Tech Tuesdays - White House Custom Color

First impressions can make a huge difference. Imagine what my first impression was when I submitted my test prints online on a Monday afternoon and had prints in my hands on a Thursday! That's exactly what happened when I signed up with White House Custom Color (WHCC). The prints were done and shipped via Overnight UPS! These were not prints for a client. These were not prints that I paid for. These were prints to make sure my monitor was calibrated correctly! Sent OVERNIGHT!

OK, sorry for that initial amazement. So what is WHCC? White House Custom Color is a professional photo lab. In order to have an account with them, you have to be a pro photographer. They offer print services for everything from prints to business cards, photo albums to gallery wraps. By focusing their business on pro customers, they are able to offer the highest quality prints at pretty competitive prices.

Let's go back to that first box that arrived on my doorstep. Inside were the 5 8x10 prints that I submitted. By itself, that was a pretty good deal. By creating an account, you essentially get 5 free prints that you can show clients. But wait... there's more! There were also printed samples on all of their different photo papers with different finishes applied. These are invaluable, both so that the pro can see and feel what the print options are and so that clients can see what their prints will look like. Also included were print samples of their long-run papers that you might purchase for products like postcards, business cards or albums. Full pricing info, as well as a "getting started" pack were included to round out the shipment. The icing on the cake was the overnight shipping. Wow! What a great first impression!

When it came time to place my first order, it couldn't have been much easier. I was ordering the accordion books shown above, so it was a little more complicated than just ordering prints, but between the template they provided, a great FAQ on their website and their design and ordering ROES software, I had my book designed and ordered very quickly. Payment was easy, as their software is linked to my account, so there was no digging out my wallet to input payment info, as everything is already in my account. The best surprise for me was that the price that was listed in their software was the price with shipping (2-Day UPS), so it didn't cost any more than the price I saw!

When the package arrived less than a week later, it was packaged very well. The box could have been crushed on 4 sides and the contents would have been safe. You'd think after all of these pleasant surprises with WHCC, it couldn't get any better, but it did. Upon opening the box and unpacking everything, there was a Blow-Pop waiting for me inside! Now I want to place another order just to see what surprises are in store for me.

White House Custom Color is not available to everyone. They're not the cheapest option around either, but that's OK. They obviously make customer service a top priority, and in my short relationship with them I've become smitten. Add beautiful prints to the great customer service and I'm not sure why I'd try anyone else. I'm sure there will be something that will get me to try another professional printer, but I'm pretty sure I'll always have a soft spot for WHCC.