Everything old is cool again.

Artisanal trades are seeing a revival, and for good reason.

You develop a strong sense of pride when you run a business that relies on artistry. That pride comes from equal parts showmanship and relief, and when you’ve been in business for more than a century, it ends up deeply rooted in your DNA. In an increasingly-technological world, artists from puppeteers to interior decorators are finding confidence to stick to their hand sourced, hand made guns. Thanks to an unlikely marriage of artistry and technology, vendors like Etsy and Shopify have actually shrunken the eCommerce globe for thousands of artists.

Many people today, especially millennials, are placing a high value on artisanal goods. Low volumes and high overhead of smaller shops tend to make items more expensive than simpler, mass-produced wears. That said, there’s no shortage of buyers, and even fewer haters.

Non-conformists unite.

Speaking to the purse strings of more recent generations, artisanal goods are seen as not conforming to contemporary development and production processes, even with current artisanal production moving away from purely traditional methods. As things have evolved to incorporate innovative practices, there’s a perceived value that hides in the details. A true artisan’s willingness to experiment, and their quick ability to integrate new solutions into their products and processes is seen as part of the artisanal spirit. Click here to read more about that!

The modern revival celebrates uniqueness. It celebrates those who master the nuance of craft, and it weeds out the copycats, providing “processed” versions of artisanal goods to the masses.

Milleni-all-together-now.

A strong element of today’s artisanal trade is the vast sense of community that exists. The inclusivity of the artisanal culture feeds well into the Millennial want for a more diverse American society. Crowd-funded products and grass-roots-driven brands are increasingly in favor, with a mutually-beneficial interest in promoting one another.

The food and beverage industries have seen a very strong craft resurgence, especially in craft beer production and farmed goods. Brands that value a strong, conscientious, sense of global awareness rise to the top, while those who see each other as obstacles to success can raise red flags. The craft beer market is one realm where hyper local brands actually strength an “us against them” market place, fending off takeovers by global brands.

Gimme a second-hand.

The popularity of vintage clothing and shifting consumer attitudes towards second-hand value is ushering in an appreciation for anything realizing its second life. Old things, especially anything distressed, weathered or repurposed, are increasingly popular with young people. While technology is helping to drive awareness and community, people are getting sick of looking at computer screens. The electronic trends of this generation don’t emulate the sci-fi world that the future was is imagined to be. Rather, they reflect the past.

That said, technology is still making everyone better, including artisans.

The pre-1900’s arts and craft movement also grew largely out of a concern for the industrial effects on traditional crafts. That said, technology has started to show signs of value this time around. Collaboration between artisans was never before what it is today.  Many operated in silo’s, unaware of the techniques and processes gaining traction in other countries and continents. Many sales of artisanal goods were either made locally, or through trade vendors, which left the artisans even more isolated.

In today’s socially-connected landscape, it takes little effort to share photos or videos of ones products, and electronic storefronts are easier than ever to marry your products with sales channels. Collaboration is now available for knowledge transfer, workshops, classes and instructional videos, and with a world brought closer through technology, the artisanal flame is being fanned heartily.

There’s nothing wrong with a one-trick pony.

One great advent of the resurgence for artisanal brands is a lowered sense of pressure to meet the demands of a complete supply chain. In the printing industry, that means being able to focus on what you do best. Not every printer has on-hand equipment to full print and finish jobs of every size. It opens the door to network with specialists who see niche markets as their own artisanal playground, and it makes work better.

While we tend to do the vast majority of our work in-house, knowing we have an industry of printing partners to help whenever we need to step into unknown practices. That opens the doors for great relationships within the industry at large.

What does this mean to us? What should it mean to you?

For us, it’s something to celebrate. Part excitement and part nostalgia. Stories that go generations back, when our parents and grandparents learned the printing trade far before the legal working age. It makes us remember the first time our grandfather lent us his apron. When you add in he sights, sounds and smells of a print shop, it makes every new project more exciting.

For you, we hope it means something different. That it instills a little intrigue. We hope it sheds some light on how we see our business. That it shows you why we’re so different from other printers – that we do more than run a copy shop. We create. Explore. Refine. We’re artisans, through and through. When you send us a request for a quote, it’s yet another chance to take pride in what we do.

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