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February 11, 2025

Why are yearbooks so expensive?

Yearbooks can be a costly investment for schools. Some publishers typically require schools to commit to a specific number of yearbooks at the start of the year, even before they’re sold to parents. If the school cannot sell all the books, it is left with the financial responsibility for the unsold copies. 

Not Treering.

Yearbook creators, like John Vogel from Whitesville Elementary School in KY, turned their yearbook bill into a yearbook check when they switched to Treering.

Treering prints what you need using print-on-demand technology, and we make it personal. When yearbook creators enable custom pages, each family has the option to personalize two pages that only print in their yearbook, making every book unique.  (More on us later.)

Yearbook Pricing Explained

Yearbooks are historical. Since Yale published the first one, improvements such as automated presses, desktop publishing software, and digital cameras have made mass-producing yearbooks and collaborating on design easier. Unfortunately, not all of these have translated into the bottom line.

Traditional yearbooks are expensive because the majority of yearbook charges happen in these five main areas:

1. Printing and Production Costs: Usually rolled into the base price, these are the plant charges for producing your core book, including paper, cover stock, and color vs. black-and-white pages.

This school had to raise book prices to make up for the $622. The following year, they sold even fewer.

2. Design and Publishing Software: Big-name design software charges per user, even when integrated into the yearbook publisher’s design application. Publishers sometimes add on charges for professional design support; this is most common when schools want a custom cover.

3. Shipping and Distribution: Since yearbooks are heavy, the cost of delivering large boxes to the school adds up. Some schools must also factor in storage costs or extra distribution efforts, especially if books arrive after the school year ends.

Working with local businesses to sell ads, this school tried to fill the void their yearbook bill caused the activities budget.

4. Spring Supplements or Inserts: With deadlines as early as February, many schools create and print supplements for spring sports, graduation, or prom. These stick-in pages result in additional printing and shipping costs.

5. Fees: Financial penalties such as art set-up fees, minimums, late fees, proofs, marketing materials, cloud storage, and training and support can add up. Sometimes, advisers don’t see them until the final invoice.

https://blog.treering.com/can-our-school-afford-a-yearbook-program/

No Cost Yearbooks?

We’re going to toot our own horn for a sec: Treering operates at no cost to schools, with no minimum orders, commitments, or leftover books to manage. Using digital printing, our platform streamlines production, allows for a three-week turnaround, and even accommodates after-deadline orders. 

There are no late fees, and you control your deadline.

This flexible approach eliminates inventory management, avoids extra costs, and makes yearbooks more affordable—especially for smaller schools.

Additionally, your per-book price is our only price. It covers everything you may be used to paying for separately, like printing, bulk shipping, e-commerce, marketing, support, custom covers, software, and top quality. It’s based on the number of pages in your yearbook and the cover finish.

Remember School A and School B from above? Here's what happened when they switched to Treering.

When we entered the yearbook space in 2009 touting a print-on-demand, no-contract yearbook solution, schools were wary of this too-good-to-be-true proposition. To learn how other schools gained control over their yearbook finances by partnering with Treering Yearbooks, check out these additional yearbook creator case studies:

December 31, 2024

Happy New Year from Treering

For fifteen years, you’ve trusted us to capture and print your priceless memories, and we reflect on this honor every holiday season. In addition to helping schools raise over @2.2M  in the 2024 school year, we printed over 500,000 custom pages in 2022—that’s a lot of joy. Thank you for trusting us with this invaluable task. We wish you all the best this holiday season and we can’t wait to get to work in 2025. 

As the Treering community surpasses 1.6M members, together we continue to grow and innovate. Because of your feedback, we added

  • An onboarding team for first-year yearbook coordinators
  • Bigger prizes for our annual editor and parent contests plus pop-up giveaways on Facebook and Instagram
  • In-person adviser events in Florida, Illinois, and Texas
  • Camp Yearbook, our first-ever two-day summer conference
  • Two new webinars to the Yearbook Club lineup: custom cover design and yearbook photography
  • More IRL examples of what members of the Treering Community create on our socials
  • New ways to capture student memories with photo gifts

Happy holidays!

