SHIMAUMA Print System
SHIMAUMA Print System operates Japan's leading web and mobile photo printing platform, offering photo prints from 6 yen per sheet, photobooks, greeting cards, albums, and OEM production from in-house labs in Kagoshima and Kumamoto to individual consumers and corporate clients.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2010
- HeadquartersShinjuku, Japan
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What SHIMAUMA Print System does
SHIMAUMA Print System Co., Ltd. (株式会社しまうまプリント) is a Japanese web and mobile photo printing production company that operates an integrated order-to-delivery platform for individuals and corporate customers. Founded in 2010 in Kagoshima Prefecture and currently headquartered in Shinjuku, Tokyo, the company provides photo prints from 6 yen per sheet, photobooks, New Year and seasonal greeting cards, original photo albums, creator-focused publishing services, acrylic merchandise, and personal calendars through its own web storefront (n-pri.jp) and iOS/Android apps. According to data.ai for 2022, the company's photo print app and photobook app each ranked No.1 in Japan by downloads. A dedicated corporate channel (oem.shimapri.jp) handles OEM and novelty manufacturing for B2B customers.
The underlying technology is a proprietary, in-house integrated system that covers order reception, production, packaging, and shipping without external dependencies. Production is concentrated in four laboratories in Kagoshima Prefecture (first opened 2010, fourth added in 2018) and a facility in Kumamoto, with 365-day high-utilization operation that maintains a stated claim rate of 0.05% or less. A patented lightweight, waterproof packaging technology protects shipments of photos and photobooks. The company holds Fujicolor Quality Excellent Shop certification (since 2009) as a quality benchmark.
The business model is consumer-direct and corporate-direct, transacted on a per-unit, pay-as-you-go basis for individual customers and on a custom-quote basis for OEM contracts. Individual consumers (families and photography enthusiasts) form the primary demand base, supported by cross-promotion through Camera no Kitamura and Studio Mario within the Kitamura Holdings Group. The company has been a wholly-owned subsidiary of Kitamura Holdings since 2019 (previously under CCC Group from 2012) and continues to launch adjacent services (Shimauma Plus in 2024, Shimauma Calendar in 2025) and an international product variant (Taiwan photo app in 2024), while consolidating its lab operations into the parent entity via an April 2026 absorption merger.
SHIMAUMA Print System firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- SHIMAUMA Print System
- Legal name
- 株式会社しまうまプリント
- Website
- https://shimapri.jp
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2010
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- SHIMAUMA Print System operates Japan's leading web and mobile photo printing platform, offering photo prints from 6 yen per sheet, photobooks, greeting cards, albums, and OEM production from in-house labs in Kagoshima and Kumamoto to individual consumers and corporate clients.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
SHIMAUMA Print System industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Photo Printing Services
- NAICS
- Photofinishing (81292), Printing (32311), Printing and Related Support Activities (3231)
- SIC
- Services-Photofinishing Laboratories (7384), Book Printing (2732), Commercial Printing (2750), Greeting Cards (2771)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Photo Books & Art Books Print-on-Demand (Coffee Table, Portfolios) (MPAJANAE)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Comics, Graphic Novels & Manga Print-on-Demand (MPAJANAD)
Keywords
Where SHIMAUMA Print System is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Shinjuku
- HQ country
- Japan
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices4 records
Markets served
SHIMAUMA Print System business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Photo Printing Services: Individual consumer photo printing service with prices starting from 6 yen per print. Customers order through web or mobile apps with same-day shipping available.
- Photobook Services: Custom photobook creation with various sizes, page counts, and cover designs. Photo book app downloads ranked No.1 in Japan (data.ai 2022).
- New Year Card Services: Greeting card services including New Year cards and seasonal cards with free shipping, address printing, and mailing services.
- Corporate OEM Services: Original goods OEM and novelty manufacturing for corporate customers. Custom production services for businesses.
- Shimauma Publishing: Publishing services for creators to produce books, manga, and portfolio collections with high quality at affordable prices.
- Shimauma Plus: Merchandise store featuring acrylic goods and novelty items including acrylic stands. New service started in 2024.
- Calendar Services: Calendar printing and production services for personal use. New service launched in 2025.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Photo Prints - Per unit pricing |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Photobook - Various size and page options |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Corporate OEM - Custom quotation |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
SHIMAUMA Print System product offering
Product offeringCore offering
SHIMAUMA Print System is a Japanese photo printing company that operates an integrated in-house service covering online order reception, production, packing, and shipping of photo prints, photobooks, New Year cards, albums, calendars, and acrylic novelty goods. It also offers OEM and novelty manufacturing services to corporate clients through a dedicated B2B channel at oem.shimapri.jp, with orders placed via web platform n-pri.jp and iOS/Android mobile apps.
Product overview
SHIMAUMA Print System（株式会社しまうまプリント）は、オンライン注文から生産・発送まで自社で一貫対応するインターネット写真プリント・フォトブックサービス事業者。主力商品として「写真プリント」（1枚6円〜、最安値翌日出荷）「フォトブック」「年賀状」「アルバム」「出版」「カレンダー」「プラス（アクリルグッズ）」の個人向けサービスと、法人向けOEM・ノベルティ制作を展開。自社ラボでの製造により高品質・低価格を実現し、全国に複数の生產拠点を構える。2024年に台湾向け写真アプリを、2025年にカレンダー服务を開始するなど国際展開・事業擴大を続ける。
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- しまうまフォトブック: Photobook service with various sizes, page counts, and cover designs at reasonable prices.
