Stumptown Printers
Stumptown Printers was a Portland-based worker cooperative print shop (founded 1999) producing custom album covers, disc packaging, cards, and posters via letterpress and offset lithography for music labels and creative businesses; it ceased new work in 2019.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1999
- HeadquartersPortland, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Stumptown Printers does
Stumptown Printers was a Portland, Oregon-based commercial printing house founded in 1999 and incorporated as a worker cooperative in 2008. The company produced custom album covers, product packaging, cards, posters, and other paper goods for music labels, artists, and creative businesses, using letterpress, traditional offset lithography, and classic bindery techniques executed on a small fleet of vintage presses, including a 1960s Chief 17 offset press, a 1940s Kluge 10x15 letterpress, and a Challenge proof press for large-format work. Its signature offering, Arigato Pak, was a line of 100% recycled disc packaging produced in 12-inch and 7-inch formats, developed from Portland's late-1990s DIY music scene.
The business operated as a custom, project-based print shop with direct commercial sales to enterprise clients and a small direct-to-consumer e-commerce storefront on its Squarespace-based website. Marketing relied on the company website, word-of-mouth through the DIY music network, and a 2009 Monocle Magazine short film that provided brand visibility in creative and business communities. The company was worker-owned, with no external institutional investors, and operated from a single industrial location in Portland.
In 2019 the company announced it was no longer accepting new commercial work, effectively winding down new operations after nearly 20 years. Revenue, headcount, and pricing were not publicly disclosed, and the company had no funding rounds, M&A activity, partnerships, patents, or AI/digital product layer. As of the most recent data, the operating entity is closed for new business.
Stumptown Printers firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Stumptown Printers
- Legal name
- Stumptown Printers Worker Cooperative
- Website
- https://stumptownprinters.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1999
- Operating status
- Closed
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Stumptown Printers was a Portland-based worker cooperative print shop (founded 1999) producing custom album covers, disc packaging, cards, and posters via letterpress and offset lithography for music labels and creative businesses; it ceased new work in 2019.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Stumptown Printers industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Commercial Printing Services
- NAICS
- Folding Paperboard Box Manufacturing (322212)
- SIC
- Commercial Printing (2750), Paperboard Containers & Boxes (2650)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Folding Carton & Paperboard Packaging Printing (IMALAKAH)
Keywords
Where Stumptown Printers is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Portland
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Stumptown Printers business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Custom Commercial Printing Services: One-time transaction-based commercial printing services producing custom album covers, product packaging, cards, posters, and paper goods using letterpress and offset lithography techniques.
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels3 records
Stumptown Printers product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Stumptown Printers Worker Cooperative is a traditional commercial printing house that prints and manufactures unique album covers, custom product packaging, cards, posters, and paper goods. The shop combines letterpress, traditional offset lithography, and classic bindery techniques to deliver hands-on, heavy-duty custom printing and unique paperboard packaging, with a noted specialty in 100% recycled disc packaging (Arigato Pak formats).
Product overview
Stumptown Printers Worker Cooperative was a traditional commercial printing house offering custom printing services since 1999. The company specialized in producing unique album covers, custom product packaging, cards, posters, and other paper goods using letterpress, traditional offset lithography, and classic bindery techniques. Their notable product offerings included Arigato Pak (recycled disc packaging in 12-inch and 7-inch formats) and custom paperboard packaging. The company operated as a worker cooperative starting in 2008. Note: The company announced it is no longer taking on new work as of 2019.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Custom Printing Services Traditional commercial printing services combining letterpress, traditional offset lithography, and classic bindery techniques to produce custom album covers, product packaging, cards, posters, and paper goods for music labels, independent artists, and creative businesses.
- Arigato Pak Disc Packaging Recycled disc packaging product line produced from 100% recycled materials, offered in 12-inch and 7-inch vinyl record packaging formats for music labels and independent artists.
- Custom Paperboard Packaging Custom paperboard packaging solutions produced for various creative businesses and brands needing unique packaging for premium products, leveraging the company's letterpress, offset, and bindery capabilities.
