User:Lisabagz/Craftsuprint

Craftsuprint

Craftsuprint is a digital crafting shopping mall. It was founded in July 2008 By Rob Jackson. It features downloadable crafting projects that can be enjoyed by crafters all over the world. It also features it's own Craft forum, which is home to the game arcades and a friendly crafting community. Games like bingo and the online tombola, CUP TV and plenty of card making competitions.

Rob Jackson is part owner of John Arnold Publishers Ltd and since the birth of the internet, had become increasingly aware of crafters copying and selling John Arnold artwork illegally. A similar thing had happened within the music industry. The music companies began to fight back by embracing the technology and began to build websites where customers could download music legally for a small fee. iTunes is a well known example of this.

Rob decided to build a website along a similar idea, where crafters could upload copyright compliant designs and customers could buy and use them legally.

In January 2009, I.T Director, Neil Fryer joined the team. Version 2 of the website was launched in March 2009 and the site quickly grew to become the number 1 craft website in the UK. In January 2010 Crafty Bob was introduced. The character is drawn by one of the website's designers, Lee Jacobs. Crafty Bob is the main and most recognisable source of the 'CUP' brand.

Crafty Bob's treasure hunt game was introduced soon after his creation, which involved Crafters searching for an image of Crafty Bob in and amongst the craft designs and pages on the website.

Shortly afterwards, CUP launched it's 'Calling All Card Makers' campaign. This enabled card makers to purchase a design and then upload a supporting card/project. They would then receive a small commission every time that particular design sold.

In September 2010 'CUP TV' began. This involved designers from the website demonstrating their own designs in a video tutorial on YouTube.

Version 3 of the website was introduced in February 2011. This introduced four new departments; knitting, scrapbooking, cutting files and designer resources. Shortly after the launch, Craftsuprint had their first stand at the NEC. This featured Crafty Bob's tombola, where crafters could all win a free prize and have their picture taken with Bob as a crafty souvenir.

In April 2011, Craftsuprint sold it's one millionth download.

May 2011 saw the first issue of 'Crafts In Print' magazine in collaboration with Practical publishing. After the popularity of the tombola stand at the NEC, Crafty Bob's Online Tombola was introduced. Every order placed entitled the customer to a free play on the tombola, where the prizes ranged from a free random download, to a top prize of a £20 voucher to use on CUP.

In August 2011, CUP introduced it's new 'Print and Post' feature. For an small additional fee, customers could now buy a download and opt to have it professionally printed and posted to them anywhere in the world.

In September 2011, Carol Clarke became the website's first designer to sell 50,000 designs. Carol is one of the site's original artists.

In October 2011 Cup launched it's Crafty Bob merchandise, which includes specialist craft photo paper, bags which became popular at the NEC show, bone folders and other crafting items.

Shortly after, in November Craftsuprint returned to the NEC Hobbycrafts show and attracted very large queues, with record numbers of crafters eager to meet Crafty Bob. Also in November, CUP introduced their new Designer Collection CDs, which enabled designers to design their own CD featuring their work only.

March 2012 saw Craftusprint's first Hobbycraft show in Scotland and then shortly afterwards again at the NEC in Birmingham.

Crafty Bob's Online marketplace was launched in April 2012, which allows crafters to sell their handmade cards and projects, as well as unwanted/surplus crafting supplies.

In July 2012, CUP launched their free CD promotion which is ongoing. Customers who spent £10 or more in a single transaction qualified for a free CD as well as other Crafty freebies. The CD is unique in that the customers vote for the designs that they wish to be included on the CD in the week prior to its launch on the following Friday. It was also the start of the 'Craftsuprint Craft Show' which is shown weekly on YouTube and features demonstrations and CUP community topical news.

In September 2012, Craftsuprint broke into the top 500 UK companies listed on alexa.com.

November 2012 saw the return of Crafty Bob and the CUP team to the Hobbycraft show at the NEC, again attracting record numbers of crafters. It also saw Carol Clarke become the site's first designer to sell 100,000 designs.