an automated print fulfillment option (as I am aware). Because WordPress couldn’t offer this service, photographers had to rely on secondary services including Pixeist, Photoshelter, Smugmug, Shootproof, Zenfolio, and others for client and print photo galleries.
Existing NextGEN Gallery users will need to upgrade to the premium version, NextGEN Pro, to have access to automated print fulfillment. The print service and its associated SaaS components are part of NextGEN Pro, which already offers a full e-commerce system for selling physical prints and digital downloads.
Imagely has partnered with White House Custom Colour (WHCC), one of the leading print labs used by professional photographers in the United States.
Photographers add a price list based on WHCC’s catalog, create their own price markups, associate the price list with a particular gallery, and start selling their photos. After each sale, Imagely’s lab server gathers the requested images and forwards them on to WHCC. They use a secured Stripe gateway to bill the photographer for the total cost of each print order. WHCC will then mail the prints to the customer who requested them.
Photographers can already sell digital downloads and manual prints using NextGEN Pro. Now, they can also have their print orders fulfilled and shipped automatically.
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Benefits of Using Automated Print Fulfillment
Unlike most existing SaaS services that take a commission, Imagely takes no commission for this service. The photographer keeps 100% of the profits. All orders are delivered in a white-label package with the photographer’s information on them.
Imagely partnered with TaxJar to automate tax calculations around the globe. Imagely covers the service charge, but an active NextGEN Pro license is required. If the license expires, you lose your access to TaxJar just like you would with lab integration. However, you can still continue to use the plugin to fulfill print orders manually. Currency conversion for international business is also available.
The print fulfillment service is currently only available to customers in the US and Canada. Still, international shipping is coming in the future, along with a possible second print lab in the EU. Besides print fulfillment and WHCC integration, several other new exciting features have been added, including:
- Automated Sales Tax: Partnership with TaxJar to automatically calculate and collect sales tax. TaxJar will only take out the right amount of sales tax out when necessary. It eliminates a lot of the confusion and guesswork.
- Ecommerce Setup Wizard: Simple eCommerce setup wizard to guide users every step of the way. You can have a fully functioning print sales gallery from scratch in only a couple of minutes.
- Improved Pricelist Management: Improved interface and functionality for adding pricelists. This goes for digital downloads, manual prints, and prints that are fulfilled automatically.
- Improved Currency Conversion Handling: Improved currency conversion and other international sales functions.
- New Tiled Gallery Display
- Improved Performance: Enhancements build on the already impressive NextGEN performance upgrades (NextGEN galleries loads faster than other similar WordPress plugins).
Sell Photo Prints From WordPress – How it Works?
To start, users can add a price list according to WHCC’s catalog, make their price markups, associate their pricelist with a particular gallery, and start selling their works. After a sale is completed, Imagely’s central server will then send WHCC the order details and image files. Imagely will also bill the photographer directly, as WHCC ships the completed order to the customer.
Although you can configure and sell prints anywhere around the globe, such orders can only currently be shipped to addresses in the United States and Canada. This is because of a WHCC limitation that only provides upfront detailed shipping information for addresses in these two countries. In the future, there is a possibility for international shipping options. You can still continue to fulfill digital download and manual print orders to customers living outside the US and Canada.
Shipping costs are automatically calculated at checkout. The cost and total fulfillment time from order to delivery will vary depending on the choice of standard or expedited shipping at checkout, order, and shipping distance.
You can still configure your NextGEN Pro eCommerce for manually fulfilling orders. This is common for people who want to manage the print process, heavily customize their orders, or use their own print lab.
You can upload any size image you want, but the print options will not be shown to visitors if the requested dimensions are too large for the image you uploaded. For example, if you uploaded a very small image, customers won’t be able to order it on a 30-inch canvas. A solution to this problem is uploading large images, but reserving smaller, resized images to be used for web browsing. That’s how NextGEN’s default options will work with images that are uploaded.
NextGEN Pro Print Feature Conclusion
For the first time, WordPress users can now use fully automated print fulfillment. This new service is available to all NextGEN Pro users. All you need to access this service is the active NextGEN license, and you will be able to sell photo prints from the WordPress website to your customers.
Photographers have always been able to use NextGEN’s eCommerce system to sell physical prints and digital downloads of their works. Now they can have their orders fulfilled and shipped automatically using one of the United States’ leading print labs.
As alternative to Imagely print option, you can use Graph Paper Press print on demand service. And if you need good WordPress & WooCommerce T-shirt designer plugin, I suggest you check my list where I mention best plugins to use for that purpose.
For graphic design services, check Penji review, but if you would rather design graphics yourself, then RelayThat is amazing tool.
DISCLOSURE: Posts may contain affiliate links. If you buy something through one of those links, I might get a small commission, without any extra cost to you. Read more about it here.
Image Search feature does not work as advertised…Been reaching out to customer/tech service for over a year and they don’t seem too concerned about fixing the issue/bug. I would have never bought the plug in if I knew it did not work as advertised.