What to Expect in 2025

  • Superior support as you design, market, and distribute your best book yet
  • Semi-monthly training through Yearbook Club webinars
  • Design contests for editors and parents
  • Your memories arriving within three weeks of clicking Print Ready
  • New predesigned “About Me,” “Year in Review,” and “Best of…” pages
  • Weekly blog articles to provide inspiration and resources – subscribe and have them sent to your email
December 3, 2024

Double your donations 2024

In honor of the season of giving, Treering will match up to five yearbook donations per school account. From Tuesday, December 3 through Tuesday, December 31, one community book donation equals one Treering book donation. Editors can reassign these books to teachers, promoting students, the principal, or students in need.

How the Donation Match Works

  1. Enable the Book Donation option on the dashboard
  2. Let your campus community know 'tis the season to share the (yearbook) love
  3. Re-assign the yearbooks so recipients can customize or order non-custom books to hand out

This promotion ends at 11:59 pm PST on December 31, 2024. Matched yearbooks will automatically be added to your account by January 30, 2025.

The Fine Print

  • Promotion ends at 11:59 pm PST on December 31, 2024.
  • Matched yearbooks will automatically be added to your account by January 30, 2025.
  • Donations may not be combined with any other promotions.
  • Donated yearbooks cannot exist on ship-to-home, invoiced, or PO orders. Credit card or PayPal orders only.
  • Ordering donation books will not be available for After Deadline Orders.

October 2, 2024

Why do I need TRL 24?

Treering Live (TRL) 24 exists because of you and for you. We tailored this virtual conference for yearbook volunteers, educators, and aficionados of all levels, offering three days of flexible sessions so you can engage with various aspects of the creative process. Use these ten reasons to convince your admin, as overarching objectives for your class or club, or as a mantra while you’re pulling on comfy pants.

1. The Price is Right

My colleague and I evaluated a marketing-focused webinar. Once she saw the price tag, she quipped, “If it isn’t free, it isn’t for me.” Good news: TRL is free. So is the replay.

No fundraising and no POs are required.

2. “I Don’t Know What I Don’t Know”

We see that all the time in monthly Getting Started webinars: New yearbook coordinators know they have to plan and produce a book. However, the in-between steps are fuzzy. Every day, TRL starts with an I’m the Yearbook Coordinator… Now What? breakout. In this new adviser session, learn what tools are available and how to plan for success. If a question comes up that Liz T., Cassie W., or Sandra V. doesn’t answer, support is in the chat so we can get to it live.

Other sessions for new advisers include:

3. Been There. Done That.

Is your POV: experienced yearbook adviser? Maybe you’re dipping your toe into the world of competitive yearbooking, or you’re looking to add structure and reduce stress in your program. You've already mastered ladders and drag-and-drop design. It’s time to boost your skill set.

Have we got a show for you.

While the first-time advisers do their thing, we have three expert advisers—each with over a decade of classroom experience—leading a breakout for returners. Join Brent M., Ed G., and Liz T. for

  • Tuesday: Project Management and Hacks
  • Wednesday: Leveling Up Design and Copy
  • Thursday: The Craft of Yearbook: Style Guides and Workflows

Additional sessions returning editors include:

4. Finish 60% of the Book in a Few Clicks

Our three-part portrait auto flow session is the one that builds. Each day, learn how to enhance your portrait pages (typically 40-60% of a yearbook) so that they reflect your school community even more.

  • Tuesday: Get your portraits in the book
  • Wednesday: Add a larger teacher photo and candids to your portrait layouts
  • Thursday: Create blended coverage on your portrait pages
Blended coverage of yearbook portraits and a story
Breaking up portrait pages with bite-size content is one way to get more student stories in the book.

5. The Other 40%

Recreating the wheel is exhausting. That’s why we packed in three never-before-seen sessions at TRL:

See what other Treering schools are doing to create a yearbook that authentically represents their school community.

A word of caution for our first-year advisers: you do not have to do it all.

