Meet Leo, the maker behind Shiner Photo
Hello!
My name is Leo Rosen. I started Shiner Photo in 2012 and I still make every wooden photo block myself, one at a time, in my workshop in Palatine, Illinois, just outside Chicago. I am the whole team: I run the saw, the press and the printer, and I answer the email.
I got into this because I wanted a way to put photos up that did not involve frames, glass, nails or a level. Fourteen years later that is still the whole idea. If I can help with anything, write to me at support@shinerphoto.com. I read every message.
What a Shiner photo block actually is
Each block starts as a sheet of baltic birch, which I cut to size and sand by hand. Your photo is printed at full resolution, bonded to the face of the block and sealed so it will not peel, fade or curl. On the back I set a strong magnet, so the block hangs on a single thumbtack, and a short wooden dowel, so the same block stands on a shelf, desk or nightstand when you would rather not hang it. There is no frame and no glass. The block is the frame. Wooden photo blocks start at $9, and memorial blocks start at $24.
I look at every photo before it prints
Every photo that comes through the shop crosses my screen before it goes to the printer. I check the crop, the light, the resolution and whether a face is going to land where the magnet sits. If something will not look right, I email you before I make it, usually with a suggestion or a request for a different version. It takes a few extra minutes per order. It has saved thousands of blocks from arriving with a problem I could see coming.
The numbers, since 2012
More than 50,000 customers have ordered from me, and over 9,300 of them have left five-star reviews. Almost every one of those orders shipped from the same workshop, made by the same pair of hands. This is not a print farm. Most orders arrive in 7 to 10 days, and if you need one faster for a birthday or a service, rush is available.
The two things people come here for
Most of what I make are magnetic photo blocks for family photo walls. People send me a dozen phone photos, I print them, and the wall goes up in an afternoon with a handful of thumbtacks. The rest of the work is memorials for dogs: one photo, a name, dates, printed on a block that sits where the dog used to. Those orders get the most careful look of all, because there is usually only one photo that matters and no way to take another.
If it is not right, I remake it
If a block arrives and something is off, the print, the color, the crop, anything, email me and I will reprint it free. No form, no return shipping. U.S. shipping is free on orders over $49.
How to reach me
Email support@shinerphoto.com, or use the form below. I will answer, usually the same day. If you are not sure which photos will print well, send them all and I will tell you.