The most popular articles on the Dead Pixels Society in 2025

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The most popular stories on the Dead Pixels Society this year covered the gamut of topics, including acquisitions, business purchases and new technology. Here are the articles that were most-visited in 2025, from most popular on:

CADY acquires Lifetouch high school photography accounts, Prestige Senior Portrait Brand in select schools

CADY, a leading volume-photography company based in Alpharetta, Ga., announced the acquisition of Lifetouch’s high school photography accounts and Prestige senior portrait brand in select schools nationwide. Terms weren’t disclosed. The Dead Pixels Society has requested more information on the affected regions; the company said the acquired accounts are in regions in  CADY’s current footprint, plus an extension beyond.

 

Custom photo album maker Finao abruptly shuts down

Longtime professional photo album supplier Finao Online LLC has abruptly closed, leaving customers with unfilled orders and unanswered questions. The company was founded in 2007 by Tony Randhawa and the late Christine Perry-Burke. Ironically, the company’s name was derived from the movie “Apollo 13,” where Ed Harris‘ character said, “Failure Is Not An Option.” Perusing the company’s Facebook reviews pages and Yelp reviews over the past year show a deep decline in satisfaction since June, 2024.

Edge Imaging captures a graduation moment 49 years in the making

Leading Canadian volume photography company Edge Imaging captured the graduation photos of a recent graduate who has achieved national acclaim for his perseverance. 68-year-old Dave Burnett completed his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Guelph 49 years after beginning his studies.

Burnett first enrolled in university in 1976, but life circumstances put his education on hold. In the years that followed, he worked as a miller, managed farms, built his own accounting business, and faced the challenges of addiction before ultimately achieving sobriety. Nearly five decades later, his determination brought him back to the classroom to finish what he had started, and in 2025, he graduated.

“Shark Tank” star Mark Cuban invests $300,000 for 10% stake in Remento

During an episode of “Shark Tank,” Remento founder Charlie Greene pitched the company’s heartfelt story and service, bringing tears to the eyes of the celebrity sharks. Kevin O’Leary and Daniel Lubetzky teamed up to offer $300,000 for 20% equity. Ultimately, Greene accepted Mark Cuban’s offer of $300,000 for 10% equity.

Remento is an AI-based story-writing app that sends weekly prompts to make it easier to record memories with photos. Additionally, it converts recordings into text and compiles them into a beautiful hardcover, color-printed book. The book includes a QR code feature that lets users watch recorded memories by scanning the code. The base price for the Remento service is $99 with a one-year subscription, and the average order value is $119 with an 86% profit margin. Remento was founded in 2020, and after an early pivot away from in-person oral conversations to an AI-powered app based business, the business is projecting $1.5 million in sales by the end of 2024. For 2025, he expects sales to reach $4.6 million. In January, Greene was a guest on the Dead Pixels Society podcast; listen below:

Shutterfly names Emily Whittaker Chief Executive Officer

Shutterfly, the leading e-commerce company for personalized products and custom design, announced its current CEO, Sally Pofcher, will transition from the role of Chief Executive Officer as part of a planned succession, and Emily Whittaker of VistaPrint will assume the role later this month. Pofcher has led Shutterfly since 2023; she will remain with Shutterfly Inc. in an advisory role for a period of time to ensure a smooth transition.

Bloomberg: General Atlantic looking to provide $2 billion debt financing to Shutterfly

Bloomberg reports that debt-burdened photo personalization leader Shutterfly is in talks with private credit lenders led by General Atlantic are in talks to provide about $2 billion of debt, citing “people with knowledge of the matter.” Proceeds would refinance some of the company’s high-yield bonds and leveraged loans, the people said, asking not to be identified discussing a private transaction. The company has about $2.5 billion of gross debt — or $2.4 billion of net debt — through the end of September, according to the reporting from Paula Seligson and Davide Scigliuzzo.

Photo Imaging CONNECT brings together industry executives for industry connections and more

The Photo Imaging CONNECT conference, held March 16-17, in Las Vegas, Nev., brought together more than 40 industry executives to network, share insights and explore the future of the photo/imaging industry. In a special partnership with WPPI, the Dead Pixels Society held an executive-level conference to bring together various sectors of the photo/imaging industry to discuss trends, opportunities, new technologies, and more in an intimate setting.

Platinum Equity announces Kodak Alaris recapitalization

Beverly Hills, Calif.-based Platinum Equity led a recapitalization for Kodak Alaris, which operates Kodak Moments, a global provider of film and photo solutions, and Alaris, a provider of data capture and processing solutions to enterprises and consumers. Platinum Equity is a investment firm with approximately $50 billion of assets under management and a portfolio of approximately 60 operating companies, including Jostens.

Kodak Alaris is owned by private-equity company Kingswood Capital Management, LP, which bought the company last year.

Taylor Corp. purchases Gooten

In an unusual announcement, Minneapolis-based printing giant Taylor Corp. has purchased Gooten Ltd., the print-on-demand platform. An official press release has not been issued as of yet, and terms weren’t disclosed. The deal was announced on the Print On Demand Playbook podcast, which is hosted by Taylor’s Rusty Pepper and Maddy Alcala, president of Gooten.

The Customization Group acquires ORWO Net out of insolvency

European personalized print-on-demand company The Customization Group (TCG), and formerly known as Picanova, one of the world’s leading providers of personalized print-on-demand products through brands such as MEINFOTO and merchOne, has completed the acquisition of the insolvent ORWO Net GmbH. As we reported in March, the 270-person company filed for insolvency with the Dessau-Roßlau District Court, according to the report.