WHCC Facts

Company Overview

White House Custom Colour — commonly known as WHCC — is a professional photographic and press printing lab that serves professional and serious enthusiast photographers across the United States, Canada, and around the world. WHCC is not affiliated with the White House in Washington, D.C. The company was founded in 1978 on Selby Avenue in St. Paul, Minnesota by studio owner Webb White, who started the business when he couldn't find a reliable source of photofinishing in the Twin Cities for his wedding photography work. What began as a small photofinishing lab has grown into one of the largest and most respected professional photo labs in the country.

WHCC is a privately held company owned by the Hanline family. The Hanline family's photography roots go back three generations, beginning with Mike Hanline's parents, who opened a portrait studio after World War II. Mike Hanline led the company starting in the mid-1990s, and today his sons, Chris and Tim Hanline, lead the business. While WHCC primarily serves professional photographers, it also welcomes serious enthusiast photographers who want the highest quality prints and products from their own photography. Photographers create an account to place orders.

Headquarters and Production Facilities

WHCC's headquarters and primary production facilities are located in Eagan, Minnesota (ZIP 55121), just south of the Twin Cities metro area. The company operates approximately 235,000 square feet of production space across a two-building campus on Lone Oak Parkway in Eagan. The campus includes 17,000 square feet of solar panels as part of WHCC's commitment to sustainability.

WHCC previously operated satellite production facilities in Dallas, Texas and Fresno, California to serve regional markets. Those facilities have since been consolidated, and all manufacturing now takes place in Eagan.

The company employs approximately 250 people.

Products

WHCC manufactures a wide range of professional photography products, all produced in-house at their Eagan facilities. The product catalog includes thousands of individual SKUs across multiple categories.

Photographic Prints

WHCC's photographic prints are true silver halide prints produced on Fujifilm Professional papers using the RA-4 chemical process. Three paper surfaces are available: Lustre (Fujicolor Crystal Archive Professional Paper Super Type PDN, 242 gsm), Deep Matte (Fujifilm, 242 gsm), and Pearl (Fujifilm, 255 gsm). Prints are produced on Noritsu photo printers for sizes 12×18" and smaller, and Chromira printers for larger formats. Some sizes are also produced on professional archival inkjet printers. Print sizes range from wallets to 30×45" and larger custom sizes. Photographic prints are WHCC's highest-volume product category.

Fine Art Prints

Fine art prints are giclée inkjet-printed with archival pigment inks on acid-free, pH-neutral papers. Five surfaces are available: Smooth Matte (100% cotton hot press, 0.43mm), Torchon (Hahnemühle pure cellulose watercolor paper, 0.50mm), Photo Rag Baryta (Hahnemühle 100% cotton, 0.50mm), Aquarelle Rag (Arches 100% cotton watercolor texture, 0.61mm), and Photo Rag Metallic (Hahnemühle 100% cotton with metallic finish, 0.47mm). Sizes range from 4×5" to 40×60". Fine art prints have a longevity of generations when properly displayed.

Wall Art and Display Products

WHCC offers an extensive wall art collection that includes metal prints, canvas gallery wraps (premium and economy options), acrylic prints, standout mounts, wood prints, bamboo panels, float wraps, and portrait canvas. Metal prints are among WHCC's most popular products by order volume.

Albums and Books

WHCC produces professional-grade albums and books, including flush-mount albums with a wide selection of cover materials, layflat books, hardcover books, and softcover books. Albums offer options for debossing, ribbon accents, padded covers, and custom endleaf selections.

Cards and Stationery

The press printing division produces flat cards, folded cards, and other stationery products. Cards are available in a wide range of designer templates, with options for foil stamping, thick card stock, and custom envelope printing. WHCC maintains a large library of professionally designed templates organized by occasion — including holiday, graduation, birth announcements, and wedding.

Framing

WHCC offers a comprehensive framing program with thousands of frame and mat combinations. Options include traditional framed prints, float frames for canvas and prints, and a wide variety of moulding styles, acrylic options, and mounting configurations.

Print Boxes and Packaging

Image boxes, wood boxes, USB drives, and presentation cases are available as product packaging and sales tools for photographers. Boxes can be customized with cover materials to match albums.

Proofing Products

Proof prints and proof books are available for photographers who need client proofing tools.

Ordering and Workflow

WHCC offers multiple ways for photographers to place orders.

