About Us
It's hard to tell by looking at it now, but the origins of FrameReady can be traced
back to a Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet. As usual, it all started with someone
thinking, "There's got to be a better way to do this!" That person was Bert de
Roo. Bert started looking for a consistent formula for pricing mats and frames.
Everyone seemed to have their own pricing matrix. After developing tables of united inches and price codes and assigning them to moulding, mats and glass, he soon realized that the spreadsheet was too limited and couldn't accommodate other needs, i.e., the customer database.
Wanting some way to track customer information and work orders, the program was transferred to a database using FileMaker Pro. An article by Vivian Kistler, CPF, GCF, CMG, on "What's a fair price?" put forth a formula of "required footage x cost x a mark up + a labor charge" as fair and equitable to the framer and the customer. The same formula was applied to mats and glass using a square inch measurement only. At this point FrameReady was only being used by Bert's wife, Evelyn, in her frame shop located in Canada’s Victorian oil town Petrolia, Ontario. That year Bert attended the PPFA show in Toronto and was surprised to find only one program available and at a cost of $1800. Bert realized, "Hey, FrameReady is better than this! If it's working well for me, it could work for other people too." Bert joined the Claris Solutions Alliance and started to distribute FrameReady as a FileMaker Pro stand alone application capable of networking up to 25 computers. FrameReady 1.0 was first launched in August of 1995.
As the client base expanded, Bert listened to their needs and continued to add to the program. These constant revisions tested the patience of Evelyn as she field tested every new addition in her shop, The Master's Touch. Evelyn, a creative framer, and Bert, a creative developer, found that they approached things from very different angles. Working together, they were able to find a solution for most of the challenging needs that confront framers when taking a framing order.
Due to the limitations of FileMaker Pro 2.1, FrameReady had reached it’s developmental limit. It was lacking features that clients would come to expect in a professional program. Claris released FileMaker Pro 3.0 and this gave Bert the features needed to make the program relational with things such as pop-up menus, user interface, custom message boxes, status fields, and global fields. This offered a feature set which allowed Bert to take FrameReady to a more professional level and saw the launching of FrameReady 2.0 at Spectrum 96, Toronto, Canada.
In 1997 Bert hired Carol Graham part-time to do data entry. Carol’s out-going and vivacious personality was a great asset and as sales increased Carol came on full-time as manager and joined Bert in trade show travel.
Bert continued to listen to his customer's needs and minor improvements were made in versions 2.1, 2.2 and 2.3. Version 2.3 included stacked frames/moulding at the request of a customer who told Bert that he would never use less than three frames in any of his sales. Several of the features in art gallery operations can be attributed to suggestions from Paul Poli of Kenneth Paul Gallery in Des Moines, Iowa. Such features as: multiple limited edition print numbering and automatic updating of the product file when bringing a print into the work order.
1998 saw even more changes for SoftTouch Solutions. Having outgrown the home office in which he started, Bert moved the company to a new location across from the historic town hall. New phone lines were installed to provide direct access for various customer needs. The company was also Incorporated and a modification was made to the spelling of our name: SoftTouch Solutions Inc.
In September of 1998 FrameReady 3.0 debuted at the Atlanta ABC show. Version 3.0 contained 50 enhancements and new features. The two most significant were bar coding and the message center.
June 1998 saw the launch of FrameReady onto the information highway. Webmaster Neil Fraleigh of Virtual Flair, designed our first website with Windows and Macintosh demos of FrameReady directly downloadable. A restricted access page gave members the ability to download vendor pricing updates.
Development continued on FrameReady and by May 1999, FrameReady 3.0v5 included compatibility with a computerized Mat Cutter and over 25 new enhancements. Bert also developed 5-digit random number bar codes to help clients increase their data entry speed. SoftTouch Solutions Inc. joined the Professional Picture Framer’s Association (PPFA).
Mark Whiting joined the staff for a year in October 1999. He designed new FrameReady icons and worked diligently to keep vendor pricing up-to-date for website downloads. He left to pursue higher education in website design. Lambton Collegiate’s co-operative education student Richie Shand joined us for a school term in 2000.
In August 2001, Bert’s wife and FrameReady "Number One", Evelyn Ward de Roo, joined the staff full-time. The missing link of telemarketing is now being filled. Since day one Evelyn has been the silent partner in SoftTouch Solutions Inc. and over the years has helped to staff the FrameReady booth at industry shows. She closed her picture frame shop in 2001 and Bert decided they could work successfully together in the same office.
Our present offices in the Bratanek Building were occupied in July 1999. Although the building is new, the architect, Maxine Shabshove, creatively incorporated the original stained glass from the demolished historic Iroquois Hotel and now in the same spot graces the spacious windows of our second floor offices overlooking main street.
FrameReady 4.0 was released in the Spring of 2001. New features were included with input from our clients: purchase order component, non-taxable labor field, multiple fillet placement. In 2001 and 2002 we added training opportunities at industry trade shows.
Vendor Pricing support is one of the key components to the service we provide for members using FrameReady. In 2002 to our staff we added Nathan Simpson as vendor data manager. Nathan left us in September 2003 to pursue higher education at Nippising University. Kelly Hext, Computer Programming graduate from Lambton College, joined us in August 2003 to continue this important function. Pricing for nearly 200 industry suppliers continues to be accessible to our members on our website.
FrameReady 5.0 was released November 2003. Hundreds of changes were made, including an enhanced Main Menu, Eclispe CMC interface, advanced pricing techniques, advanced fabric pricing, substitute fields, payments for multiple invoices, matboard reveal defaults, enhanced owner security, oversize surcharges.
FrameReady 5.6 was released in November 2005. This version is bundled with FileMaker Pro 8. It features auto-complete of moulding and matboard numbers, calendars, priority ranking for customers, also automatic email messaging to customers upon completed orders.
FrameReady 6.0 was launched in September 2006. It interfaces with Wizard's Mat Designer (TM) and Integrated Framer (TM) visualization software. A new Consignment component allows for tracking of artwork inventory out on consignment to designers or other venues. The Price Codes file works with an easier formula pricing structure. The Contacts file tracks more information in easy-to-use tabs.
A wholesale program was launched in January 2007. ChopReady is an order taking program for chop services and wholesalers selling footage, chop or joined frames and supplies to retailers.
Released in March 2007, FrameReady Multi Site, allows owners of multiple stores, with a hub and spoke operation, to remotely access files centralized in one location from the other locations. All sales and financial reports are kept separate for each site or can be reported on as a whole. Materials list is consolidated into a single order for all sites.
Rounding out the family of products available from SoftTouch Solutions Inc, ReadyFrame, a basic frame pricing program was launched in April 2007. It is designed to accurately, quickly and efficiently price a custom frame job. ReadyFrame produces the appropriate documents for customers and orders moulding and matboard supplies. It keeps the framing operation organized and efficient. This version was designed for shops that already have a POS system /cash register. This program meets the needs of photo/camera shops, portrait studios, photography businesses, frame departments, art galleries, new businesses, mobile and home-based framers. This program is upgradeable to FrameReady if the shop owner feels the need for a more comprehensive business tool.
Continuing as a FileMaker Solutions Alliance member, Bert is also contracted by local businesses to find solutions to their software management needs. FrameReady continues to be our premier product. Specializing in working with frame shops and art galleries by helping them to set up comprehensive retail management systems is our focus. Technical support by phone and email takes high priority at SoftTouch. Offering excellent personal service to our clients is our hallmark and has earned us the praise of educators and sales representatives in the picture framing industry.