custom holiday ornaments

Love holiday traditions? Here’s a great one!

We all have them – those meaningful family traditions that we replicate each Christmas season. Maybe it’s watching the big game together, baking from family recipes, decorating the tree or driving through the neighborhood to look at Christmas lights.

When my children were younger, I used to dress them in matching holiday themed pajamas and pose them for a picture under the tree. But as they grew older, I started thinking about finding something more meaningful and lasting to do for them. Something that makes the holiday season special after they leave the house and begin starting their own traditions.

Since I work in the photo industry, I had access to all sorts of options for creative ideas, but one stood out as something that had the lasting power and sentimental value I was looking for – so I landed on personalized holiday ornaments.

These custom ornaments feature an image of our family or the kids, the year and their ages – making reminiscing fun as we decorate the tree. I order multiple copies of our annual family ornament each year – one for each child to keep and one day take with them – plus one that will stay on the family tree at our house.

Now, that my kids are a little older, they love to look for their special photo ornaments while we’re decorating the tree and I love knowing that this tradition will live on for years to come.

#holidaytraditions, #personlizemytree, #lovemyPRproject, #theprintrefinery

The Gather Box

What is archiving and why is it so important?

When it comes to organizing and preserving your family’s photography history, many of us struggle to get this accomplished. Whether it’s photos stuck in drawers, VHS tapes in boxes, old slide carousels or piles of home movie reels – most of us don’t even know where to begin. Time out! You do know how important preserving these memories is – don’t you? Over time, these precious mementos from our past, our parents’ past and our grandparents’ past are at risk for damage, deterioration and they are mostly likely forgotten and neglected.

What is Archiving? It’s the process of storing data and information of historical importance – and what’s more important that your own family history!?
Here’s why archiving is important:

• Protection – Getting those photos and movies out of damp basements and grungy garages ensures longevity. It also protects them from catastrophic weather or environmental damage.

• Preservation – The best way to preserve these moments and memories is through a process called digitization. The prints, slides and home movies are scanned and turned into digital files – making them accessible by today’s technology.

• Storage – Once your memorabilia is digitized, it becomes far easier to store because it takes up far less physical space. Thousands of digital files can fit on DVDs, Blu-Ray discs, USB drives and hard drives – meaning those 4 large boxes full of photographs are now on a device that can fit in the palm of your hand. Taking it a step further, you can also store those digital files in the cloud for even deeper storage and back up protection.

• Duplication/Sharing – A common problem for families is deciding who gets to keep all of that rich history, often resulting in frustration over who gets what photographs. The beauty of digitizing those files means no more arguing on the subject. Every single family can have their very own copy of the family’s memorabilia – and we think that’s pretty awesome.

• Accessibility – Once these items are safely stored on digital media, it becomes much easier to locate specific images or movies quickly. Much faster than digging through boxes in search of mom and dad’s wedding photo.

We love helping our customers get started archiving, but so many don’t even know where to begin. Fear not! We have the perfect solution to let you test the waters with archiving. We’ve developed a step by step kit that simplifies the process – it’s called The Gather Box. This take-home, DIY archiving kit simplifies the sometimes-daunting task of organizing personal effects and helps get your photo closets, drawers, garages, basements and attics in order!

You won’t believe what this box can do! Here’s how it works:
STEP 1: GATHER Purchase the box for yourself or a loved one. Inside, find instructions and tips to guide you through the sorting and gathering process.

STEP 2: FILL THE BOX Fill it with memorabilia, photos, slides and home movies, then drop it off at our store. If you have things that won’t fit in the box, bring them along so we can address those items separately.

STEP 3: MAGIC! Return to find that everything in your box has been magically transformed into digital format. Now you can relax in confidence knowing those precious relics from the past are now protected and easily accessible.

If The Gather Box sounds like the solution for you, stop by and pick one up today! www.theprintrefinery.com

#archiveitall, #lovemyPRproject, #savefamilyphotos, #theprintrefinery

3rd PR Location

Location #3 Coming Soon!

We’re excited to announce the development of our third PR location! The Print Refinery @ Fort Worth Camera will be opening in October! The store-within-a-store PR format will compliment the newly constructed Fort Worth Camera showroom and is sure to boost print and service sales through increased exposure and marketing. Join us in congratulating the PR @ FWC team and watch for updates on the IPI Forum and social media platforms along the way.
For information on how you can incorporate elements of The Print Refinery™ in your business or to learn more about adopting this model visit www.theprintrefinery.com.