Picture a printshop that is both worker owned AND democratically managed (Union as well). Add to that a commitment to environmentally sustainable practices that includes promoting and educating clients on post-consumer waste recycled papers (they use them as their house sheets) as well as drastically reducing the normal pollutants produced by offset printing by using vegetable oil-based inks and eliminating toxic isopropanol from the printing process. On top of that, add discounts given to peace and social justice organizations. What do you get? Freakin’ rocks is what you get!

Inkworks press has been operating in Berkeley, California for one year longer than I’ve been alive (which makes the organization 31 years old). Since then, they have grown – partnering up with a design firm (Design Action Collective – they rock too btw: www.designaction.org) and a growing a bumpersicker/button/poster wing called New Solidarity. They now have a staff of 20 press-people and produce over $2 million in printing a year. In addition to business, they also interact in a positive way with their community by hosting cultural events and get-togethers. On May Day, when Immigrant groups held massive national rallies, Inkworks press used their premises to host a huge party with live music, dancing, and food.

To me, their continued existence argues that it is possible to create workplaces that work on eliminating the soul-crushing obedience of rigid chains-of-command, seek out connections with community, foster deep responsibility for the environment, and participate in building movements for positive social change.As we at Block Street and Building try to figure out what it means to be socially and environmentally conscious graphic designers, we know we are limited by the fact that a printshop like Inkworks does not exist here in Arkansas. We struggle with things like finding affordable recycled paper that our printers can order.

Its important to recognize, though, that it takes a whole community to create and sustain projects like Inkworks press. They didn’t just pop out from nowhere. They got to be where they are through interacting and participating in local and national movements and struggles. For instance, they rallied to support the community radio station KPFA when it was taken off the air by printing and distributing petitions and flyers and they printed 50,000 “No War on Iraq” window signs. They team up with organizations that promote the growth of “Green” business (Bay Area Green Business Program, Co-op America) and cooperative work structures likeNetwork of Bay Area Cooperatives (NoBAWC, pronounced “No Boss”).This engaged strategy is one that we at BSB have tried to practice as well (albeit at lower levels) through participation in organizations and projects like Art Amiss, the OMNI Center for Peace, Justice & Ecology, the NWA Center for Worker Justice as well as independent local music.

The way I see it, our existence depends on the continued existence of democratic and independent local culture – if all that good stuff goes down, we go down. Our future strategy ought to include figuring out how to better enhance and help support these developments in NWA. Ideas anyone?Read more about Inkworks press

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