6. Flexibility

Live or on demand? Tuesday, Wednesday, and/or Thursday? Yes.

Please note: Each day requires a separate registration. There is no limit on the number of days you may attend. The times below are in Pacific Time; Zoom will adopt your local time.

Tuesday, October 8, 2024

  • 9 AM PT - Breakouts: I’m the Yearbook Coordinator… Now What? OR This Ain’t Isn’t My First Rodeo

  • 10 AM PT - Elective: How to Do a Cover Contest

  • 11 AM PT - Knowledge Sessions: Portraits (Part 1 of 3) + Top 10 Parent Questions Answered

  • 12 PM PT - POV: I’m Not a Designer

Wednesday, October 9, 2024

  • 9 AM PT - Breakouts: I’m the Yearbook Coordinator… Now What? OR This Ain’t Isn’t My First Rodeo

  • 10 AM PT - Elective: Photography Tips and Tricks

  • 11 AM PT - Knowledge Sessions: Portraits (Part 2 of 3) + Top 10 Editor Questions Answered

  • 12 PM PT - POV: I’m Ready to Move Beyond Templates

Thursday, October 10, 2024

  • 9 AM PT - Breakouts: I’m the Yearbook Coordinator… Now What? OR This Ain’t Isn’t My First Rodeo

  • 10 AM PT - Elective: Coverage Ideas

  • 11 AM PT - Knowledge Sessions: Portraits (Part 3 of 3) + Top 10 Parent Questions Answered

  • 12 PM PT - POV: I’m Not a Designer

7. Marketing Moments

Hear what other advisers are doing around the US. Throughout TRL 24, we’ll visit a colleague in their classroom to learn how they get books into the hands of students.

This is just one way attendees will inspire one another. Share your ideas during TRL 24 by tagging us on social using @treering (Facebook and X) or @treeringcorp (Instagram and TikTok) using #trl24.

8. Yearbook Pro Grow

You’ve seen the memes: I’m not listening to training from anyone who hasn’t been in the classroom this decade either. After you watch live or in-person, request a training certificate for up to 12 hours of design technology and theory to create a yearbook publication.

9. Prizes

We always give away the goods. If you have fast fingers, you may be able to win big by participating in the live chat.

10. As Always, Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop

The learning doesn’t end on October 10. Grow with weekly blog posts and YouTube shorts, monthly webinars, and 24/7 support with the Help Center.

We can’t think of a better way to celebrate National School Yearbook Week than with the Treering Community.

September 17, 2024

TRL 2024 pov: i’m on the yearbook team

POV: You’re on the 2024-2025 yearbook team! Cue the confetti—for some—and the sweat for others. No matter your personal point of view, our flagship event, Treering Live (TRL), offers three days of FREE live virtual training for anyone helping to create the most epic yearbook ever. 

Every National School Yearbook Week, the Treering Community comes together for 

  • Organization hacks
  • Content examples that will wow your community
  • How-to guides to master yearbook design and marketing

POV is More Than a Social Trend

We love a good theme. And we know it’s more than graphics: your comments on last year’s survey shaped the TRL 2024 schedule and session offerings. Here’s what you taught us:

  • “I need something earlier in the day or meant more for classes to engage in.”
  • “Wednesday was very heavy with sessions; perhaps spread them out more evenly across the days.”
  • “I would like to be able to rewatch the sessions.”
  • “If you do these events again, I would like to see more on designing a yearbook.”
  • “This will be our 3rd Treering yearbook but my first time as Editor et al. It got handed to me, and I was lost, so when I got the email about TRL, I was all about it and so glad I attended sessions. Thank you so much for having this.”
  • “I loved the free flow conversations and how one person really kept an eye on the Q&A so all were answered.”

Treering’s Response: You got it! 

Join us October 8-10 for TRL 24 POV: I’m on the Yearbook Team. We’ve kept all that you loved and added more of what you want. Expect:

Lunch and Learn Schedule. TRL 2024 spans three days from 9 AM - 1 PM PT. (The rundown is below)

Prizes. Need we say more? 

