EXPERIENCE
Retoucher, colour and prepress professional
Mark started retouching in 1995 as one of his responsibilities of his prepress work at a downtown Toronto service bureau and has since worked on 1000's of images for everything from ad campaigns and editorial to publishing and e-commerce including award winning and high profile work. Early in his prepress career, Mark was lucky to apprentice under some of the best retouchers in Toronto before finding his own stride, gaining valuable experience and elevating his technique as the years went on. His skills in Photoshop, the Adobe Suite (and now AI) compliment his passion for imagery, perspective, lighting, photography, layout, composition and the entire creative process. Every project is a welcome challenge and Mark dives deep to make each one as incredible as possible.
RELIABILITY
Working directly with you and your team, Mark reviews the needs of you and your client then gets to work with dealines, quality and efficiency always top of mind with open communication, making suggestions when needed and a friendly cooperative rapport.
INSIGHT
Where most retouchers have only a photography background, mark has 3 decades of experience in both the technical and creative sides of the prepress business, producing a multitude of high quality printed work under extremely demanding deadlines since 1988. He has years of experience using Adobe Suite (InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop and Acrobat) and in the earlier days Quark Xpress, Page Maker and other clunky applications of old.
Mark's photography hoby and artistic outlets in his youth led him to his work at newspaper publishers where he worked as a traditional stat camera operator, ad layout artist, composing artist and apprenticed into a film stripper and darkroom technician. Mark spent hours on end leaning over a light table with film, a knife and ruby lift then making Dyluxes, colour keys and match prints to name a few traditional proofing methods. Eventually Mark progressed to the Mac after moving to Toronto, working for Toronto's busiest high-end service bureau's and print brokers as a multi-faceted and very busy prepress technician, retoucher, scanner operator, designer and production artist.
His natural talents and affinity for retouching and colour correction were realized so he followed his passion and focused in this expertise. As a result, Mark has an invaluable understanding of Adobe CS, colour, composition, print, ink and paper - and their strengths and limitations as well as digital and web expertise. So, you can be sure you get the best possible result no matter how it’s presented.
CALIBRATED STUDIO WORKFLOW
Mark maintains a carefully calibrated monitor and printer colour profiled workflow for predictable colour correction and reproduction for commercial CMYK and spot colour printing SWOP and GRACoL certified colour profiles and RGB profiles for consistant and predictable Epson photo paper printing.
AWARDS & ACCOMPLISHMENTS!
Sick Kids "VS" Campaign
Client: Cossette Agency Toronto
Multi-award winner!
• ADCC
• Strategy Awards
• Promo! Awards
• Marketing Awards
• London International Awards (2016-2019)
Work:
Retouched hundreds of staff and children images. Overall improvement, adding
neon glow and drop shadows and merge with the "VS" neon light background.
Prepared images to spec for OOH executions and print ads.
To Make Riders Faster
The inside story of Cervélo
Client: Page Wave Graphics
Multi Award Winner!
• 2020 IPPY Awards, Canada East - Best Regional Non-Fiction - Gold
• 2020 Book Excellence Awards Winner, Biography
• 2019 Next Generation Indie Book Awards Winner, Best Business Book;
• Finalist for General Non-Fiction and Best Overall Design Non-Fiction
• 2018-2019 Reader Views Literary Award Winner, Best Business Book
• Whistler Independent Book Awards 2019, Non-Fiction Shortlist
Work: Scanning, retouching, colour correction, images prepress.
KOHO-Dream Thieves
Client: Cossette Agency Toronto
Multi-award winner and nominations!
• Applied Arts
• Clio
• Webby Award
• Marketing Awards
• The Immortal Awards
and more (2018-2019)
Work:
Retouched details and lighting affects finalized promotional image.
Zoomer Magazine
Client: Zoomer Magazine
Multi-award winner!
• GOLD Outstanding Cover Diane Keaton 2013
• GOLD Outstanding Cover Deepak Chopra 2010
• SILVER Outstanding Cover Magi Smith/Sherley MacLaine 2013
• BRONZE Outstanding Cover Dalai Lama 2010
Work:
Retouched improvements, colour correction, prepress optimization and provided
Idealliance G7 Certified colour SWOP proofs
CLIENTS & BRANDS
AGO • Arash Moallemi Photography • Arzu Scarf • Andrew Grinton Photography • Athletes World • Ash City • Aviron Active • The Bay • Biz Angle Media • Brandon Barré Photography • Butterfield & Robinson • Cardinal Meats • Catelli Pasta • Canada's Got Talent • Carlo Mendoza Photography • Cossette (MCW Print) • Easy Home • Envida Jewlery • Form & Affect • Flying Camel Advertising • George Brown College • Giant Shoe Creative • Glen Reichwein Photography • Humber Dept of Fashion • GSW (Syneos Health) • Jennifer Aurich Photography • Jenny Bird Jewlery • Jeff Wasserman Photography • Juliette Creative • Kellogg's • Key Gordon • Klick Health • LG2 • McCains • Marie Callender's • McDonalds • Mint & Lily • Marathon Watch Company • Mejuri • Mercedes Benze • Merzetti Photographs • Natalia Dolan Photography • Ozempic • Olivan IMS • Page Wave Graphics • Paul Chmielowiec Photography • Pepsi Co. • Paula Wilson Photography • Response Innovations • Richard Sibbald Photography • Robert Rose Inc. • Rogers Media • Roots Canada • Roula Partheniou • Sabu Photography • Samsung • Schawk Studio • Scotia Bank • Sears • Shoeless Joe’s • Sephora • Sick Kids Hospital • Siga International • Suzanne Clements Photography • STING Productions Inc. • TD Bank • Third Thing Productions • Underdog Studio • Uncle Bens • University of Toronto • Walmart • 50 Plus/CARP Magazine • Wayne Gretzy.com • Yale University • Zoomer Magazine ...
CAREER HISTORY
• Pixel Ink Retouching, Toronto, ON 2012-current
Owner, Operator, Retoucher, Colour, Graphics & Prepress Specialist
• Andora Graphics, Toronto, ON 1998-2013
Senior Retoucher, Production artist & Prepress Specialist
• Prime Imaging, Toronto, ON 1996-1998
Retoucher, Production artist, Prepress Mac Operator & Proofer
• The Lino Bureau (Robo Shop Design), Toronto, ON 1994-1996
Retoucher, Production artist, Prepress Mac Operator & Proofer
• R.J. Prepress, Concord, ON 1993-1994
Flexo Prepress Mac Operator, Film Stripper & Proofer
• The Halifax Daily News, Dartmouth, NS 1989-1992
Film Stripper, Darkroom Technician & Assistant Supervisor (Composing Dept.)
• Fundy Group Publishing, Yarmouth, NS 1988-1989
Ad layout and Composing Artist & STAT Camera Cperator
MARK VELDHOVEN
Experience makes all the difference
After nearly thirty years working in prepress, newsprint and production, Mark launched Pixel Ink Retouching in August of 2012. Now working solo from his Toronto home studio, Mark would take advantage of advancements in small studio equipment, software and virtual file delivery, enabling him to provide key services he was used to, the most important being Idealliance certified colour proofing for predictable colour. This helped Pixel Ink Retouching standout from other retouchers and prepress service providers in the city. Mark now provides top quality retouching, graphic and prepress services for both commercial and consumer clients.
