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TimeWell Books is one of those products that make you think: “How has no one done this before?” It’s a platform where you and your family create beautiful photo albums and record spoken stories behind the photos – then simply scan the linked QR code with your phone to listen. It creates a living memory preserved for posterity, as told by the ones either featured in or those who know the stories behind the pictures.
But how did the TimeWell team tie together this complex world of linking audio recordings to photos with print-on-demand, custom books? That’s where Peecho comes in.
Founder Scott Bair has a personal drive to make it work:
The idea for TimeWell started when my own grandfather passed away. As we gathered photos for his memorial, my mom shared stories and memories sparked by the images I had never heard before. As I listened, I wish I would’ve been able to show him photos and record the stories behind them while he was still alive. Sharing this challenge with others, I realized there wasn’t an easy way to save stories behind photos. So applying years of designing world-class digital products and training hundreds of people at Apple to organize photos, I created TimeWell, where you can record your favorite memories with just one button. At TimeWell, our mission is to make it simple and fun for families to deepen relationships with loved ones through gifting stories and perspectives.”
While early users loved how simple it was to upload photos and record stories, a theme kept coming up – They wanted an easier way to enjoy and share memories. Looking deeper into how people interact with their favorite memories, they often want physical copies. However physical copies take us back to the challenge with Scott’s grandpa’s photos – by themselves they lack richness.
That meant there needed to be a simple way for families to connect audio recordings of stories to a physical collection of photos.
Over 40 printing companies
A seemingly simple task (finding a print-on-demand book printer) turned into a major challenge. While many massive to small print companies offer custom book production and distribution, no one seemed to support a way for TimeWell to offer this unique product: a linked photo to a QR code all with TimeWell’s premium design and branding.
“I talked to over 40 digital print providers. You should see my spreadsheet with detailed requirements. Nearly all offered some sort of book printing. But surprisingly, no one would support the custom API integration we needed! After weeks of scouring the internet, I stumbled upon Peecho and after a conversation with their awesome team, I was excited to find a fit. And a huge selling point was their pricing was super accessible for our early-stage company.”
Smooth implementation
Because of the complexity of building custom books with online photo and audio storage, TimeWell created its own online book builder software. While this was a limitation for all the other print companies Scott spoke with, integrating TimeWell with Peecho’s OneClickLayout solution was the perfect fit. Scott shared:
“Peecho’s documentation for our development team made integrating with OneClickLayout simple. And they worked with us to build custom templates to match our exact requirements.”
Customized aspect ratio
With the TimeWell and Peecho integration, customers can now go from purchasing to ordering their custom book in minutes. The book-building platform enables them to add specific details, dates, and locations to photos, in addition to multiple audio recordings per photo. If needed, other family members or friends can be added to help upload photos and build the book together.
And the best part is: after ordering the book, they can continue to enjoy the saved photos and recordings on TimeWell for free, on any device.
Seamless digital integration in print
It almost seems too simple. After receiving the printed book, you only need to scan the linked QR code on the page to enjoy the voice recordings. And since you’ll have access to the photos in your TimeWell account, you’ll be able to add more recordings and edit the photo details even after the book has been printed.
Premium print quality
Scott shared feedback on his early round of books: “I’m incredibly impressed with the print quality and adherence to our design standards. The material and binding will be able to withstand years of love from families and friends. I’m already creating my own books. One for and of my kids in their early years. And a book of our wedding, where we can listen to our vows directly.”
TimeWell Books is currently rolling out to the early access list, but should be publicly available in early 2023.
This version of TimeWell Books is just the beginning. Scott shares he’s looking to expand to other products, like smaller board books for young kids, prints, calendars, and many more templates and layouts for books. He is also in talks with partners, like a tour agency who wants templated voice-enabled books for their tour participants.
All in all, Scott is able to bring this wild idea to life with minimal effort because of Peecho. “I’m excited about the future,” he adds.