Real-time support. Your Community Advocate Team will continue to monitor and engage in the chat and Q&A to help you get resources and answers. 

On-demand replays. Did you miss one because of lunch duty? Did you hear something you wanted to share with your class? Did we say something funny that you need to export and autotune? All registrants will have access to recordings through May.  

Start the day with the same sessions, different POVs. After the obligatory welcome, the first two sessions tackle yearbook organization. With breakouts for first-time and experienced advisers, there’s content tailored for volunteers, educators, and aficionados of all levels. The best part? Each day, a different speaker will share their perspective.

Multiple electives. Ideas, examples, and instructions—oh my! Attend specialized sessions on portrait pages, spread design, photography, and coverage. 

Webinar Schedule

Please note: Each day requires a separate registration. There is no limit on the number of days you may attend. The times below are in Pacific Time; Zoom will adopt your local time.

Tuesday, October 8, 2024

  • 9 AM PT - Breakouts: I’m the Yearbook Coordinator… Now What? OR This Ain’t Isn’t My First Rodeo

  • 10 AM PT - Elective: How to Do a Cover Contest

  • 11 AM PT - Knowledge Sessions: Portraits (Part 1 of 3) + Top 10 Parent Questions Answered

  • 12 PM PT - POV: I’m Not a Designer

Wednesday, October 9, 2024

  • 9 AM PT - Breakouts: I’m the Yearbook Coordinator… Now What? OR This Ain’t Isn’t My First Rodeo

  • 10 AM PT - Elective: Photography Tips and Tricks

  • 11 AM PT - Knowledge Sessions: Portraits (Part 2 of 3) + Top 10 Editor Questions Answered

  • 12 PM PT - POV: I’m Ready to Move Beyond Templates

Thursday, October 10, 2024

  • 9 AM PT - Breakouts: I’m the Yearbook Coordinator… Now What? OR This Ain’t Isn’t My First Rodeo

  • 10 AM PT - Elective: Coverage Ideas

  • 11 AM PT - Knowledge Sessions: Portraits (Part 3 of 3) + Top 10 Parent Questions Answered

  • 12 PM PT - POV: I’m Not a Designer

2024 TRL FAQs

How much does it cost to register?

Free! Charging extra for support and training isn’t our thing.

I’m not a Treering customer. May I attend?

Yes, please attend. Treering loves to share.

Can my yearbook students attend?

Student privacy is always our utmost concern. Yearbook classes are welcome to attend together; the adviser must be present to model responsible online engagement.

What do I need to prepare for TRL?

Make sure you have the latest version of Zoom so you don’t miss out! If you’re old school, have paper and a pen to take notes. New school, live post on X, formerly known as Twitter, or Facebook and hashtag #trl2024, #BiteSizedPD, #treering

Will TRL be recorded?

We will record and share all group TRL sessions on the On Demand section of the Yearbook Club Hub on Zoom Events through May 2025.

This is my first year leading the yearbook. What should I do?

Welcome! We recommend beginning with I’m the Yearbook Coordinator… Now What? (It’s happening three times!)

How do I get on the Zoom Events platform?

For best results, use Chrome on a computer and update to the latest version of the Zoom desktop client/mobile application.

After you register, you will receive your unique link to access the session(s).

Is this only for first-year advisers?

No! Returning advisers will have curated sessions on organization and advanced design.

Can I get professional development credit?

For our teacher friends who need to apply for professional development or are looking for a yearbook PLC, TRL attendees with gain fundamental knowledge and skills related to yearbook creation, marketing, volunteer management, and effective engagement with students and parents, preparing them to support the yearbook team and contribute positively to the school's yearbook project. (You can quote us on it!) Upon request, we will offer a certificate of completion for three or more hours of attendance for attendees. Email marketing@treering.com for details.

June 4, 2024

Virtual PD: Camp Yearbook 2024

We always say we will get started on yearbook planning over the summer. Raise your hand if you follow through. (My hand is down too.) Meet Camp Yearbook, Treering's two-day virtual yearbook planning course. It's part large-group training; part small-group mentoring and idea sharing. And it's 100% live.

