What Lower East Side Printshop Inc does

Lower East Side Printshop, Inc. is a New York City-based 501(c)(3) not-for-profit fine art printmaking studio founded in 1968 and operating from a Midtown West location at 306 West 37th Street. The organization provides professional printmaking facilities, technical expertise, and residency programs that enable contemporary artists to produce new editions and advance their careers. It serves a hybrid audience of individual artists, students and art enthusiasts, galleries and publishers, and institutional collectors.

The core service portfolio comprises Studio Rental (hourly at $20, weekly at $200, or monthly at $375), Contract Printing Services (screenprint, intaglio, relief printing, monotype, and archival pigmented inkjet printing using an Epson SureColor P8000 producing prints up to 42 inches wide), Education Programs (classes, workshops, tours, demonstrations, and internships), and a tiered Residency suite including Keyholder Residency, Summer Residency, and the most prestigious Publishing Residency, in which selected artists collaborate with in-house master printers (Nathan Catlin, Erik Hougen, James Miller) to create fully published editions that are split between the artist and the organization.

The business model blends earned revenue (studio rental subscriptions, per-job printing fees at $4.25–$8.50 per linear inch, class fees of approximately $425 per course, and gift shop merchandise) with substantial institutional support from a diversified base of public funders (NYSCA, NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, NEA) and private foundations (Andy Warhol Foundation, Jerome Foundation, Milton and Sally Avery Arts Foundation, and approximately ten smaller family foundations). The organization is led by Executive Director Marie Tennyson with a 12-person staff, reaches US and international artists, and maintains a published catalog spanning more than 50 notable artists including Kara Walker, Hank Willis Thomas, LaToya Ruby Frazier, Titus Kaphar, and Carrie Moyer.

Name

Lower East Side Printshop Inc

Legal name

Lower East Side Printshop, Inc.

Website

https://printshop.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1968

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Lower East Side Printshop is a 12-employee 501(c)(3) fine art printmaking studio in NYC, founded in 1968, offering studio rental, contract printing, residencies, and education programs to contemporary artists, galleries, publishers, and students.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fine Art Printmaking Services

NAICS

Commercial Printing (except Screen and Books) (323111), Commercial Screen Printing (323113), Printing (32311), Support Activities for Printing (32312)

SIC

Service Industries For The Printing Trade (2790), Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro primary industry

Prepress & Composition Services (Typesetting, Layout, Color Management, Proofing) (MPAJALAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Prepress, Plate-Making & Artwork Services (IMALAKAM), Finishing & Post-Press Services (Cutting, Folding, Collating, Laminating, Foil, Emboss) (MPAJALAF)

Keywords

• Fine art printmaking
• Studio rental services
• Artist residency programs
• Printmaking education
• Edition printing services

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Studio Rental: Artists pay for hourly, weekly, or monthly access to professional printmaking facilities. The Printshop offers workspace, tools, equipment, and basic supplies for independently produced projects.
2. Contract Printing Services: Fee-for-service printing for artists and publishers. Digital printing charged per linear inch with additional fees for scans, file work, trimming, packing, and specialty materials.
3. Education Programs: Revenue from classes and workshops offering instruction in printmaking techniques for students, artists, collectors, and the general public.
4. Print Sales and Publishing: Revenue from editions created during publishing residencies, with final editions shared between artists and the organization. Also includes benefit editions and gift shop merchandise.
5. Gift Shop Merchandise: Sales of Printshop merchandise including t-shirts, tote bags, and hats. Proceeds benefit the Printshop's programs.
6. Donations and Grants: Tax-deductible donations from individuals and institutional support from foundations including Milton and Sally Avery Arts Foundation, Jerome Foundation, Andy Warhol Foundation, and public funding from NYSCA and NYC Department of Cultural Affairs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Lower East Side Printshop is a not-for-profit fine art printmaking studio that provides contemporary artists with access to professional screenprint, intaglio, relief printing, monotype, and archival pigmented inkjet printing services. The organization operates studio rental on hourly, weekly, and monthly terms and runs three residency programs (Publishing, Keyholder, and Summer) that combine workspace, stipends, technical assistance from master printers, career development, and public exhibition. Supporting offerings include printmaking classes, workshops, guided tours, internships, and a branded merchandise gift shop that funds the mission.

