STUMPTOWN PRINTERS

One of my last stops in Portland was Stumptown Printers and it was definitely a case of saving the best till last! Stumptown Printers grew from Portland’s DIY music scene, specialising in the design, manufacture and printing of album covers, custom packaging, cards posters and other superbly-crafted paper goods! They have been doing their thing since 1999 and their aim is to “produce quality printing that will be cherished for generations” by honouring “the traditions of the golden age of print.” Speaking to Brian, Rebecca & Eric who founded and run the shop, their passion about everything they do and all things print is evident – thanks for showing me around and hope to see you in the UK some day!

FRUIT SALAD CLUB

I went to the dreamy Fruit Salad Club and met with the lovely Jillian Barthold one of the founders. They describe themselves as being “an unapologetically fun and silly studio, gallery, community and education space, shop and friendly little art clubhouse.” This definitely comes across in the vibe of the space and they are very open to collaboration and using their space in different ways. When I visited they had a brilliant exhibition by Letra Chueca Press on and I managed to nab myself this beauty of a letterpress print.   

PACIFIC NORTHWEST COLLEGE OF ART

 I was lucky enough to squeeze in a visit to PNCA (Pacific Northwest College of Art) and boy was I glad I did – their printmaking facilities are out of this world – made we totally want to go back to school! Heather, the studio manager, showed me round the Printmaking Centre and explained their ethos of immersing the students in both traditional and contemporary processes & ideas while emphasizing high standards of craftsmanship and professional practice. As a student at PNCA you can explore intaglio, lithography, relief, screenprint, monotype, letterpress, bookmaking, risograph as well as digital and 3D printing.  

SCOUTBOOKS

Scoutbooks was founded in 2009 with the belief that little books cam make a big impact. Chloe gave me a tour of their factory where they print, bind and ship custom-designed Scout Books to clients around the globe. They believe in using their business as a force for good and have recently been certified as a B Corp (the business equivalent of what Fairtrade is to coffee) and walking round you can really see that in action in how efficient and happy everybody is and how little waste is created. I have been brainstorming what we could do as a custom PTTP notebook …. ideas on a postcard!!

OUTLET

Outlet is the studio of Kate Bingaman-Burt but the space also houses a shop & zine library as well as hosting workshops and pop up events. It is also home to 4 Riso printers (Barbara, Jolene, Marge & Lil’ Tina) which people can come and use to work on their projects once they have been on a workshop. As you can see from the photos the space is a visual delight with treats for your eyes covering almost every surface! 

OBLATION PAPERS

Oblation Papers has some of the most beautiful paper products I have seen, in their store. Whether it’s their own range of designs or items sourced from other talented makers – I just wanted to pick up and examine absolutely everything! At the back of the store are big windows that you can look through to their paper mill where they employ traditional techniques to make sheets of cotton paper by hand using recycled remnants from the garment industry. On the other side of the shop you can look through to their Letterpress workshop where they print their own range of designs as well as custom invites, business cards and other correspondence.

MISPLACED SCREENPRINTING

Misplaced Screenprinting are “dedicated to making the world a better place one screen at a time” and they totally do that – printing all kinds of extremely awesome things for bands and other creative types as well as printing their own range of kick ass goods they sell in the shop at the front of their studio (I nabbed myself a bandana – pic to follow!)

RADIUS ART STUDIO

Radius describe themselves as "a community space offering workshops, facilities and services for anyone serious (or curious) about art" which I love as a mission statement and the space itself feels very welcoming and safe. Upstairs they have a multifunctional space which is mostly used for Painting, Drawing and Printmaking classes, then downstairs they have a large ceramics studio. I met with the talented Jolyn Fry (she has a show of her paintings opening at the Ford Gallery at the end of September - check out her Go Fund Me page).