Battle of the decade: flush mount vs. matted

[jenacolson]

Ok, maybe it's not the battle of the decade, but I wanted to get your attention. :)

 

What's your vote? Flush mount or matted albums? And which do your clients seem

to prefer?

 

-Jena

[roxyandkaidotcom]

Flush mount ... everybody wants flush mount! I've NEVER sold a matted album. Ever. I finally

quit offering them last month.

[awhitt99]

It probably depends on your client, location, photography style, and price. The studio I work for shoots on average 50-60 weddings a year. I design and assemble all albums, and about two-thirds of our clients still opt for matted albums. I sat down with four prospective clients last week, and though they loved the flushmount album for its "newness", 3 of the 4 said they were more traditionalists. They were thinking ahead of the heriloom style of their album, to be passed down. I actually had a bride tell me that she preferred the matted because it reminded her of her grandmother's album, which had been passed down to her. Of course we tell our clients that they can have collaged flushmount-style images put into a traditional album with no mat. Some get a couple pages of those because they do like both, and have a hard time deciding on one or the other. I guess my advice is to always give the option of both, because you may get that traditionalist bride who insists on matted, and you dont want to turn her away.

[bdp]

I think I sold 1-2 matted albums in years.

 

Seems more of a question like: Flush Mount, or Coffee table style (where the middle of the book is not flush).

[anner]

Both. I like the classic fine art style of certain matted albums, and the creative possibilities of

the flush mount. Why not offer both and let the client decide?

[jenacolson]

Yes, I agree Anne. We will most likely start offering flush mount in the very near future. Both Michael and I like the classic feel of matted albums but, lucky for us, we're not the ones who have to decide between the two: the clients do! :)

[think27]

I offer any album that is on the market... This year 2 ordered flush 5x7 albums for parents.

 

The rest want black, classic matted albums with beveled mats. I currently have 9 orders in house and 6 of them are getting 3 albums each (2 parent and 1 album for the couple). Two are getting 4 albums (divorces so 3 parent albums) and one couple just getting an album for themselves.

 

Although I can do coffee table albums - None of my couples want them. They are all going for timeless, classic and fear these will be dated. Some actually feel they are cheesy. I wouldn't mind doing one but can't get anyone interested. I'm in the DC area and most of my couples are high end - 30 something brides with a very clear idea of what they want.

[kari douma]

I offer both. I have never sold a flush mount.....

That makes me wonder why? Is it the area, the cost, the type of bride I attract? I don't feel that I am a traditional shooter. My flush mounts cost more than traditional, but not a lot. All my packates include traditional, and the flush mount is an upgrade. No one upgrades....

[kiva]

Jena, I hope you don't mind if I ask that people who respond to your thread consider a mention on what type of mat album.

 

Do they do the mat album with the bevel edge as Mary described or do they do a mat album with the slip in type of pages. I am assuming the bevel edge album is a true mat material and the slip in type is a more synthetic type of material. ?

 

I offer a magazine album, a flush mount album and just added a slip in style of mat album Because I lost one wedding due to not having it to offer and recently just booked a wedding because I had added the mat album just that week and the young bride insisted on having her album be a mat album. Whew.

[fotografz]

Hi Jena, we've sold nothing but traditional slip in matted albums up to now ( a Michigan

thing Kari ? : -) William, every one has been a General Products Legacy 500 all black

leather version with all black slip in mats. GP makes Flush mount album systems also, but

no one has opted for one yet.

 

Next year I have one client that wants a Le Vie custom album with die cuts and short folds.

I also suspect that clients who hire for shooting and files only are out to use an on line

album maker, or are avid scrap-bookers.

 

I have a related question for Coffee Table album users: Is there a worry about durability?

Since the arrangement is pretty much permanent, what does the client do if a page is

damaged? Over the years I've had clients request a new print here and there due to little

Johnny finger painting a page or Aunt Millie spilling her red wine on the book. I just reprint

and slip in a new matted photos.

[michelle a.]

FWIW..... Zookbinders is going to stop offering flush mount albums for 2007 due to lack of interest. This is per their newsletter and updated catalog that I received about 2-3 weeks ago.

 

They are still doing the zookbook and the traditional matted.... go figure?

[nancy s.]

I never offered a flushmount album. The reason? I see the photo pages rubbing against each other and wearing.. Fact is some flushmount companies tell you that you need to recoat the pages on occaision to prevent the images from wearing.

 

Some photographers have never offered flushmount as they considered them a fad. Others only offer Flushmount.

 

You need to provide what your customer wants. If you cannot compete unless you offer flushmount, then it seems that you should offer them.

[mike_barrett2]

The reason flush mount albums will no longer be offered by Zookbooks is that it was limited to how many panos, etc. The ZookBook IS a flush mount album. The only difference is that a ZookBook is an all pano album which allows for no limit to the creative posibilites.

 

Due to the fact that almost everyone was decideing to go with the higher end ZookBook, they discountinued the flush.

 

As for matted vs flush. I used to sell both matted Renaissance albums and the zookbook. When the price became the same, I had only 1 in 20 or so choose the matted. In my opinion, a flush mount album can look cutting edge, traditional or anywhere in between. Just depends on how it is designed. At www.createmyalbum.com we offer only Zookbooks and Asuka. However, soon matted albums from Zookbinders will be added to the mix.

 

Mike

[kim long- cincinnati, ohio]

"If you cannot compete unless you offer flushmount, then it seems that you should offer them."

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I've been pondering this a great deal lately. This is a perfect example of an area where the art vs. the business kind of come up against each other for me. There are just some things that so go against my own personal aesthetic that I am loathe to put it out there with my name on it- not because it is <i>bad</i>, necessarily, just that it doesn't represent my style at all. I realize that there are compromises to be made and some flexibility is necessary to appeal to a reasonable variation of tastes among clients. Even within a certain market/ demographic, there will be those who are strict traditionalists, those who are totally trendy, those who clearly march to their own beat, and many that fall somewhere in between. Knowing all of this, I'm sticking to album options that are within my own aesthetic preferences while still maintaining some variety. I just can't get into scrapbook-style layouts for wedding albums. Unless demand for them is so overwhelming that I am compelled to relent, I'm not offering the flush-mount albums. I will continue to offer coffee table albums, but my layouts for those are still not scrapbook-looking.

[picturesque]

I sell both. I show both, and I can't predict which one a particular couple will want.

[david_eicher]

I still do the matted albums. I never did like the flush albums. Seems too much chance of damage or dirt over the long haul.