Technology - Taopix

Which technology?

At Taopix, we don't use technology for technology’s sake. We like to use the technology that will most benefit you and your customers.

Though we don’t want to give away too many of our secrets, the following is a brief snapshot of the technology (the clever stuff!) that goes into the world’s leading photo gift platform.

Technology	ONLINE DESIGNER	DESKTOP DESIGNER	ECOMMERCE	PRODUCTION	PRODUCT MGT.

And we're clever with what we use technology for too - for example Taopix Online is built using HTML5 so that it can be accessed via a wide range of devices. Plus Taopix Desktop comes with an Installer Maker, which allows you to create a true installer (customised and branded by you) that is then downloaded to your customer's desktop.

Cross platform

Both Taopix Online and Destktop work across most platforms.

Our new Online Designer is purposefully built using HTML5 to support use across a range of browsers and devices including Windows, iOS and Android (we personally like using it on an iPad and Smartphone!).

And our downloadable Desktop Designer is a standalone application which supports both Mac and PC.

What's more, Taopix software has no reliance on external plug-ins or dependencies!

Technologies

Here's just a selection of the technologies and technology partners we're currently working with:

We make it easy for you...

In terms of technology requirements and input from our customers – we’ve made it as easy as possible for you to install, deliver, support and maintain both our Taopix Desktop and Online solutions.

We provide the tools you need to be able to control the platform how you want in our easy to use back end, Taopix Product Management Platform.

We've purposefully designed the system and the support that we offer to be as easy to understand and maintain as possible. Taopix is also very flexible, in terms of the integration and hosting options available to you.

And we don’t leave you on your own to do it. We offer manuals, upfront training and help with the installation – find out more about our aftercare and support

Browsers & OS

Taopix Online is cross platform and therefore supports all of the latest browsers, including:

Desktop - Firefox 23 and above, Chrome 28 and above, Internet Explorer 10 and above (PC only), Safari 6 and above (Mac only)
Portable devices – Chrome on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and above, iOS version 6 and above on iPad

Taopix Desktop involves a downloadable designer application, and therefore supports all of the latest Operating Systems across Mac and PC, including:

Operating Systems:
Windows: XP, Vista, Windows 7 and later;
Mac: OS X 10.4.x - 10.5.x (Intel only), 10.6.x and later.
Browsers – Firefox 23 and above, Chrome 28 and above, Internet Explorer 10 and above (PC only), Safari 6 and above (Mac only)

Technical requirements

Our platforms involve some initial requirements from you, such as hosting and image servers and font licenses (should you require specialist fonts).

Unless stated, the following general technical requirements apply across all of our packages:

SSL Certificates - HTTPS protocol is supported across Taopix software for the shopping cart, admin pages, Taopix Online software and image servers.*
Code Signing certificates - Microsoft and Apple have introduced features that can prevent a user from running an application that has not been code-signed. Using a code-signing certificate to sign the application will allow the applications to run.*
Fonts and font licenses - Taopix Online software licensees need to install fonts and ensure they have the correct font licenses. Existing customers will be pleased to note that any font supported in Desktop Designer can work in our Online Designer. Licensees must ensure they buy a font license which covers 'online usage'.*
Hosting and server requirements - With Taopix, you organise and manage the hosting solution yourself and therefore you're in full control of your hosting and own your data. There are some minimal server requirements (see next section). We make it as easy as possible for you and support a range of hosting solutions including Amazon S3.
Third party software requirements - Taopix Desktop requires Resource Tuner Console to enable application icons for the Desktop Designer on Windows.* We also strongly recommend you install anti virus software, making sure that you configure scanning exceptions for the Taopix folders as described in our handy installation guides.
Remote access - In order to ensure the Taopix Support team can deliver a first class support service, Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) must be enabled on Windows servers and administrative access must be configured.

Taopix software licensees are provided with full technical documentation and system requirements. We're also happy to provide you with technical support, should you need it. If you’re considering investing in our platform and would like to know more, please don’t hesitate to get in touch!

* Costs of SSL and other certificates, third party software and services is not included in the Taopix fee. It is the licensee’s responsibility to purchase the correct SSL / Code Signing certificates and font licenses and ensure these are kept up to date. Taopix cannot accept any liability for the functioning of any third-party software, including but not limited to anti-virus software.

Integration

At Taopix, we understand that although we deliver our photo gift software platform as a complete package, there may be times when you want to integrate or customise our platform in order to work with another piece of software. That’s why we’ve built our platform to work around you, not the other way around!

Out of the box, Taopix will automate as much as possible, particularly using XML triggers. We also recognise that true automation requires connectivity between multiple systems. And that's why we came up with Taopix Connect as a feature across both Taopix Online and Desktop packages, designed to help support connection and integration between a number of API’s and our Taopix platform.

Internet License Keys* - create and offer unique Taopix software license keys for your partners. Manage multiple brands, track partners' commission and more.
Current integration with Perfectly Clear image enhancement software* within our Designer - offer photo enhancement at the touch of a button.
Asset management system integration*** - Taopix Library Link means consumers can work with branded photos and other licensed content.
Social media integration* - consumers can access images stored on Facebook, Flickr and Instagram accounts across both Taopix Online and Desktop.
Integration with a payment gateway of your choice* - choose from a list of around 50 payment gateways supported out of the box.
Import/Export Data via XML** - including job, shipping, tracking and customer data. Import into your own applications.
numbers can be stored by Taopix Production.
Integration with an External Colour Enhancement software program - existing Taopix customers have successfully integrated with systems such as Kodak DP2.
Use our own production management module* or integrate with bespoke management applications. We also support JDF workflow**** - enable seamless production: pass job ticket data to the press controller, which then passes back a job status update via JMF when the job is printed.
Integration with certain industry standard applications - two that we officially support are HP Smart Stream Production Center and Purus software by Imaging Solutions.**
Shopping cart breakout** - use our powerful shopping cart, or choose to link to an existing one of your choice.
External User Authentication** - Taopix also supports the ability to authenticate an end user against an external user database. If you have more than one customer facing management system, this means you can maintain one central database of customer registration details. Consumers can use the same username and password across all systems.

Spotted something you want to connect with that’s not on this comprehensive list? Or want to discuss the right package option for your business? Why not get in touch? We’re extremely helpful and the chances are we all ready have it or are working on it for the next release!

*Available across all editions. **Part of Taopix Connect, included in Taopix Professional and Enterprise editions. ***Taopix Library Link is available with Taopix Enterprise. ****JDF workflow is currently only supported for HP Indigo Press and is used to integrate with HP SmartStream Production Center too.

'Taopix Connect allows businesses to automate their entire workflow, incorporating multiple external systems and existing platforms within their complete Taopix software platform. It's part of our ongoing development plan to constantly add more connectivity points to our platform.'

Kevin Gale, CTO & Co-Founder, Taopix

Who builds Taopix?

Taopix software is developed in-house at Taopix HQ in the UK, by our very own tech team. Taopix Tech Team includes; developers, technical and QA consultants and project managers, working across a range of technologies.

The team is headed up by our CTO and Co-Founder, Kevin Gale who founded the company with our CEO, James Gray, in 2007. Back then, we had the vision to develop our very own photobook platform that used the latest technology to allow businesses to offer a world class photobook software platform, which gave them the tools to take full control.

Though the technology and features might have changed our philosophy hasn’t! We pride ourselves on our reputation for delivering world leading software and so task ourselves with incredibly high quality standards. We’re continuously developing and working on product innovations, taking into account feedback direct from our customers, which we frequently feed into new releases.

Taopix close up / Technology