Courtesy of Matthew & Laura Reoch and Garrett Burdick of GB Photographers

We are excited to announce our first Cypress Product Photo Contest! In honor of our 10 year anniversary, we plan to run several photo contests throughout the year highlighting various products and first up is The Cypress Album. The winner of the contest will receive a Cypress credit good for a complimentary new studio sample Cypress Album!


Email your best photo(s) of The Cypress Album (limit 2 entries per studio). These can be sample albums or client orders, old images or new. We are looking for beautiful product shots with great color combinations. Feel free to get creative with your background settings and props! Each week we will post all photos submitted on our blog*. The final day to enter the contest is Tuesday June 3, 2008. This should give you just enough time to order, receive, and photograph that new album you've been meaning to send in to us! We will judge the photos and announce the winner on our blog the following week.

Email photo entries, including your name/studio name to: judi@cypressalbums.com

Good luck, and thank you in advance... we look forward to seeing all of your great work!

*We reserve the right to use any photos submitted to the contest for Cypress promotional materials at any time

Our open house anniversary celebration last night was a big success, thanks to everyone who was able to attend. Congratulations to all of our lucky raffle winners, especially Ed Hamilton who won a free Cypress Album certificate and Josh Beller of Mi Belle, Inc. who won the free Iris Book certificate. Special thanks Sandra Pan for these photos...

*We do not use or sell any animal products.
*We use only non-toxic, archival glue.
*Our binders board (used in the construction of album covers, boxes, and folios) is made from 100% recycled content.
*Our products are made in the USA, handcrafted by artisans who receive fair wages.
*We reuse and recycle everything possible, from paper and fabric scraps to shipping boxes to cans/bottles in our lunchroom.
*Our office, kitchen, and restroom paper products are made from recycled content.
*We are working to reduce our carbon footprint by saving electricity through the use of efficient long-lasting fluorescent lighting and reminders on all of our light switches to conserve energy.

*Acid-free, which keeps your photos in a PH-neutral, archival environment.
*Tree-free, made from 100% cotton linters, which are a waste byproduct of the textile industry.
*Chlorine bleach-free, keeping harmful chemicals out of our homes, not to mention our water sources.
*Sourced from environmentally conscious suppliers. Our mat board and paper are made at a mill that generates its own hydroelectric power. They use their own water source to create the energy they use, thereby preserving the public source.

We are back at the bindery. WPPI was a wonderful success for us this year and we couldn't be more excited to put all of the energy and momentum of the show into our plans for this year. Our booth was insanely crowded and we loved it! We will certainly expand our booth size next year. We want to say thank you to all the photographers who assisted us at our booth-Jose Villa, Yvette Roman, Bryan Johnson, and Michael Negrete! We can't thank you enough!

Everyone loves getting packages in the mail. At Cypress, we put care and effort into our packaging and presentation so that when you get a Cypress delivery, you and your clients know that you've received something truly special. We just wanted to share this blog posting by 6 of Four Creations, a husband and wife team based in Atlanta. They took a great photo series documenting the joy of opening their Cypress Album package. View here

We hope to see everyone at WPPI, please be sure to come by booth #300. We'll be giving out our great new Cypress cloth tote bags, so come pick yours up while they last! We have a lot of great new samples to show, including our Iris Book and our new magnetic closure boxes. We look forward to seeing you in Vegas!

Also, we are sponsoring photographers Jose Villa and Gene Higa this year and urge you to attend their "Young Guns" panel talk on Sunday March 16, 8:30-10:30pm. It should be a lively and informative evening! Jose Villa is also giving a talk, "Target Wedding Magazines That Will Sell You!", on Monday from 7:30-9:30pm.

Please note our office will be closed Mon 3/17 thru Wednesday 3/19. All of our office staff members are working at our WPPI Trade Show booth. This will NOT affect product production- our master artisans will be creating your handmade products as usual in our absence. Your phone calls and emails will be returned once we are back on Thursday. We apologize for the inconvenience. To expedite any new orders submitted during this time, please send via fax to: 818.551. 0028.

We will be exhibiting at the ProPhotoExpo in Pasadena this year, booth #226. The dates and hours of the show are as follows:
Contact us if you would like a complimentary trade show pass. We hope to see all of you Southern California photographers!

All of our products are handcrafted and custom made-to-order. Below are the turnaround times for all of our products. Please note that these times can vary, depending on the time of year, so feel free to contact us to inquire about our current production time.


You may indicate on your order form a date by which you hope to receive your order, and we will do our best to accommodate.

We also offer a Rush Service, which is a 50% charge, and guarantees The Cypress Album and The Iris Book in 2 weeks or less, and all other products in 1 week or less.

And lastly, if you ever need a product ASAP, call us to ask what we have in stock, available for immediate shipment!

