Hahnemuhle Certified Studio and Pre-print Services

In January of 2014 Healey Studio became a Hahnemuhle Certified Studio. That means we have agreed to print for other select photographers and are supported by Hahnemuhle Digital Paper to make "perfect prints". By select photographers, we mean those who care enough about their photography to go the extra and have their images printed by a custom certified printer on Archival Fine Art papers and canvases.

What is Pre-print Preparation?

Almost everyone with a professional camera owns photoshop or some sort of digital image manipulation software. Most people who use this software know how to change color balance, or contrast or sharpen a little bit. Some use PS or other software to do fancy things like collage or HDR or stitching. However this is post processing but not pre-print preparation.

Pre-print preparation is taking an image either after a photographer or digital imaging artist has worked it to the point where he or she feels that is expresses their artistic intent, then preparing this image to produce the best print possible within this intent. It is esoteric and seldom understood, but this is what I do.

Mostly pre-print preparation involves counteracting the flaws in the camera sensor, lenses and the camera operation. These devices and the people who use them have their own strengths and weaknesses. My job is to enhance the strengths so the viewer never sees any weakness.

To make a perfect print one must also take into account the final output and display. How archival should the print be? How long will it be displayed? Under what lighting is it most likely to be viewed? Will it be mounted? Will it be covered with glass or plastic, or even stretched on a frame? At what distance is the image most likely to be viewed? What is the intent of the display. What is the intent of the photographer? Do we choose a paper for accurate color, or intense color? Is the photographer looking for a soft watercolor painting like look or maybe a sharp deep high contrast style? The possibilities are limitless. In some cases the photographer themselves are not sure as to what the best output may be, because there are so many options. We can also consult with a photographer to find the best starting place to create the best result.

Many photographers choose to do their own photo-manipulation. That is part of the fun of creation, to sculpt an image to what you envisioned before you pushed the shutter. Most photographs these days never will be printed, and will never achieve a higher status than an web image. The prints that do make it to print are output as an automated machine print from an online commercial photography lab or big box store. An elite few photographs are taken by photographers that feel their images are of the quality that these images deserve the extra work to make them exhibition quality prints. When that photographer comes along, I would like to help this artist achieve the highest possible quality in their output so they can continue to put their efforts into creating and capturing these extraordinary images. I learned my skills to provide this for my partner, John Healey. Now we are offering this service to others as Hahnemuehle Certified Printers.

For more information on Healey Studio - Hahnemuhle Certified Studio please see our printing website at healey-certified-studio.com.