Services

Ink Spot Press is an open-access printmaking studio in Brighton & Hove. As well as our courses, we offer studio access, screen hire, screen preparation and a range of print services. Everything you need is below.

To book any service, call 01273 691496 or email [email protected]

Open access

You don't need to be a member to use the workshop, and there are no membership fees unless you choose to become a keyholder. Please note that you can only work unsupervised if you are fully competent in your chosen medium.

Open access session costs:

• Half day, screen or relief: £25.00
• Full day, screen or relief: £40.00
• Half day, letterpress: £25.00
• Full day, letterpress: £40.00

Someone is on hand to assist, but they are not there to teach. If you feel a bit rusty, or you have not done much printing before, we recommend booking an induction session or one of our courses to get familiar with the machinery and the workshop before you come in on your own.

Induction sessions

Induction sessions cost £85.00 and usually take about three hours. You can print an A3 two-colour print of your design during the session. Please call 01273 691496 or email [email protected] to arrange a mutually convenient booking.

Keyholder membership

For experienced and committed printmakers, keyholder membership gives access to the studio outside of normal hours. Sessions or days still have to be booked (for insurance reasons), and keyholders need to be mindful that regular courses run on some evenings and weekends. Keyholders must be able to work unsupervised and leave the studio clean and secure afterwards.

Unlike standard users, keyholders can leave work in our plan chest, keep supplies on a shelf, and store a few of their own screens at the studio.

• Keyholder membership: £125.00 per month by direct debit, minimum six months.
• Individual project access: the studio can be booked a month at a time at £200.00 per month.

Screen hire

We have a range of screens for hire at Ink Spot, from A4 to A0, in mesh counts from 43T to 90T. Screens suitable for printing from A3 to A1 can be booked for use at the studio for a maximum of three weeks.

A charge is made each time you coat, expose and clean a screen, depending on size. This covers wear and tear on the screens, exposure and cleaning equipment, photo-emulsion and cleaning materials. For example, to coat, expose, print and clean an A2+ screen (suitable for printing two or three A3 images) costs £12.00.

Screen preparation service (studio users)

If you would rather not make your own screens, we can prepare them in advance for use in the studio. The service includes screen hire, coating, exposing and reclaiming the screen afterwards. Please allow a couple of days' turnaround once we have received your artwork.

Screens for use on paper:

• Small, up to A3: £14.00
• Medium, up to A2: £20.00
• Large, up to A1: £40.00
• Extra large, up to A0: £60.00

Coarser screens for textile printing (these use more photo-emulsion and cleaning materials, so cost a little more):

• Small, up to A3: £18.00
• Medium, up to A2: £25.00
• Large, up to A1: £35.00
• Extra large, up to A0: £70.00

Screen making service (printing outside the studio)

Please note: personal use of the screen exposure unit is reserved for those who print their work in our studio. It is not possible to book a session solely to coat and expose your own screens for use elsewhere.

The service includes removing any previous stencil and ink residue and exposing the new image onto the screen. Please allow a couple of days' turnaround once we have received your artwork and screens.

Screens for use on paper:

• Small, up to A3: £20.00
• Medium, up to A2: £30.00
• Large, up to A1: £45.00
• Extra large, up to A0: £70.00

Screens for use on fabric:

• Small, up to A3: £22.00
• Medium, up to A2: £40.00
• Large, up to A1: £60.00
• Extra large, up to A0: £75.00

If a screen needs extra-strong cleaning agents (such as caustic paste to remove ink residues), we will let you know in advance, as this may cost a little extra.

Positives and digital film printing

We can print out positives for you, or you can supply your own. If you supply your own, they need to be high contrast, either digital (at 300 dpi) or hand-produced, on acetate film, OHP film, drafting film, tracing paper or mark resist. Tonal images should be in halftone (max 65 lpi) or diffusion dither bitmap (max 160 dpi) to create exposable images, unless hand-painted onto mark resist. Artwork will be checked for suitability before screen preparation begins.

We have facilities for printing digital positives up to A1 at the studio:

• A3 laser film: £2.00
• A3+ inkjet positive: £3.50
• Larger positives, printed on a large-format inkjet printer: £18.00 per metre. The film is 60cm wide, so smaller images can be tiled or printed horizontally to save film. Please allow a 5mm gap at each end (i.e. 59cm wide max).

Artwork needs to be print-ready before being sent to us. Any extra work needed on artwork is charged at £30.00 per hour. Please save your artwork as a grayscale or bitmap file and send it as a PDF, JPEG or TIFF. 300 dpi is standard, unless it is a diffusion dither bitmap.

Other services

One-to-one Photoshop or Illustrator training, £35.00 per hour. Ideal for anyone who is not familiar with either program and would like to understand more about making high-contrast positives, colour separations and layers suitable for print.

Bespoke print editioning service. In collaboration with Andy White at Handprint, Ink Spot offers an unparalleled level of expertise, screenprinting editions in water or oil-based inks onto all manner of surfaces: paper and board, wood, vinyl, metal and fabrics, including T-shirts, totes and tea towels.

Book a service

Contact the studio to book any of these services:
Phone: 01273 691496
Email: [email protected]