Companies that use Stumptown Printers
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Stumptown Printers technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Stumptown Printers partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators1 record
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights3 records
Stumptown Printers competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- MOO: Online print and design company producing business cards, marketing materials, and packaging targeting SMBs, agencies, and creative professionals. Comparable as a custom commercial-printing player serving the same creative/SMB customer segments Stumptown pursued.
- PsPrint: Online commercial printing service producing flyers, brochures, business cards, posters, and packaging for SMBs. Comparable as a commercial-printing incumbent serving similar SMB and creative use cases, but at materially higher volume and lower price points.
- Vistaprint: Mass-market commercial printing platform (part of Cimpress) producing business cards, marketing materials, packaging, and promotional products at national scale. Comparable as a broad incumbent in commercial printing and custom packaging, though its scale and digital model differ sharply from Stumptown's craft letterpress approach.
Direct peers
- Studio On Fire: Brooklyn-based letterpress and design studio specializing in album packaging, posters, and custom printed goods for musicians and creative brands. Closely comparable to Stumptown in letterpress technique, music-industry focus, and small-batch custom offerings.
- Diamond Packaging: Rochester, New York-based paperboard packaging manufacturer producing folding cartons and luxury packaging for cosmetics, confections, and consumer goods. Comparable to Stumptown's folding paperboard packaging product line and premium custom-print positioning.
- Hatch Show Print: Legendary letterpress shop based in Nashville, Tennessee, producing iconic posters and prints strongly tied to the country music industry. Highly comparable to Stumptown Printers given the shared letterpress methodology, music-industry customer base, and craft positioning.
- Calitho: Concord, California-based commercial printing company offering offset lithography, digital printing, and packaging solutions to brands across the western U.S. Comparable to Stumptown's offset-lithography and packaging-printing capabilities, though at significantly larger scale.
Emerging players
- EcoEnclose: Sustainable packaging supplier specializing in recycled and reusable shipping and product packaging for e-commerce brands. Comparable to Stumptown on the recycled and custom packaging dimension, though operating at much greater scale and focused on e-commerce rather than music/creative niches.
- noissue: Custom sustainable packaging company offering recycled, compostable, and FSC-certified packaging (mailers, boxes, tissue) to indie brands. Comparable to Stumptown's sustainability-led, custom-packaging positioning and indie-brand customer base.
Others
- Mohawk Fine Papers: U.S. paper manufacturer producing premium printing, writing, and specialty papers including recycled lines. Functions as a key upstream supplier of paper stocks to commercial letterpress and offset shops like Stumptown Printers, making it an ecosystem-level peer rather than a direct competitor.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat2 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Stumptown Printers social profiles
Digital presenceStumptown Printers financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Stumptown Printers leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Stumptown Printers funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Stumptown Printers M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Stumptown Printers
What does Stumptown Printers do?
Stumptown Printers Worker Cooperative is a traditional commercial printing house that prints and manufactures unique album covers, custom product packaging, cards, posters, and paper goods. The shop combines letterpress, traditional offset lithography, and classic bindery techniques to deliver hands-on, heavy-duty custom printing and unique paperboard packaging, with a noted specialty in 100% recycled disc packaging (Arigato Pak formats).
Is Stumptown Printers a public or private company?
Stumptown Printers is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently closed.
When was Stumptown Printers founded?
Stumptown Printers was founded in 1999. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Stumptown Printers based?
Stumptown Printers is headquartered in Portland, United States, in the North America region.
How does Stumptown Printers make money?
One revenue line is on record: custom Commercial Printing Services.
Who are Stumptown Printers's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are MOO, PsPrint and Vistaprint. Direct peers are Studio On Fire, Diamond Packaging, Hatch Show Print and Calitho. Emerging players are EcoEnclose and noissue. Mohawk Fine Papers is listed as an others.
Does Stumptown Printers have an API?
No public API is recorded for Stumptown Printers.
What industry is Stumptown Printers in?
Stumptown Printers's product category is Commercial Printing Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMALAKAH, Folding Carton & Paperboard Packaging Printing. Its NAICS code is 322212 and its SIC code is 2750.