Edinburgh Printmakers
Edinburgh Printmakers is a Scottish charitable organization operating the UK's first open-access printmaking studio (founded 1967), serving artists, learners, and visitors through studio access, courses, exhibitions, an online print shop, venue hire, and café facilities in Edinburgh.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1967
- HeadquartersEdinburgh, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Edinburgh Printmakers does
Edinburgh Printmakers is a Scottish registered charity (SC009015) that operates the United Kingdom's first open-access printmaking studio, established in 1967 and now one of the largest such facilities in Europe. From its headquarters at Castle Mills — a heritage building in the Fountainbridge area of Edinburgh, formerly a rubber factory and brewery complex — the organisation runs a large light-filled printmaking studio, three galleries, a shop selling original prints, venue hire spaces, a café, a courtyard, and a community garden. It offers printmaking techniques including etching, screenprinting, lithography, relief, digital printing, embossing, and porcelain paper clay, supporting both professional and emerging artists through memberships, courses, and residencies.
The organisation generates revenue from four principal streams: fine art print sales (one-off unit pricing from £48 to over £2,500, with most prints in the £400-£850 band), recurring studio memberships and courses (including online courses delivered via an Odoo platform), venue hire for events and meetings, and on-site café operations. Pricing for prints is supplemented by the Own Art interest-free monthly payment scheme. Distribution is hybrid — a physical gallery and shop open Wednesday to Saturday plus a globally accessible online shop — and the organisation markets through social media (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, YouTube), email newsletters, website content, exhibitions, and earned media.
Edinburgh Printmakers serves multiple customer segments: artists and makers needing access to professional printmaking equipment, creative learners seeking courses and workshops, art collectors purchasing original prints, the local Edinburgh community and visitors, and organisations hiring the venue. Its permanent collection exceeds 1,700 artworks created across six decades, with associated artists represented in Tate, the V&A, MoMA New York, the British Museum, and other major institutions. The organisation is funded through a combination of earned income and grants from Creative Scotland, Edinburgh City Council, Historic Environment Scotland, the Scottish Government, the Turtleton Charitable Trust, and partners such as the Jerwood Foundation and the British Council. Janet Archer serves as CEO.
Edinburgh Printmakers firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Edinburgh Printmakers
- Legal name
- Edinburgh Printmakers
- Website
- https://edinburghprintmakers.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1967
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Edinburgh Printmakers is a Scottish charitable organization operating the UK's first open-access printmaking studio (founded 1967), serving artists, learners, and visitors through studio access, courses, exhibitions, an online print shop, venue hire, and café facilities in Edinburgh.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Edinburgh Printmakers industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Fine Art Printmaking Services
- NAICS
- Printing (32311), Commercial Screen Printing (323113)
- SIC
- Commercial Printing (2750)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Large-Format & Specialty Printing (Signage, Posters, Displays) (MPAJALAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Digital Printing (Short-Run, Variable Data) (MPAJALAC), Security & Specialty Print (Anti-Counterfeit, Secure Docs, Watermarks) (MPAJALAI)
Keywords
Where Edinburgh Printmakers is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Edinburgh
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Edinburgh Printmakers business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Fine Art Print Sales: Sale of original prints created by studio members and visiting artists through online shop and physical gallery. Prints range from £48 to £2,500+.
- Studio Memberships and Courses: Memberships and courses for printmaking access, including online courses via Odoo platform
- Venue Hire: Meeting rooms, events space, and venue available for hire
- Café Operations: On-site café serving visitors to the gallery and studio
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Small format prints and editions |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Mid-range prints and editions |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Premium/large format works |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Edinburgh Printmakers product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Edinburgh Printmakers operates an open-access printmaking studio, three galleries, an online and physical fine art print shop, printmaking courses and memberships, workspace rentals, venue hire, and a café. Founded in 1967, it is the UK's first open-access printmaking studio and one of the largest in Europe, producing and selling original prints created by studio members and visiting artists across techniques including etching, screenprint, lithography, relief, and digital printing.
Product overview
Edinburgh Printmakers is a creative hub for printmaking and visual arts, operating as a multi-facility center in Castle Mills, Edinburgh. The organization offers a unified portfolio centered around its open-access printmaking studio (established 1967), complemented by three galleries for rotating exhibitions, a shop selling original prints, venue hire spaces for events, studio workspaces for artists, printmaking courses (online and in-person), a café, and community garden. The core offering is the printmaking studio, which produces original prints through various techniques including etching, screenprint, lithography, relief, and digital printmaking, all available for sale through the online shop.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Printmaking Studio Open-access printmaking studio offering membership and courses for artists, supporting etching, screenprinting, lithography, relief, digital printing, embossing, and porcelain paper clay techniques. Founded in 1967 as the UK's first open-access printmaking studio and one of the largest in Europe.
- Galleries
Quantifiable outcome
- One of Europe's largest printmaking studios
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Edinburgh Printmakers
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Edinburgh Printmakers technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Edinburgh Printmakers partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Jerwood FoundationcoreJerwood Foundation supports Impressions: Selected Works from Jerwood Collection exhibition featuring 20 works by internationally renowned artists. The partnership includes Jerwood Residencies at Edinburgh Printmakers awarding six early career printmakers opportunities to develop etching and intaglio skills over two years.
