The idea of introducing a "web-to-print" platform for photo books and calendars in the Middle East and beyond was born when I received a photo book as a gift from a childhood friend on my 30th birthday. Being a bit of an Italian-German macho, I am not known to be very emotional. However, when I flipped through the book – full of pictures of my past, special moments with friends and family, and other important personal occasions – I almost had a tear running down my face. (Of course, I would never admit that to anyone in public!) My emotional outburst was triggered by the recollection of those precious memories, but even more touching was the fact that this friend had gone through a whole lot of trouble to create this special book. He gathered digital pictures from friends and family, but also scanned very old ones from my childhood that were hidden away in some old family albums. I was not new to the concept of creating photo books through online software as this is a well established service around the globe. Nevertheless, when I had a closer look at the industry in the Middle East, it became clear that there are very limited possibilities for what one could do with pictures that are hidden away digitally on C: drives and external hard drives.
