While printing companies ensure quality and delivery through their networks, such Web portals as Net Ease's 163.com capitalize on their vast user bases. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Chen Wanwen used Yxp.163.com to make a desk calendar with photos of her travels with her boyfriend for his birthday.

"Work was busy, and I didn't use the templates, so it took men early two months to select the photos and lay out each page," the 28-year-old public relations worker in Guangzhou said.

"But it was worth the time and effort because it's unique. It may not be as fancy or expensive as a gift from a department store. But it's a one-and-only present－one that belongs solely to us."

It would have taken Chen minutes if she had used the templates once she selected photos, Dong said.

He said competition is "intense".

"We must work hard to simplify procedures, design creative templates, and provide quality printing and fast delivery to stand out," he said.

Yofus has been able to shorten printing and delivery time from seven to at most three days through its parent company Tianyi Digital Printing CoLtd's printing network.

While printing companies ensure quality and delivery through their networks, such Web portals as Net Ease's 163.com capitalize on their vast user bases.

This has helped the DIY personalized-photo products platform Yinxiangpai that Net Ease launched in 2007, Yinxiang pai's head Wang Chen said.

"The users NetEase has accumulated over more than a decade enables it to promote our services through the 163.com portal and NetEase's mail service and instant messaging tool," he said.

"NetEase's credibility as a strong Internet brand has won customers' trust."

Wang quoted NetEase CEO Ding Lei as declaring during Yinxiangpai's launch that personalized printing is "an unexplored blue sea in e-commerce".