The goal: have the first six weeks of yearbooking planned.

What to Expect

Treering's Camp Yearbook is a cameras-on, all-in yearbook planning experience.

Event Structure and Registration

30-31
July2024
Camp Yearbook Session 1Early Birds tick some boxes off your yearbook to-do list: page count, ladder, theme, Treering design hacks, photo tips, portrait settings, team structure, and more.
9 AM ET/6 AM PTLive on Zoom Events
30-31
July2024
Camp Yearbook Session 2Your yearbook to-do list just shrank: page count, ladder, theme, Treering design hacks, photo tips, portrait settings, team structure, and more.
1 PM ET/10 AM PTLive on Zoom Events

Both sessions will have the same schedule, staff, and support materials. Register via the Yearbook Club webinars page.

Treering Mentors

All attendees will be in a small group led by a Treering staff member who served—or currently serves—as a yearbook adviser. In groups specific to school style and yearbook team structure, you can ask questions about grading, crowdsourcing, club structure, page count, and whatever else you need answered. (Your camp counselors aren't Treering life coaches, but close.)

Grow Together

Breakout groups for parent volunteers, solo yearbook coordinators, educators, and club leaders mean you get meaningful support and specific-to-you resources.

Camp Yearbook FAQs

Your questions deserve answers!

How is Camp Yearbook different from Treering Live (TRL)?

TRL is Treering’s flagship event. During National Yearbook Week, TRL will have all the design training, coveted prizes, and organization inspiration yearbook advisers have come to expect. We look forward to it as much as you do!

Camp Yearbook is a virtual summer PD program for yearbook coordinators and advisers who want to get more from their program through professional mentoring and collaborative idea-sharing. It’s a cameras-on, all-in yearbook planning experience.

What do I need to prepare for Camp Yearbook?

Having previous copies of your yearbook and the 24-25 school calendar may be helpful. We'll provide the goal-setting worksheets, ladders, idea decks, and resources because we want you to finish Camp Yearbook with your first six weeks of yearbooking planned.

For best results, have two monitors: one for demos and one so you can work as we go.

How much is it?

Free ninety free. Charging extra for support and training is not our thing.

Will I get CE/PD hours for attending?

Yes! Upon completion, attendees will receive a certificate for six hours of yearbook production and classroom planning.

Can students attend?

Nope. Consider this a break… a working break.

Will Camp Yearbook be recorded?

Camp Yearbook is an interactive, experiential event. Recordings will not be made public.

Can I attend both the AM and PM sessions?

No, the programming is the same for both sessions. Please do not register for both.

December 27, 2023

Happy New Year from Treering

Since 2009, you’ve trusted us to capture and print your priceless memories, and we reflect on this honor every holiday season. Thank you for trusting us with this invaluable task. We wish you all the best this holiday season, and we can’t wait to get to work in 2024. Happy holidays!

Some quick 2023 stats:

  • School communities donated over 7000 yearbooks
  • Through yearbook sales, schools raised over $2 Million
  • Families customized nearly 500,000 custom pages
2024 marks 15 years in the memory-making business. Thank you.

15 Years of Treering: It is our Birthday

Here’s what you can expect in 2024: from January through December, we will celebrate our 15th birthday with goodies for you. You are the reason Treering Yearbooks continues to grow and innovate.

Giveaways Galore in 2024

Since we can't hand out plastic goodie bags with sticky hands and noisemakers to every member of the Treering community, coffee, gift cards, custom pages, and other freebies will have to do.

Spoiler alert: Treering’s annual design contests are not going anywhere.

“Treering in the Wild”

Last year, at the PTO Today conference in Chicago, IL, an editor said she loved seeing “Treering in the wild,” and it stuck with us. In 2024, we’re leaving our home offices and Google Meets for more IRL conversations and celebrations.

New Ways to Capture and Share Memories

Personalized memories are here to stay. How families and yearbook coordinators collect and share them once again will get a shake-up at our hands. 

