More Than Print. Why Black Print Studios Exists.

Hey guys, my name’s Nathan, and as you may or may not know, I run my very own print shop called Black Print Studios that I started when I was 19 years old.

Now, as you know, there are a lot of print shops out there. You click a few buttons, talk to a robot, and a box shows up at your door a few days later. But that’s never really been what this was about for me because Black Print Studios didn’t start as a business plan. It actually started as a school assignment in my early days, with me simply trying to pass a class.

What started as a school assignment with support from one of my professors quickly transitioned into mentorship from the Brampton Entrepreneur Centre, and from there, it quickly transitioned once again into a way that I could create something real and tangible as a graphic designer.

Something that people could hold, see, and feel proud of. Something that actually meant something to the person it was made for, and over time, I realized, it’s not just about the prints. It’s about the people behind them. Their stories, their trials and tribulations, and a reason for them to tell us “This is why I do this.”

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The Part Nobody Sees

What most people don’t see is what happens behind the scenes. The long hours. The sleepless nights. They don’t see the late nights where I’m fixing a design so a client doesn’t waste money on a bad print order. They don’t see the conversations with small business owners who are just trying to get their first flyer out there.

They don’t see the students walking in, unsure of themselves, trying to figure out if they’re even good enough to be in this industry.

This, for me, is where the real work happens.

Not on the machines that decide to give a problem on the very last leg of the order, not the fancy gold foil finishes (which I must say, we absolutely love). It happens with people.

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Working With Students Isn’t Extra. It’s The Point

One of the biggest things that we’ve managed to build with Black Print Studios over the last few years here is our co-op and internship programs with students across the Peel region and Humber College. Because how else are students going to get experience if they’ve never been given a chance?

Every semester, I bring in students who are at completely different levels. Some are confident. Some are just starting. Some don’t even know what direction they want to go in yet, and that’s okay because the expectation was never for them to be perfect.

As a mentor, I’ve been able to guide them through different thought processes, how to solve problems, how to handle client projects, team communications and how to make mistakes and fix them without panicking. Because that’s what the real world actually looks like when you get out there.

I’ve been able to watch students go from being hesitant and anxious about the work they produce to confident enough to build a portfolio, move into their post-secondary academic careers and graduate. That impact has proven to stick with students so they don’t just leave Black Print Studios with “experience.” They leave with a sense of belonging.

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Small Moments That Actually Matter

What people sometimes don’t remember is that not every impact is always big or loud. Sometimes it’s small. It’s helping someone print their first business cards and seeing their reaction when they hold them for the first time.

It’s rushing an order because someone has an event they’ve been planning for months

and forgot that they needed to print something.

It’s fixing a file that someone else would have just printed wrong and charged them anyway.

Those moments don’t show up on our invoices, but they’re the reason people come back.

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What I Want This To Become

Thankfully, with the support of our clients, Black Print Studios is growing. Over the next few months, you will slowly start to see subtle changes, and with that said, we want to build something that actually gives back.

A place where students can come in and learn without feeling anxious. A place where businesses feel supported and understood, and a place that operates with intention. Not just paper and ink with a dollar sign attached, but something that actually means something. Because at the end of the day, if all we do is print, we’ve lost the plot.

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To The Community

If you’ve ever supported Black Print Studios, trusted us with your project, referred someone, or even just followed along and watched the process, that matters more than you probably realize. Because Black Print Studios wasn’t built on transactions. It was built on relationships with people, and with our 6th year of operations underway, we’re just getting started.

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