WHCC

What WHCC is

WHCC calls itself "The Professional Photo Lab for Photographers", and its homepage says its prints and products are "handcrafted in Minnesota, trusted by photographers & artists who want to deliver something truly worth keeping." The copyright line names the business behind the initials as White House Custom Colour. It is a lab built for working photographers rather than a general print-on-demand catalog: the products are what a portrait, wedding or fine art photographer sells to a client after a session, from loose prints and framed pieces to albums, cards and tabletop displays. The About section describes WHCC as "Your professional photographic and press printing partner" and speaks to both experienced professionals and people just starting a business.

For a seller, the relevant parts are a large wall art range, a drop shipping and premium packaging service, a Shopify integration alongside a dozen integrated partners, and a set of free ordering and sales tools for studios.

What it prints

The catalog is broad, and it is organized around the photographer's client rather than around blank merchandise.

• Prints. Photographic prints, described as "Professional quality photo prints with multiple finish and mounting options", plus loose and mounted prints, fine art prints ("Archival loose or mounted inkjet prints to showcase both artwork and photography"), retail ready prints (marked new) and canvas prints. A news item announces two new fine art papers from Hahnemühle.
• Wall art. Acrylic prints, metal prints ("Printed on high-quality aluminum"), wood prints, standouts, bamboo panels and float wraps. Framing covers framed prints and float frames; canvas covers gallery wraps, portrait canvas and canvas prints. Posters and signage run to exterior metal prints, press posters and banners. Gallery walls are a mix-and-match option, with a frame pairing guide.
• Albums and books. Albums, layflat books, hardcover books ("magazine printed pages that curve at the spine"), softcover books and accordion mini books, with album boxes and an album and book sample program. A recent announcement adds four new Premier Leather colors and a new Nubuck Leather group to the premium album covers.
• Cards and stationery. Flat cards, folded cards, promotional cards, business cards, photo greetings, gift tags and magnets, with pre-made designs for graduation, weddings, baby and kids, holidays and more. Every design in the Card Editor now comes in a 5×7" folded format, and holiday cards get new foil finishes.
• Stickers and labels. Address labels, envelope seals and package labels.
• Tabletop displays and boxes. Easel back prints, framed and metal tabletop prints, acrylic blocks, bamboo mini blocks, bamboo tabletop frames and image folios; album boxes, print boxes, wood boxes, wood USB boxes and bamboo display boxes. The Bamboo Display Box "stores and displays 5×7 prints behind a clear magnetic acrylic cover".
• Keepsakes and ornaments. Coffee mugs, bag tags, water bottles and keychains, plus acrylic, bamboo, metal and wood ornaments.
• Print accessories and file delivery. Magnetic print blocks and hangers, slip-in mats, wood display stands, USB drives, USB cases and disk cases.
• Proofing. Photo proofs and proofbooks for clients to choose from before the final order.

How orders reach the client

WHCC lists several ways to order, and they suit different kinds of sellers.

Online Ordering lets a photographer "design & order our most popular products online in minutes." Studio Projects takes that "up a notch with additional tools to stay organized and sell more, all free for WHCC clients." ROES Ordering is a desktop application "to place frequent orders with print ready files", aimed at studios with a steady volume. Further design tools include the Gallery Wall Designer (new, to "create true to scale custom layouts in minutes to plan, present, and sell Wall Art with confidence"), Product Design, Sales Sessions, Online Card Sales and the Album & Book Designer. A "Compare Ordering Options" page sets the routes side by side.

The selling side has its own set of tools. Payment Links and a Shopify Integration sit under Sales Tools, next to product samples and product mockups. The Integrations page invites studios to connect "our products with one of our dozen integrated partners." A seller running an online shop would look at the Shopify integration and the partner list; a studio selling in person has Sales Sessions and Payment Links for the ordering appointment.

Services on the product menu name Drop Shipping and Premium Packaging, and Print Fulfillment appears under prints. Taken together, they are the print-on-demand part of the offer: the lab can ship the finished product rather than routing it through the studio. An Order Tracking App for iPhone is listed among the resources.

Samples, support and resources

WHCC runs a product samples program and a separate album and book sample program, so a studio can hold the product before offering it to clients. Support is reached through the help center, a contact form and a free one-on-one consultation, where the company says its "product and industry pros are here to help answer questions on what to sell, how to order, and more." The help center carries pages on turnaround times, shipping options, sales tax, ordering basics and "Where is my order?". The resources menu adds sizing templates and downloads, file prep guidance and demo videos, and WHCC posts education on YouTube and Instagram.

The homepage and article feed lean hard on selling advice: wall products for fall family sessions, selling wall art to a graduate's parents, explaining album cover materials to clients, framing for landscape photography, and float frames paired with archival fine art prints. A Studio Makeovers series goes behind the scenes of photography studios, and a client feature tells how prints made by WHCC brought a world tour to life at Lightroom London. The site also carried a current offer of $10 off a Bamboo Display Box with prints.

The About menu links to pages on the company's craftsmanship, beliefs, sustainability, giving back and events, and to a "Why Switch to WHCC" page. The only product-level environmental claim on the homepage is WHCC's own description of the Bamboo Tabletop Frames as "An eco-friendly display".

Pricing

The homepage shows no base prices. Its route in for a new studio is "Create an Account" or a free consultation, and the help center covers turnaround times, shipping options and sales tax.

Who it suits

WHCC suits professional photographers and photography studios who sell finished products to their own clients: wall art for the living room, albums for a wedding, folded cards for a holiday session, proofbooks for a client choosing images. The range from photographic prints to exterior metal prints and gallery walls lets one lab cover a studio's whole sales menu, and the drop shipping, premium packaging and Shopify integration make it workable for a photographer or artist who sells prints online.

It suits less well a seller whose shop is built on apparel or general merchandise, since the keepsakes line is small next to the print and display range, and a seller who wants to compare base costs before opening an account.