As part of our Peer Learning Group bursary project, Rabbits Road Press, Tender Hands Press and Granby Press meet regularly to discuss some of the opportunities and challenges they face as risograph presses. In this blog post, Saffa Khan and Sumuyya Khader tell us about their projects.
Tender Hands is a small community and education-focused press, specializing in risograph printing and facilitating creative skill-sharing workshops in Glasgow, Scotland. The press exists to cater marginalized creatives, grassroots and nonprofit organizations, with the general focus being on creating printed matter more accessible. Over the course of four years, TH has been facilitating DIY arts and skill-sharing workshops through projects like Make Stuff, inviting local graduates and established artists to share their skills and provide insight into their practice. In 2019, TH was based in Glasgow Zine Library, an open archive of self publishing material, where we have been delivery print making workshops, inducting people to use the equipment and working on printed matter with various community organizations and grassroots. TH is now based in Rumpus Room, an artist led studio focusing on political and creative engagement with children, young people and families based in Govanhill, Glasgow. You can find more details on www.tenderhandspress.co.uk
– Print and Publishing House
WHO?WHAT? WHY?
Granby Press is a community based arts organisation with a focus on print material and design. The main output being Risograph printed materials, zines, community newsletters and artist editions. Risographs are designed to be simple and versatile with little or no maintenance, combining very high print speeds with extremely low cost, they are a simple yet brilliant tool for anyone interested in producing affordable high quality printing. Risographs are an environmentally friendly way of printing, they use soy based inks and are similar to screen printing but large output available immediately. The ambition of Granby Press is to work with individuals on an artist to artist basis, allowing them to print their own works in editions that can then be sold. Using the current resources at hand ( risograph printer) and acting as a technician and printer. This would be alongside developing a community publishing/resource space for those who live locally allowing for affordable and diverse ways of empowerment through language and imagery. One of the first aims is to create a monthly newsletter highlighting both the social and political aspects of the Granby area and holding an open submission for artists, writers and creators to discuss and put thoughts down in printed matter. (collaboration with Granby 4 Streets CLT – first edition to be released in April 2020) Assisting with not only the design of printed matter but allowing for affordable outlet for creativity. A longer term goal is to establish a bookshop within the Granby area that will be a fluid open and receptive space that people feel they can inhabit A space that stocks a diverse range of books/zines including local writers A space to find PDFs or an archive of artists/materials/catalogues and interviews A space for people to meet and discuss – Safe Space A place to invite in others – authors/poets/artists Print, art and artefacts from Liverpool based artists Resources for local communities, notice board, migrant help, flyers Library & photocopier Reading Groups (multi lingual) A print your own room – open access days where people can print what they want ie. poetry books, zines, short fiction in editions and sell them in the shop It’s important to have a open space where people can learn, experiment and socialise. Independent bookshops are few and far between but the volume of artists and creators are endless. Why not have a place where all of these talents can be displayed, discussed and learnt from. Granby Press/Publishing wants to be that independent bookshop based in the heart of the Granby community. *Risograph is a high volume, low cost stencil based photocopier The machine uses soy based inks