2024 Growth Opportunities

From new Yearbook Club webinars for yearbook coordinators and advisers to multi-day virtual events and mini-tutorials, we pledge to continue supporting you by answering your questions and simplifying the design-to-print process.

To learn more about how you can be involved in Treering’s 15th birthday celebrations,

Staff pictured

Top: Sara C. (Sales), Jordan O. (Community Advocate Team), Ali J. (Sales), Gia W. (Sales), Ed G. (Product Evangelist), Liz T. (Customer Success Manager), Dara A. (Sales), Kate H. (Sales)

Bottom: Dustin A. (Community Advocate Team), Katie P. (Customer Success Manager), Shannon H. (Sales/Social), Sandra V. (Engagement and Onboarding), Louise Kate L. (Community Advocate Team), Aisa A. (Community Advocate Team)

December 5, 2023

New enhancements to our yearbook builder

Editor requests are at the top of Treering’s to-do list, from introducing a yearbook donation option to click-and-go Heritage Covers. Last year’s Glow Up kicked off this design enhancement. Bottom line: your story evolves, so why shouldn’t your yearbook software?

Two Words: Grouping and Locking

Yearbook editors requested these design tools because they facilitate editing ease, consistency in design, and layer management. 

Grouping Feature

By grouping related elements on your spread, it’s easier to edit or modify them collectively. This helps when working on modules or spreads with numerous design elements or layers. A click simplifies the design process and enhances overall efficiency.

Lock Feature

Locking page elements prevents unnecessary edits, especially when working with layers. This feature locks and unlocks theme art, photographs, and text boxes.

When collaborating with others on yearbook design, these features are valuable because they help maintain consistency while giving you increased control over the editing process.

More Space to Create

The most noticeable change is in the yearbook builder: new menus “provide more horizontal space” (that’s user interface speak for Chromebook-friendly).

This includes:

  • Moving the navigation and most common editing tools to the top toolbars
  • Using the left panel for less-used design features (think glow and drop-shadows)
  • Introducing “fit to screen” as a zoom option
  • Placing the page switcher, help buttons, notes, and editors in the bottom toolbar

And unless you change the settings, the page builder automatically adjusts so your canvas is always visible.

“How Do I Get Rid of the Red Lines?”

Error notifications moved from the page to the right panel.

Use the new page warning tray to manage duplicate images, low-resolution images, margin warnings, and spelling errors. If it's irrelevant ("Why, yes, I do want that bleed"), hit ignore and move on.

Your Account

The dashboard continues to be your control center: edit deadlines, cover finishes, and page count with a click. Two updates give you more power.

Dashboard

Your Editor Checklist is now a Quick Links bar: stay on track and get help ITM by watching videos or using our editor guides. Yearbook pro? Minimize the list and get to work.

Use the menu on the top right to handle your business.

Switching Between Roles

The top navigation bar also gives parents who double as editors a centralized access point for all their school associations.

  • Profile switcher allows an easy switch between editor and parent account
  • School switcher helps editors move between multiple campuses or organizations

New Look, Same Treering

Version 7 puts your creation center stage.

By changing out our green, your book will dominate the look of the new interface. This school-first design reminds us that Treering is in the memory-making business because of you

Happy yearbooking!

November 28, 2023

Double your donations 2023

In honor of the season of giving, Treering will match up to five yearbook donations per school account. From Tuesday, November 28 through Sunday, December 31, one community book donation equals one Treering book donation. Editors can reassign these books to teachers, promoting students, the principal, or students in need.

How the Donation Match Works

  1. Enable the Book Donation option on the dashboard
  2. Let your campus community know 'tis the season to share the (yearbook) love
  3. Re-assign the yearbooks so recipients can customize or order non-custom books to hand out

This promotion ends at 11:59 pm PST on December 31, 2023. Matched yearbooks will automatically be added to your account by January 30, 2024.

