For over 30 years, BarryHarrisStudio has been the photography partner of choice for major retailers who require outstanding photography and a sense of style in their print collateral. Montreal-based Harris works on advertising campaigns for retailers in Canada and the US, from concept through production, including celebrity photography and print. Covering POP signs and displays, bus shelters and packaging, billboards, posters, flyers, and more.
For many of these projects, Harris has been working with Montreal-based PazazzPrinting. Since its opening in 1992, PazazzPrinting is a one-stop service provider of cross-media integrated marketing solutions, providing offset printing (up to 56”) as well as digital, label, packaging and wide format printing services.
color management
“We work with high-end retailers like Brown Shoe Company (the largest footwear retailer in Canada), Nordstrom, Target, Bloomingdale’s, Dillards, Sears, etc., so We understand the importance of color," says Harris. “It used to be that the printers did the retouching for us. But now, we do the retouching in-house and send the finished images to our printers, so it’s more important than ever to have good color management.”
Harris explained that when selling fashion, the print needs to be an accurate representation of the product. Otherwise, the result is often consumer dissatisfaction and product returns. "Our customers are less likely to place a print next to the real thing for an accurate comparison," he added, "but they will expect the color to be as close to the original as possible." And as more marketers shift their budgets toward For digital media, Harris makes every effort to educate retailers on the importance of print materials in the media-to-store mix while striving to meet their expectations for delivering high-quality print.
"A flattering complexion is especially important," says Harris. "When you're working with a celebrity, or not even a famous model, if the complexion doesn't look good, the whole thing doesn't look good."
The configuration sought
One of the ways Harris and his team ensure that great color is produced is by configuring the cameras and displays accurately. Michael Manoukian, who provides technical support for Harris in the studio and on set, said: "We use the X-Rite i1Pro2 Spectrophotometer to ensure that our monitors—both desktop monitors in our studio and laptop monitors used during photoshoots— - Accurate calibration before every shoot. Easy to use and portable, the i1Pro2 ensures ISO compliance and allows us to accurately profile, calibrate and measure regardless of lighting conditions. Without it, we simply never go out!"
In addition, according to Harris, he also uses the X-Rite i1PublishPro2 to calibrate the company's in-house presses. "That means our proofs are more accurate," he said. “And matching what we see on the display with what we expect to see on the press. We just calibrated about 250 images for an advertising campaign that were going to be sent to print. With the color Accurate monitors and proofers are an important part of our production process, and we have such an outstanding printing partner, we are completely confident that the quality of the printed products will be superior." Harris is impressed by the ease of use of i1Pro2 Very satisfied and have integrated it into my own end-to-end workflow, both in the studio and on set.
However, Harris and Manoukian are not content with this, they are still in the constant quest to ensure thoughtful quality for their clients. “We also make heavy use of X-Rite’s ColorChecker Pass for every photo we take. We use ColorChecker on the image for reference cards during the shoot – many times a day. Whenever the lighting changes As things change—sun shifts, shadows fall, whenever there are any conditions that affect color, we use the reference cards we shoot to help us color balance when editing, retouching, and printing.”
Harris pointed out that not only the color and skin tone of the product need to be accurate, but customers often also specify a PANTONE color as the background that needs to be matched. "Using these tools is absolutely critical to our success," Harris said. “We felt that once we were trained and understood how to use these instruments, like the 1Pro2, our return on investment was immediate. Of course, with these things, you can’t look at the ROI in dollars and cents like an accountant. You need Think about the ability to serve customers, how to enable internal teams to work more effectively and smarter. When you think about it in that way, the return on investment will skyrocket.”
printing color
Once the studio work is complete and the files are print-ready, the digital images and hard copy proofs are provided to Pazazz or to a print shop of the client's choice. "We still rely heavily on press inspections," Harris said. “There is always a trade-off when it comes to getting great color and we want to be able to make last-minute adjustments while the press is running.”
Warren Werbitt, PazazzPrinting's CEO and chief business officer, has equipped his business to satisfy customers like Harris's. As a certified G7 printer, Pazazz uses its KBA142UV offset press to print most of Harris' photography. "We have a Fuji XMF workflow that we use to do all of our preflight," he explains. “We use Oris software for color control related to the G7. We have in-line scanning to the printing presses, and we also have light booths for checking the printed output under controlled lighting conditions. We also understand that it is important to measure the density of the ink, But more important is to measure the spectral value accurately. That's why we purchased the X-Rite eXact Spectrophotometer , this instrument allows us to do both well at the same time. Using delta-E measurement, delta-E capacity We are one of the few printers with a difference of 3. However, even with all the technology, you still need the human eye to make the final judgment, which is why we welcome Barry and other highly quality conscious customers Being able to join our team of professionals at press time so there are no surprises.”
printing value
"It's true that a lot of marketing is going digital, but I advise my clients that print will continue to play an important role," says Harris. “If you have a beautiful brochure in your hand, it has a much bigger impact than the few seconds you might spend looking at a picture in an email, browsing the web or on social media. We’ve made books for some of our clients and they’ve kept them for years. That doesn’t happen with digital media.”
Werbitt added: "For people who are in the business of printing, they love print, there is nothing better than the value of color, brighter. Like I like to flip through my fishing magazine. And I believe that in print In , color is the key to sales. This industry needs more professionals like Barry, who have a deep understanding of the value of the work they are doing. Even if the end customer does not really understand the value of accurate color, we will still work with Barry Working hard with other customers to give them the best quality possible. That's who we are and will continue to be."
Harris concluded by saying, “You need to learn to master the craft, to believe in the craft, and not assume that everything can be corrected after the fact. Too many people are looking for shortcuts, and that’s not the way to get a good product. We use X-Rite With the tools and solutions to capture, edit, and print, you can produce great products faster, with no need or desire for shortcuts.”
