Ahrens Editions

So it may be a bit of a stretch, but this comparison occurred to me the other day as I was passing a mirror and noticed horrified that a haircut had been months overdue. For better or worse these are the very two tasks I’ve long put off doing, and both, for basically the same reason. In both cases, the reason boils down to finding that person, printer and hairdresser, whom I can trust, communicate my ideas too, and have instant rapport with.

Most every woman can testify to the strenuous effort and careful consideration that goes into finding and choosing a great stylist or hairdresser. We ask friends and co-workers for recommendations and scour countless websites for reviews and articles on trendy salons and latest hair fashion in search of that delicate balance between daring and classic-conservative.

Over the past few months I’ve gone through a very similar experience in sourcing out the right printer for my first book-publishing project. In the same fashion that I’ve scoured salon websites, I’ve poured over printer’s websites looking for a matching perfect balance.

From that point on and whenever feasible, I would visit these printing companies where I’d see their products and book samples and what they are able to do. This process allowed me to meet some of the men and women involved in the details of print production and to ask them questions. And it was these men and women, the technicians and the craftsmen, to which I’ve voiced my concerns, expressed my ideas and discussed the - sometimes varied, sometimes limited - options available, based on what they can and cannot do.

What I experienced and what I’ve learned from this experience is that there are few, not many, that are sincerely interested in working together with you. Sadly, and for the most part, it is their expertise that results in their fundamental resilience and lack of flexibility. Not to be misread as a sign of disrespect; I’ve met many printers that are committed to achieving quality, and I’m very confident that these guys are good. They work hard and systematically and have set standards, not only for themselves, but also for the entire industry. However, one missing ingredient that is common of most printers’ I met with is enthusiasm, and the creative desire to experiment.

And this is where the act of handing over your print files, compares to sitting down in a salon chair. It’s in this very moment that you pass on the torch and put all of your ideas and creative visions in the hands of someone else. What if your printer, just like your stylist doesn’t speak the same language as you? Will your ideas and concerns get lost in translation? It’s difficult enough to vocalize ones visions, let alone translate them. But in all fairness, it’s not the language barrier that concerns me; it’s a barrier of basic communication. The necessity of being able to articulate my visions and ideas to someone else with result of feeling heard and understood.

This is the very reason why I’ve spent the last months searching, pouring over websites and visiting companies and people directly. It’s been all in effort to find that feeling of instant rapport, of understanding, of both verbal and non-verbal communication with someone I can trust. So that when I sit down in the salon chair, just as I would hand over my print files, I am confident that I will leave not only with the perfect haircut that flatters my features and compliments my bone structure, but one that bounces as I walk away. Just as would stand over the press and go through the proofs knowing that the rich black tone I’d envisioned isn’t a black, is a black, is a black, is a black…