Turn Your Stash of Photos into a Treasured Book of Memories. Don't Know How to Make a Scrapbook with Photos? Turn to a Professional Scrapbookist!

• Q. What led you to start Scrapbookist?
• I so enjoyed making a scrapbook for my daughter and while doing so realised it is a very new concept in India and the potential it has. It was also around the time I wanted more time with my family and with my daughter and so I started making them professionally. It was part time at first and then I quit my job and took it up full time.


• Q. What is special about your books?
• My scrapbooks are some of the best in the industry. None of them are based on templates, something that is not available elsewhere.


• Q. How long does it take to make an average scrapbook?
• It takes about a week for a digital one, although it depends entirely on the kind of details the customer wants. For instance, a complex handmade scrapbook can take 20 to 25 days to make.


• Q. What is your process?
• It is a one man job, although I am planning an expansion. However, to be frank, the idea of customised books is not feasible for mass production, especially not for handmade books. I used to do all the designing and crafting but now I have two designers who do the design according to my specifications. I also have a lot of specialised equipment to make handmade books quickly on my own. Then I have tie ups for the printing and binding. Now my job is to get new ideas for the market.


• Q. How do you ensure quality?
• The initial idea to get materials from the US was due to the quality of paper. The high GSM paper that I wanted wasn’t available here in India when I started out and it is what I needed to ensure that the books last forever. Now we do get better quality paper because the industry has picked up here. We also use some of the best adhesives available - earlier the only option was Fevicol so I would source adhesives too from outside but now there are better ones available here.


• Q. So do the books indeed last forever?
• We use very good quality of materials for precisely this reason, but since it is a handmade book, it should be handled with care. If it is dumped somewhere carelessly, covered by a pile of things, or kept pressed open with unnecessary force, even the best quality book will start loosening its pages at the spine.


• Q. Aren’t photo books similar to your digital print scrapbooks?
• Photo books are made entirely on templates. We don’t do that. Our digital books are fully customised according to the kind of message the client wants to convey and the material they supply us, such as pictures.


• Q. Tell us about some interesting concepts you’ve worked with.
• Every client has unique requirements and each book tells a unique story. We once had a team of naval officers as clients; they wanted a special book for their commander who was retiring and they wanted it in the shape of a ship. That posed a lot of challenges for the binding. Another time a client wanted a book to capture the WhatsApp chat history with her fiance!


• Q. Was it difficult to get customers for a new concept such as this?
• My scrapbooks are very unique and with my background in digital marketing I was able to reach out to and get customers. I also did some collaborations through blog posts and added more products to the portfolio. People have a lot more disposable income now and when it comes to gifts they are looking for things that the recipient doesn’t already have. What we are offering is a memory book. Each book is customised and no two scrapbooks will be alike because we do not work from a template.


• Q. What is important to you in your work?
• Uniqueness. I want each piece to be different, something not seen before. It’s all about the satisfaction of the client, and the person who receives it should feel special emotions. Because this is all about emotions.


• Q. Handmade or digital print, what would you recommend?
• The two are quite different and the choice would depend on what the client wants. Handmade takes more time and can accommodate about 50 pictures. I introduced digital when a client wanted 200 pictures.

Where Can You Find Them?

• Q. What are some of your own interests?
• I have been a creative person all my life, I like to paint a lot. Even when I was working I would paint - I had my own cabin and would paint canvases there. My work is on display at my former workspace.


• Q. How did you spend your time when cooped up at home during the Covid lockdown?
• My daughter and I did a lot of crafts together. She shares a lot of my interests and has many of my capabilities; we love doing DIYs and spent a lot of time making things together.


• Q. What is your personal challenge?
• I started my career as a salesperson, not something I had planned. I enjoyed talking to the clients, finding out what they wanted and then creating that. I love challenges. At the time I started doing digital marketing it was also a very new concept in India, and now again I want to do something new. I used to work with clients based in the UK and US, hence had erratic work hours. After my daughter was born I wanted more time with her and had to figure out how to turn a hobby into something professionally viable.

• Q. What are you looking to achieve in coming days?
• I am looking for corporate customers next. My line of products has also grown to incorporate office supplies. I have done 2 exhibitions, one of which was for a maternity hospital whose clients were all expecting and new mothers. Then I’ve done a digital photobook for an office farewell. Yearbooks, planners, farewell books, these are some of the things we can do in the corporate arena and so there is potential for tie ups.

• Q. Which gifting occasion is best suited for a scrapbook?
• Anniversaries, births and baby milestones are some of the most popular themes we work on, but a scrapbook works for any occasion where you want to capture time and memories, and when you want to give something very unique or evoke special emotions.