Product overview

Lower East Side Printshop is a not-for-profit printmaking studio offering a portfolio of interconnected services centered around fine art printmaking. The core offerings include Printing Services (screenprint, intaglio, relief printing, monotype, and archival inkjet) for artists and publishers, and Studio Rental providing professional facilities on hourly, weekly, or monthly basis. The organization supports artists through residency programs including Publishing Residency, Keyholder Residency, and Summer Residency, which provide workspace, stipends, technical assistance, and career development. Educational programming includes Classes & Workshops, Tours & Demos, and Internships for diverse audiences from beginners to accomplished artists. The studio also operates a Gift Shop selling branded merchandise to support programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Printing Services Fee-for-service fine art printing for contemporary artists and publishers. Includes screenprint, intaglio, relief printing, monotype, and archival inkjet printing on an Epson SureColor P8000 with prints up to 42 inches wide; per-linear-inch rates for archival pigmented inkjet ($4.25/linear inch on 24 inch roll; $8.50/linear inch on 44 inch roll) and film printing ($3.50/linear inch on 44 inch roll), plus charges for scans ($30), additional file work ($150/hour), and trimming/packing ($150/hour).
• Studio Rental Independent artists rent access to the Printshop's professional printmaking facilities including workspace, tools, equipment, and basic supplies. Hourly rental is $20/hour (10am-6pm M-F, 12-6pm S-S) with first-time renters requiring a 30-minute Studio Orientation ($50); weekly rental is $200/week (maximum 7 days); monthly rental is $375/month with 24/7 access and includes a storage shelf and flat file drawer when space permits.
• Publishing Residency Invited artists work in collaboration with master printers (including Nathan Catlin, Erik Hougen, and James Miller) to produce new bodies of fine art work that are fully published by the Printshop, with editions shared between the artist and the organization. Notable participants include Kara Walker, Hank Willis Thomas, LaToya Ruby Frazier, Dread Scott, Titus Kaphar, and Erik Lindman.
• Keyholder Residency Selected artists receive studio space and time, financial stipends, technical assistance, career development support, and public exposure to advance their practice at the New York facility.
• Summer Residency Seasonal residency program providing artists with dedicated workspace and time during summer months to develop new bodies of work with access to the Printshop's facilities.
• Classes & Workshops Instructional classes and workshops in printmaking techniques (e.g., the Relief Printmaking Class with Anat Keinan, 4 Thursdays, 6-9pm, $425 including materials and 12 hours of studio time), plus career development workshops, lectures, and artist talks for students, artists, collectors, and the general public. Recent graduates and current students receive a 20% discount.
• Tours & Demos Guided tours and printmaking demonstrations offered to educational groups, students, and visitors to introduce printmaking processes and contemporary art practice.
• Internships Professional development internships (such as the Fall Studio Assistant Internship) for young professionals seeking hands-on experience in arts administration and printmaking studio operations.
• Gift Shop Merchandise Online sale of branded merchandise including t-shirts, tote bags, and hats featuring Printshop branding, including 20th Anniversary Midtown Location commemorative items; sold through PayPal with proceeds supporting the organization's programs.

Quantifiable outcome

• Artists receive stipends, workspace, technical assistance, career development, and public exposure through residency programs

Named customers12 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Dieu Donne PapermillminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with Printshop on co-publishing projects with artists including Jean Shin (Dimensions Variable, 2006) and Juan Sanchez (Cries and Pain, 2000).

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Graphicstudio (University of South Florida): University-affiliated fine-art print and editioning studio producing works with established and emerging artists. Comparable in nonprofit/university-supported fine-art editioning and residency model.
• Universal Limited Art Editions (ULAE): Long Island-based fine-art print workshop with deep history publishing editions with major contemporary artists. Comparable publishing-residency and editioning model with significant artist roster.
• Harlan & Weaver: NYC intaglio printmaking studio publishing editions with contemporary artists. Comparable as a small NYC fine-art print workshop with overlapping artist clientele.
• Magnolia Editions: Oakland-based fine-art printmaking and publishing studio producing editions with contemporary artists. Comparable in artist-publish-residency model and fine-art printmaking services.
• Tamarind Institute: Nonprofit fine-art lithography studio affiliated with the University of New Mexico. Comparable as a nonprofit fine-art editioning organization with master-printer training and residency programs.
• Dieu Donne Papermill: NYC nonprofit papermaking and editioning studio with parallel publishing-residency model. Already noted as a Printshop co-publishing partner; directly comparable in nonprofit fine-art production, scale, and funding profile.
• Crown Point Press: San Francisco-based fine-art intaglio printmaking studio publishing editions with major contemporary artists. Comparable as an established fine-art printmaking studio producing limited editions with notable artists.
• Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop: NYC-based nonprofit printmaking workshop offering studio access, residencies, and editioning. Directly comparable in mission, customer segments (artists and emerging printmakers), and NYC arts-nonprofit funding model.
• Anchor Graphics at Columbia College Chicago: Chicago-based nonprofit fine-art printmaking studio offering residencies, editioning, and education. Comparable in mission, programs, and contemporary-art publishing residency.

Regional players

• Highpoint Editions: Minneapolis-based nonprofit printmaking studio producing limited editions with contemporary artists. Comparable nonprofit fine-art editioning model but serves a different geography than the NYC-based Printshop.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/printshoporg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lesprintshop

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Lower East Side Printshop Inc