- しまうまアルバム
- しまうま出版
- しまうまプラス
Products and services
- Photo Print (写真プリント) Online photo printing service starting from 6 yen per sheet, produced in-house at proprietary labs, with same-day shipping available. Ranked No.1 in Japan for photo print app downloads in 2022 (data.ai).
- Photobook (フォトブック) Custom photobook creation with multiple sizes, page counts, and cover designs at affordable prices. Ranked No.1 in Japan for photobook app downloads in 2022 (data.ai).
- New Year's Cards (年賀状) Seasonal greeting card service including New Year's, condolence, and post-condolence cards with free shipping, address printing, and mailing service. Over 1,000 new designs released annually.
- Shimauma Album (しまうまアルバム) Original photo album with simple, warm texture that can store up to 1,200 photos per album for preserving memories.
- Shimauma Publishing (しまうま出版) Self-publishing service for creators to produce books, manga, and art collections at affordable prices with high quality output.
- Shimauma Plus (しまうまプラス) Merchandise store featuring acrylic goods including acrylic stands and other novelty items, providing products outside the traditional photo print and photobook lineup.
- Corporate OEM and Novelty Manufacturing (法人向けOEM) OEM production and custom novelty manufacturing service for corporate clients, with custom production handled by the same in-house production facilities used for consumer products.
- Shimauma Calendar (しまうまカレンダー) Custom calendar printing and production service for personal use, launched as a new service in 2025.
Quantifiable outcome
- Photo print app downloads No.1 in Japan (2022)
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use SHIMAUMA Print System
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
SHIMAUMA Print System technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
SHIMAUMA Print System partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators5 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights6 records
SHIMAUMA Print System competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Shutterfly: US-based direct-to-consumer photo printing, photobooks, and personalized products company. Direct functional peer in photobooks, prints, cards, and gifts via web and mobile apps, with comparable e-commerce led GTM.
- Chatbooks: Subscription photobook service for consumers, mobile-app driven, directly comparable to Shimauma Print's photobook subscription/recurring order model and e-commerce GTM.
- Artifact Uprising: Premium photobook and print brand sold online with mobile app ordering, directly comparable to Shimauma Print's photobook and photo print offerings in product, channel, and target customer.
- Mpix: US-based professional-grade photo printing and photobook service, comparable in product (prints, books, cards, calendars), e-commerce GTM, and quality positioning.
- CEWE: European market leader in photo printing and photobooks, operating its own production facilities and direct-to-consumer apps. Closest international analog in scale, vertical integration, and category focus.
- Printful: Print-on-demand platform offering photo books, cards, calendars and custom print products with in-house production. Comparable in product breadth (books, cards, calendars) and on-demand production model.
Broad incumbents
- Vistaprint (Cimpress): Large online printing services platform offering customized print products including photo gifts, books, and cards. Comparable in mass-customization production and direct-to-consumer web/app ordering model.
- DNP (Dai Nippon Printing): One of Japan's largest printing conglomerates with a photo printing and photobook service. Highly comparable to Shimauma Print's core consumer photo printing and book production, though it operates a much broader portfolio beyond consumer prints.
- Fujifilm: Operates Fujifilm PrintLife and related consumer photo printing services in Japan, directly comparable to Shimauma Print's photo print business. Fujifilm also supplies the imaging consumables and the Fuji Color certification standard that Shimauma Print is certified under.
Regional players
- Smile (Photobook-related venture, SoftBank group): Japanese online photo printing and photobook operator (formerly part of SoftBank group) competing in the same Japanese consumer photobook/print category as Shimauma Print.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
SHIMAUMA Print System social profiles
Digital presenceSHIMAUMA Print System financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
SHIMAUMA Print System leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
SHIMAUMA Print System subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
SHIMAUMA Print System funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors2 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
SHIMAUMA Print System M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about SHIMAUMA Print System
What does SHIMAUMA Print System do?
SHIMAUMA Print System is a Japanese photo printing company that operates an integrated in-house service covering online order reception, production, packing, and shipping of photo prints, photobooks, New Year cards, albums, calendars, and acrylic novelty goods. It also offers OEM and novelty manufacturing services to corporate clients through a dedicated B2B channel at oem.shimapri.jp, with orders placed via web platform n-pri.jp and iOS/Android mobile apps.
Is SHIMAUMA Print System a public or private company?
SHIMAUMA Print System is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was SHIMAUMA Print System founded?
SHIMAUMA Print System was founded in 2010. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is SHIMAUMA Print System based?
SHIMAUMA Print System is headquartered in Shinjuku, Japan, in the Asia region.
How does SHIMAUMA Print System make money?
Seven revenue lines are on record. Photo Printing Services are the primary driver. The others are photobook Services, new Year Card Services, corporate OEM Services, shimauma Publishing, shimauma Plus and calendar Services.
Who are SHIMAUMA Print System's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Shutterfly, Chatbooks, Artifact Uprising, Mpix, CEWE and Printful. Broad incumbents are Vistaprint (Cimpress), DNP (Dai Nippon Printing) and Fujifilm. Smile (Photobook-related venture, SoftBank group) is listed as a regional player.
Does SHIMAUMA Print System have an API?
No public API is recorded for SHIMAUMA Print System.
What industry is SHIMAUMA Print System in?
SHIMAUMA Print System's product category is Photo Printing Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJANAE, Photo Books & Art Books Print-on-Demand (Coffee Table, Portfolios), with a secondary code of MPAJANAD, Comics, Graphic Novels & Manga Print-on-Demand. Its NAICS code is 81292 and its SIC code is 7384.