The Fine Print

  • Promotion ends at 11:59 pm PST on December 31, 2023.
  • Matched yearbooks will automatically be added to your account by January 30, 2024.
  • Donations may not be combined with any other promotions.
  • Donated yearbooks cannot exist on ship-to-home, invoiced, or PO orders. Credit card or PayPal orders only.
  • Ordering donation books will not be available for After Deadline Orders.
November 7, 2023

Thanks on a platter giveaway rules

Official Participation Rules and Steps to Enter

  1. You must be a current yearbook editor (23-24 school year) at a Treering school to participate. 
  2. To participate, fill out the submission form and include an image/screenshot of your favorite 23-24 yearbook (the current school year) memory so far. Be sure to include your school name and address (city and state only are fine). Incomplete entries will not be accepted.
  3. Submissions are due by Wednesday, November 15th, 2023 by 8 PM PT. 

One winner will be announced at 11 AM PT on Thursday, November 16th, 11 AM PT on Friday, November 18th, and 11 AM PT on Monday, November 20th on the Treering Facebook page. Each of the three winners will be chosen at random. 

Prizes

The three winners will receive a gift card to Honey Baked Ham for the amount of $200. 

Ownership

By submitting your photo/image, you have verified the approval of others pictured,  and you approve Treering to use your name and school name for any marketing purposes, including but not limited to showcasing on www.treering.com, sharing on social media, and sharing with media. 

Thanks for being you.  If you have any questions, contact us at marketing@treering.com.

November 1, 2023

Talking hops and ops with Yearbook Hero Justin Warren

Treering Yearbook Heroes is a monthly feature focusing on yearbook tips and tricks.

Financial constraints in college led Yearbook Hero Justin Warren to a warehouse job where he unexpectedly began a career pathway in a print shop, eventually becoming the operations manager. Rooted in his love of learning, his passion for innovation, and challenging industry standards, he moved from the print floor to directing Treering Yearbooks’ domestic, coast-to-coast print network. Early this year, Justin worked with cross-functional teams to introduce tactile elements through the Treering Heritage Collection

How do you respond when people tell you print is obsolete?

I’ve been told that my whole career. Something physical in someone’s hand is so valuable, even though it may sit on a shelf for a bit. It’s so much easier to pull it off the shelf to relive the memories in a beautiful, full-color book than it is to dig through your phone and find a photo you think you took seven years ago.

It’s morphed, definitely, and that’s the great thing about Treering: we’re innovators. We anticipate what the future brings while maintaining that physical connection to our memories.

Speaking of physical connection, what inspired the development of studio-designed, textured yearbook covers?

Touch is a huge component of child development. You remember something you can touch. 

One of my biggest “brings” to the company was to bring a more tactile element to our printed yearbooks. It really does bring a new dynamic. Texture has always done super well in print and is difficult to implement. I said, "We're doing this," and collaborated with our print network to create a thick, glossy polymer that extends to the end of the cover and the spine, of which we are proud. The Heritage Collection showcases the possibilities that we have in front of us. All it takes is great development and some research before we execute.

Justin's favorite Heritage Cover, Modern Retro, has a vinyl record feel.

People ask all the time how we manage to have a three-week turnaround. What makes it possible?

It takes a lot of strategy. It takes a lot of preparation. It takes a lot of commitment in order to turn a digital file into a printed file, and it really comes down efficiencies. Being digital, we reduce waste and errors. If there is a problem, we can catch it immediately. We don’t have to remake or rehang plates to do a full run.

We're not going to store any inventory or print extras. Print on demand allows us to personalize and print your custom yearbook as the order comes in. That takes time. Real people look at the yearbooks (it’s not all automated) to check for quality.

Our printing network is coast-to-coast, so we are geographically positioned to service our schools with shorter transit times and increased flexibility. We are striving to be both eco-friendly and economically friendly to pass on savings to schools.

What other innovations set Treering apart?

Personalization, it’s what our thing is. Personalizations changed the world. When I first heard about it, frankly wasn't sure how, on the production side, I was going to produce it. It brought challenges and through discussions and brainstorming, we came up with a product that we can then continue to enhance. 

