Services & Solutions Print Products Client Cases About RPI Contact News Innovating Digital Print-On-Demand Together since 2005 Blurb was founded in 2005 with an exciting idea: to give everybody the possibility to print their own unique book. The ambition, however, was more than to offer one standard product but to allow a high level of customization that reflected the unique stories of book creators. To execute the idea, Blurb needed a print partner able to print multiple orders, each in a quantity of one, allow for product customization, and develop an efficient production process to make Blurb products affordable. A print partner that believed in the future of print-on-demand "Color print-on-demand books were too expensive to make for resale. We had to find a printing partner that believed in the future of digital print-on-demand. Fortunately, Ted Reischling saw our vision and was willing to work together and make it happen. Without his foresight and willingness to take a risk on a start-up, Blurb may have never seen the light of day." Bruce Watermann - a member of the Blurb launch team and Blurb's Senior Vice President of Operations from 2005 to 2020 Partnership adaptable to change In the years following its founding, Blurb enjoyed immense success and became the global leader in self-published books. In 2009 over a million unique books were designed on the platform. At the same time, RPI as Blurb's partner scaled up and optimized the production process to keep up with the rapidly growing demand and Blurb's expanding product lines. As the print-on-demand market became more competitive and the wishes of consumers more vocal, Blurb diversified its business into three product categories: consumer photo books, self-publishing, and B2B marketing. The company developed new creation tools to accommodate the needs of their customer platform ranging from an average social media user to writers and creative professionals. New products, premium paper options, hardcover linens, and endsheets were added to Blurb's portfolio. Blurb and RPI joined forces multiple times to explore the opportunities, maintain the IT integration, implement new products, and ensure seamless execution. Over 20 million of photobooks Over 20 million photobooks have been designed and sold via Blurb since 2005. Most of them are produced by RPI in their Atlanta, Seattle, and Eindhoven facilities. "The relationship we have with RPI is certainly the strongest partnership we have in our company without a doubt. We understand each other very well. RPI has been side by side with us ever since we started our business. And we have grown our businesses together." Bruce Watermann Shared Future The long-standing partnership culminated in 2020 with RPI's acquisition of Blurb. It was a strategic move for both companies. RPI continued its journey to becoming a global leader in personalized print solutions. The acquisition enabled Blurb to focus solely on the innovation of their world-class creation tools and diversification of product offering. While the market is changing rapidly, both companies focus on the opportunities in the digital print-on-demand market. Our goal remains the same: to lead, innovate, and connect with our clients through the power of personalized print-on-demand. Looking for a print partner for your brand? At RPI we look forward to new ideas and products. If you are looking for a partner that will support your brand and ensure the seamless execution of your ideas, get in touch. Let's see what we can do for you! Contact us Careers Compliance Leadership Contact File upload A Craft CMS website by WHITE