Footprint Studio and Printer came in to talk to us about how they run their business, what it's like to be part of a co-operative, and a bit about their own work and processes.
These are the notes I made:
- 90% of their work is riso printed, as it's a straightforward process
- Riso printing is like digital screen printing, and it's more environmentally friendly
- They use 100% recycled papers, and use environmentally friendly energy providers too
- They only ship within the UK to save their carbon footprint
- They're part of Bradford Waste Chasers
- They recycle all their paper and ink cartridges
- Treesponsibility - they send someone over to the wilderness of Hebden Bridge once a year
- They are a workers co-op, which means they are owned and managed by the workers
- They decide their own conditions and how they work
- They aren't aiming to make a huge profit for one person or shareholders
- They are run democratically
- The workers can elect a management committee or each worker can take part in the running
- Each member is a director of the company
- Decision are all for everyone's benefit. Nobody loses out
- You're never doing something because someone wants you to do it
- They decide what they want to do with the profit Footprint makes
- They don't have unpaid internships
- Every worker gets paid equally and on an hourly rate
- 50p per hour they work goes into a donation pot which they can decide what to do with it and who to give it to
- They give a standard 10% discount to other co-ops and to grass root campaigns
- Work comes mainly from individual artists, self publishers and small businesses
- You can take time off as and when you need to, even large chunks of time, without asking anyone's permission or having a reason
- They have regular and returning customers
- Hippies and punks like them as so are they
- They print record and CD sleeves for bands a lot
- Footprint goes to zine fairs all over the UK and sometimes takes their equipment with them to demonstrate
- They produce a semi-irregular newsletter zine
- They can also code websites
- They rely on social media a lot: they use Facebook to create events, Instagram to post pretty photographs of their work, and Twitter for collecting debts. They also have an old MySpace account floating around from back in the day they've forgotten the log in details to
- They're based in the basement of a housing co-op in Chapel Town so they don't pay any rent. Because of their base they don't have any way of expanding which they like as it means they can't spread themselves too thin. If they wanted to expand they would have to move.
- They are also dabbing in screen printing although the equipment takes up a lot of room
- Footprint has a very low staff turnover, they all have good relationships with one another. The latest member to join had been there for a couple of years
- Footprint also doesn't print for any political party as they don't want to be associated with any of them
- Their riso inks are soya based
- They also have inks made of banana leaves which have come from Japan (they are expensive and increases their carbon footprint but once they have them in stock they're very environmentally friendly)
- Footprint also like people bringing in their own stock to print on
Evaluation
It was so interesting to understand how a co-operative works as I've never known of one before and don't know how they work so it was so interesting to hear that this is the way someone works.
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