'Footprint is a worker co-operative based at Cornerstone Resource Centre, Chapeltown, Leeds.
Footprint was set up in July 2000 to provide printing services to the highest possible ethical and environmental standards. We also strive to make our printing as affordable as possible and offer a wide range of quality depending on your budget and the desired look and feel of your printed matter. We are a team of five members. All members are directors of the company.
We offer membership to all trained workers.
We currently use three printing presses:A two-colour Riso MZ970. 600 dpi A3 digital duplicator with capacity to print using black, green, blue, red, orange yellow and flourescent pink ink.A Riso RZ970E. 600 dpi digital duplictor which uses the same colour drums.A Ricoh pro C'
http://www.footprinters.co.uk/
Footprint is a worker coop print company that was set up in the late 1990's to produce print aspects. Set up by environmental activists. The coop was started as they workers inherited a printing press but over time this was became a wasteful, breaking, un-eco machine due to the old style of the mechanics so instead they purchased riso printer. This printing fit more with the ethical practice of the coop, the ideology fo the coop is to create a printing system that doesn't harm or have any negative effect on the community or world. This printing medium allows the coop to print in a wide variety of colors as this printing press work via the same method of screen print but is a digital screen print rather than by hand as being more environmentally friendly due to less waste and low energy running cost.
A ethical sustainable practice is a major feature in the coops manifesto they also make sure they use only 100% recycled paper stock unless given by the client, whilst also aiming to use recycled energy, don't work with large environmental energy companies like BT or Scottish power . A big part of their work is working with other coops, this is as the moral of the coop is to help other worker and hare the work/profits so working with other coops allow this network to expands, other coops get 10% printing at the company. As well as using recycled paper the company aims to recycle all their wast, including recycling all of the ink cartridges, 1% of annual turn over goes to seed company to give back to the environment. Riso printing was selected as it's easy to use but also as the inks are soya based so it's better for the environment as well as due to low energy running cost, by they are imported but minimal waste is created.
They heavily work with Leeds zine fair, and producing zines is a major part of the business. This is as riso printing allow cheap mass production of the zine. Pick two, cheap, fast or good, with printing only two of these aspects can be done at once due to restriction in the business.
RECYCLED PRINTING
The printing press has strong moral principles for all the worker as well and the coop in general of sustainability, ethical practices and making their printing as viable with these ethics as possible. Being a coop means it worked and owned by the members and workers instead of by a owner/boss who would again all the profit, instead everyone is paid a fair wage which is worked out by the workers as well. Created in the 1900's to deal with the change of the labor industry, as a form of rebellion against the way society was taking advantage of the workers, with bad condition and exploitation the worker formed trade unions. This movement then created working coops to create their own businesses run like footprint. Everything is decided by the workers, no large profits for one person, no share holder, wealth for you and your community this is show by the 10% discount they give to the other coops in effort to support other coops, they also give larger discount to many charitable companies.
The coop is situated in the basement of a housing coop in Leeds, as they are fit in a coop don't pay rent to the other coop. As a business they have a very low staff turn over which is as they create a very good relationships between the members the coop nature eradicated the boss worker vibes.
ROCHDALE RULES
The printing press works of the basis is that its run by the members, these are the people who use and work the service also own and run it, the service is democratically own. Management can be an be decided on in the coop or in the case of footprint as it's a small coop of only 5 members everyone is given a equal share in the decision making process. Everyone in footprint is director of the company, all 5 of them. This is done so no-one loses out on any decisions being made as if there is any issues it made sure all compromise are made, it's a very different to place to work compared to every other work place you're not just doing something as your told to, everything has reason. EVERYTHING IS DONE FOR A PURPOSE OR BECAUSE ITS THE RIGHT THING TO DO, rather than just because you are told.
As a business the printing press make limited profit but what profit they do make the members have control of totally. There is also not unpaid workers, so there is no unpaid internships, don't want to take labor without payment as they feel this isn't fair practice. Members get paid more than minimum wage this is decided on by how much by the workers, due to the ethics of the business 50p an hour for their wages go to helping the community, donated to charities.
If the press don't agree with the content they wont print it, simple as that, if the content is uncomfortable with any of the members no one will print it, it's all decided if it can be printed as a collective. Most of their work is art work recently or political campaign, or self publishers. They take part in Leeds zine fair, see themselves as part of the self publishing community, biggest customers are zines . Most of their business comes from having regular customers and clients , other coops know about in coop circles due to worker communication. The also produce a lot of band printing, like record sleeve or posters as this a cheap from of printing styles. 'We are hippies and punks.'
As well as printing the coop also host and make website for companies.
Relay heavily on social media, post events on Instagram and Facebook. Having a wide following on these site allow them to gain more and more free publicity, they have a heavy interaction with the sites to improve this network medium. The more people are aware of their work the more client they have, the more they can donate to charitable causes as feeding back into the community is a driving aspect of the presses aims.
FOOTNOTES - semi irregular new zine from footprint workers coop
No comments:
Post a Comment