We'll be exhibiting at WPPI in Las Vegas this year, and we hope to see you there! We'll have a lot of exciting new samples to show, including samples of our popular new Iris Book and our sleek magnetic closure boxes. The trade show dates are Monday, March 17 thru Wednesday, March 19. For more information go the WPPI website. Click HERE to print out your complimentary trade show entry passes. See you at booth #300!

~How does this work exactly? What is the process?
1. Purchase pre-trimmed paper from us (or you can find it elsewhere). The required paper type is Hahnemuhle Rag #308. If you purchase it from us, we'll send it out within a few days.
2. You print the pages (or have them printed with a lab). Print the pages single-sided on the smooth, coated side. Spray protect your images and number lightly on the back. Send your pages to us along with your completed order form.
3. We glue and trim your pages, and then bind the album. Turnaround time is 3-4 weeks from the time we receive your printed pages.

~Do I have to use the Hahnemuhle paper or can I use another similar paper?
We did extensive research and testing of various papers for this product. We selected the Hahnemuhle paper for a variety of reasons including print quality, weight, resistance to scratches/scuffing/burnishing, and compatibility with our binding process. We require this paper because we know how it reacts to our process and how it performs over time, whereas with other papers, we simply cannot guarantee our high product quality standard. We do hope to add a couple of other paper choices in the future, once we've been able to adequately test them.
Depending on the paper, there may also be the option of doing a custom single-sided digital book. Please inquire for details.

~Do I have to use a protective spray? Is there a particular spray and method for spraying that you recommend?
Your images are going to be directly handled and touched, so they need to be protected. We strongly suggest you to spray your prints. We do not endorse any particular type of spray, and urge you to research and test various options. Some of our clients use and prefer PremierArt Print Shield, available at www.digitalartsupply.com.
After printing your pages, let the ink set overnight before spraying. Spray outdoors or in a spray booth and wear a protective mask. Apply at least 3-4 coats, alternating between horizontal and vertical motions for even coverage.

~Can you suggest a lab that prints on this type of paper?
Here are a few labs that we know currently print on the Hahnemuhle Rag #308 paper and have our specs:
Berkeley, CA: www.photolaboratory.com
Round Rock, TX: www.canvaspress.com
Los Angeles, CA: www.imageexperts.com
Los Angeles, CA: www.richardphotolab.com
Seattle, WA: www.pandalab.com

~Do you have any printer recommendations?
Our sample album (pictured above) was printed on an Epson Stylus Pro 4000. The photographer who printed this for us recommends the Epson Pro 3800, 4800 or 7800 as they use Ultracrome inks, which print great B&W's.

A lot of people take one look at our products and think WEDDING. However, in today's ever competative market, our products are attracting photographers of all types looking to offer their clients something fresh and different. To those of you shooting families, maternity, seniors, pets and more, we offer some great fabric color choices for all subjects and occasions, so think outside the box! We wanted to share this photo featuring Ann Hamilton's dog portraits displayed in a Cypress Tri Folio and 10x10 Presentation Box:

Please note our studio will be closed on the following dates:

The new year is just around the corner. That means time for creating new samples and new packages with fresh looks for your clients! Now is a great time to get your orders in for any sample albums and presentation boxes that you may want to showcase this year. We recommend updating your samples every year so that you are displaying your latest work and showing new color combinations that will also keep you excited. That excitement will be shared by your clients!

We have a partnership with Photojunction, premiere album design software. They just announced a brand new beta version of the software, and they're offering special pricing now thru December 14th. Read on for more info:

Photojunction is proud to release Photojunction Remix Beta 1.0, the result of seven years' experience with Photojunction Retro and feedback from thousands of photographs, their vendors and our own support team. Many thousands of development hours have gone into rebuilding Photojunction from the ground up, with two goals in mind:

• To deliver a state-of-the art software experience to users.
• To deliver your work seamlessly to your album supplier and lab

48-hour Half-Price Special Offer
Subscribe or renew for 12 months @US$ 125.00. This 48-hour special offer expires at midnight New Zealand time on 14/12/2007. ACT NOW: This special offer includes a money-back guarantee (conditions apply).

Download the software HERE and register from inside the software for the discount.

Click here to test drive this important beta software free for 30 days.

Click these links to get connected and learn more

Visit the Photojunction website
Read the Photojunction back-story
Click here to watch a 5-minute introductory movie
Visit the Photojunction forums - ask a question, look for answers, share your views
Visit the Photojunction blog for - opinion, design tips and news
Click here for a more comprehensive feature list

We have extended our holiday deadline for
Cypress Albums & Presentation Boxes until Friday 12/7.

The deadline for C Albums, Artisan Books and Folios is Wednesday 12/5.

All orders received after these dates will be taken on a first-come-first-serve basis. Please call us to inquire.

Also, keep in mind we have some Proof Boxes, Folios and
C Albums in stock for any last minute orders!

Happy Holidays!