Portrait autoflow is another. Treering utilizes technology to solve an old school problem and be able to bring our little twist to it. Without revealing too much, this is just the beginning.

Rumor has it, that you’re also a master brewer.

My dad and I own it together. We both have full-time careers, but after work, we do sales calls and on the weekends we brew beer. No advertising. It's just literally dad and I all the way from ops to janitor. We have 30 recipes that we rotate we keep five or six going year-round. Living in the Pacific Northwest, IPAs really are the huge driver: really bitter, really floral. Those are the king of beers over here. So we have quite a few of those. We just pick and choose what we're feeling and what our customers want. I mean it's a wonderful experience and it's taught me a lot about smaller companies because I've lived in the corporate world for so long that I get to see the smaller craft of a business. It keeps me out of trouble.

October 3, 2023

10 reasons we're excited about trl

Recreating the wheel is exhausting. Having Treering Live (TRL) experts provide all their tips and tricks saves time and energy and brings the fun back to yearbooking. (Yes, yearbook is a verb.) Treering tailored TRL for yearbook volunteers, educators, and aficionados of all levels, offering 18 sessions so you can engage with various aspects of the creative process. In anticipation, we compiled our top reasons TRL is the yearbook event of the season.  

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1. Leave With a Road Map

Figuring out how to get started when you're new to the school yearbook is daunting, especially when the person who used to do it is no longer at the school. Learn how to start and finish your yearbook.

Recommended sessions: I’m the Yearbook Coordinator… Now What? and Teaching Yearbook

2. Live Event

Real-time sessions mean your questions get asked and answered promptly. Between the live Q&A during each session and the chat throughout, there are plenty of opportunities for shared learning. 

Recommended sessions: Ask Us Anything with Treering’s Co-Founder Brady McCue and Keep, Change, Stop

3. Connecting with Other Advisers

Because two—or four hundred—heads are better than one, working together turns terrifying yearbook mountains into easy-to-approach small hills. TRL is not just about knowledge acquisition; it's about building connections within the yearbook community during National School Yearbook Week. You'll collaborate with fellow yearbook enthusiasts, sharing your triumphs, learning from your challenges, and forging bonds beyond these three days online.

Recommended sessions: Fundraising and Crowdsourcing and Social Media for Yearbook

4. Making a Plan

From a ladder and coverage calendar to the next marketing campaign, you’re leaving TRL with concrete steps to make the best yearbook yet. 

Recommended sessions: Getting Organized and Creating a Marketing Plan

5. Design Inspiration

Yearbook Hero Lauren Casteen introduced us to mild, medium, and spicy design. Wherever you fall on this scale, you will gain an understanding of layout, typography, and color and how to go to the next level. You’ll also be able to help your yearbook team produce robust designs. Because, seriously, no one should yearbook alone.

Recommended sessions: Design 101 and Design 201

6. Three Days of Training

Joining TRL for one or all 18 sessions is a testament to your passion for preserving the memories and historical record of the school year, one page at a time. 

7. Cash

Kind of. Because we love a theme, there will be some sort of game in many sessions. Prizes include pizza parties, art supplies, and gift cards for coffee or Amazon.

8. 6+ Hours of PD

Treering loves teachers. You’ll see learning outcomes in the session descriptions, and some of us, unabashedly, speak in teacher-ese. We know the importance of pro-grow opportunities. We know how annoying it is when someone reads their slides. 

9. The Treering Difference

Many schools consider changing their yearbook program and need to see Treering’s software firsthand. Busy schedules make it difficult, so we have four opportunities to dive in.

Recommended session: Live Demo

10. The Journey isn’t Over

In keeping with our game theme, your next winning move can take the form of weekly posts on the blog, monthly webinars, and 24/7 support with the Help Center. These myriad options allow flexibility in scheduling and enable you to revisit content or learn something new at your own pace. 

Share your top moments during TRL: 23 by tagging us on social using @treering (Facebook and X) or @treeringcorp (Instagram and TikTok) using #trl23.