- Studio LizonneminorInterior design company partnered with Edinburgh Printmakers to curate prints for Grove House Hotel, dressing the new hotel on Grove Street in Edinburgh.
- British CouncilcoreBritish Council partnered with Edinburgh Printmakers through Scottish Print Network on Below Another Sky project, providing travelling scholarship and residency for Louise Hopkins. Project funded artists to travel and create new work.
- Scottish Print NetworkminorJoint project partner for Below Another Sky travelling scholarship and residency program.
- Creative ScotlandcoreCore public funding body supporting Edinburgh Printmakers operations and programs.
- Edinburgh City CouncilcoreCore public funding body supporting Edinburgh Printmakers operations.
- Historic Environment ScotlandminorPublic body supporting the organization's heritage building restoration and operations.
- Scottish Government/CulturecoreCore public funding body supporting Scottish cultural organizations.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Edinburgh Printmakers competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Glasgow Print Studio: Artist-led screenprint and printmaking studio in Glasgow with gallery, courses, and editions. Strong Scottish peer with very similar service mix and institutional funding model.
- Spike Print Studio: Open-access printmaking studio in Bristol offering studio access, courses, exhibitions, and print sales. Closest UK analogue to Edinburgh Printmakers in mission, scale, and community-driven creative-hub model.
- Birmingham Print Studio: Open-access printmaking facility in Digbeth, Birmingham providing workshop access, education, and exhibition programmes. Directly comparable to EP as another UK artist-led printmaking charity with public funding support.
- Highpoint Center for Printmaking: Minneapolis-based non-profit open-access printmaking studio offering residencies, education, and editions. International peer with comparable mission, residency programmes, and gallery-prints-sales model.
- London Print Studio: Charity-run printmaking studio in London offering access to facilities, courses, and editions services. Comparable operating model and use of public/arts council funding to support printmaking practice.
- Hot Bed Press: Artist-led printmaking studio in Salford offering open-access facilities and exhibitions. Similar non-profit printmaking workspace model with membership-driven revenue.
- Artichoke Printmaking Studio: London-based studio providing printmaking courses, editions, and access to etching/relief techniques. Direct competitor in fine-art printmaking education and editions services.
Regional players
- Peacock Arts (Aberdeen) / Peacock Printmakers: Scottish printmaking studio and gallery in Aberdeen. Closest Scotland-based peer; comparable open-access and gallery operations though at smaller scale.
Broad incumbents
- Leach Pottery (Leach 100) / ULAE analogue: Universal Limited Art Editions: Well-established fine-art print publishing studio producing editions with leading contemporary artists. Comparable mission of supporting fine-art printmaking via artists' editions, but operates at higher-end commercial scale.
Emerging players
- Create London / Bow Arts: Artist-studio provider and creative hub in London. Comparable model of artist workspaces plus public programmes, though broader visual arts rather than printmaking-specific.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Edinburgh Printmakers social profiles
Digital presenceEdinburgh Printmakers financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Edinburgh Printmakers leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Edinburgh Printmakers funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Edinburgh Printmakers 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 Edinburgh Printmakers
What does Edinburgh Printmakers do?
Edinburgh Printmakers operates an open-access printmaking studio, three galleries, an online and physical fine art print shop, printmaking courses and memberships, workspace rentals, venue hire, and a café. Founded in 1967, it is the UK's first open-access printmaking studio and one of the largest in Europe, producing and selling original prints created by studio members and visiting artists across techniques including etching, screenprint, lithography, relief, and digital printing.
Is Edinburgh Printmakers a public or private company?
Edinburgh Printmakers is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Edinburgh Printmakers founded?
Edinburgh Printmakers was founded in 1967. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Edinburgh Printmakers based?
Edinburgh Printmakers is headquartered in Edinburgh, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Edinburgh Printmakers make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Fine Art Print Sales are the primary driver. The others are studio Memberships and Courses, venue Hire and café Operations.
Who are Edinburgh Printmakers's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Glasgow Print Studio, Spike Print Studio, Birmingham Print Studio, Highpoint Center for Printmaking, London Print Studio, Hot Bed Press and Artichoke Printmaking Studio. Peacock Arts (Aberdeen) / Peacock Printmakers is listed as a regional player. Leach Pottery (Leach 100) / ULAE analogue: Universal Limited Art Editions is listed as a broad incumbent. Create London / Bow Arts is listed as an emerging player.
Does Edinburgh Printmakers have an API?
No public API is recorded for Edinburgh Printmakers.
What industry is Edinburgh Printmakers in?
Edinburgh Printmakers's product category is Fine Art Printmaking Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJALAD, Large-Format & Specialty Printing (Signage, Posters, Displays), with a secondary code of MPAJALAC, Digital Printing (Short-Run, Variable Data). Its NAICS code is 32311 and its SIC code is 2750.