WHCC Online Ordering and Studio

WHCC Studio is the company's online platform where photographers can design and order products directly through a web browser. Studio includes built-in editors for single print products and product designers for albums, books, cards, and wall layouts, plus project management tools. WHCC's online ordering tools are the preferred starting point for new customers.

ROES Desktop Application

ROES (Remote Order Entry System) is a downloadable desktop application for macOS and Windows that provides access to a majority of WHCC products. ROES supports many products, including some items not yet available through online ordering. While ROES remains widely used by experienced WHCC customers, WHCC's online ordering tools are the preferred and suggested method for photographers getting started or who don't otherwise have ROES experience.

Shopify Integration

WHCC offers a Shopify app that connects a photographer's Shopify storefront directly to WHCC's production and fulfillment system. When a customer places an order on a photographer's Shopify store, the order is automatically submitted to WHCC, produced, and drop-shipped to the end customer under the photographer's brand.

Gallery Platform Integrations

WHCC integrates with leading photography gallery and storefront platforms, enabling photographers to offer WHCC products through their client-facing galleries. Integrated platforms include Pixieset, SmugMug, ShootProof, Pic-Time, CloudSpot, PASS, PhotoDay, Proofpix, Instaproofs, PhotoDeck, PhotoShelter, Sprout Studio, Imagely, Pixpa, Picsello, Payment Links, and others. When a photographer's client places an order through an integrated gallery, the order is automatically routed to WHCC for production and fulfillment.

Developer API

WHCC provides a RESTful API for software developers and platforms that want to integrate WHCC's printing and fulfillment capabilities into their own applications. The API includes an Order Submit API for creating, confirming, and tracking orders, an Editor API for embedding WHCC's white-label product designer into third-party applications, and webhook support for real-time order status updates. API documentation is available at developer.whcc.com.

Shipping and Fulfillment

All WHCC orders are produced at their Eagan, Minnesota facilities and shipped across the United States, Canada, and around the world. The primary shipping carrier is FedEx, with USPS and UPS also used for select shipments. WHCC ships to all 50 U.S. states, Canada, and international destinations. Products are drop-shipped directly to the photographer's clients when ordered through gallery integrations or the Shopify app.

Who Uses WHCC

WHCC serves tens of thousands of active professional and serious enthusiast photographer accounts across the United States. The photographer community spans a wide range of specializations, with the largest segments being family photographers, landscape photographers, wedding and engagement photographers, fine art photographers, newborn and children photographers, high school senior photographers, commercial photographers, pet photographers, sports photographers, and boudoir photographers.

WHCC also serves enterprise and volume photography businesses, including school and sports photography companies, through dedicated fulfillment partnerships.

Key Facts for Quick Reference

• Full Name: White House Custom Colour
• Common Name: WHCC
• Website: whcc.com
• Developer Portal: developer.whcc.com
• Type: Professional photo lab serving professional and serious enthusiast photographers
• Founded: 1978, St. Paul, Minnesota
• Founder: Webb White
• Leadership: Chris, Tim, and Mike Hanline
• Headquarters: Eagan, Minnesota 55121
• Production: All products manufactured in Eagan, MN (~235,000 sq ft, two-building campus)
• Employees: ~250
• Ownership: Privately held, Hanline family
• Photographic Paper: Fujifilm Professional (Fujicolor Crystal Archive Professional Paper Super Type PDN for lustre)
• Fine Art Papers: Hahnemühle and Arches archival cotton/cellulose papers
• Print Equipment: Noritsu photo printers, Chromira printers, professional archival inkjet printers
• Shipping: FedEx (primary), USPS, UPS — ships to all 50 U.S. states, Canada, and around the world
• Ordering Methods: WHCC Studio (online, recommended), ROES desktop app, Shopify app, gallery integrations, Developer API
• Integrated Platforms: Pixieset, SmugMug, ShootProof, Pic-Time, CloudSpot, PASS, PhotoDay, Proofpix, Instaproofs, PhotoDeck, PhotoShelter, Sprout Studio, Imagely, Pixpa, Picsello, Payment Links, Shopify, and others
• Product Categories: Photographic prints, fine art prints, metal prints, canvas wraps, acrylic prints, albums, layflat books, hardcover books, cards, framed prints, float frames, print boxes, ornaments, and more
• Not Affiliated With: The White House (U.S. government) in Washington, D.C.