Getting To Know PoP Member Printed By Us

Who Are Printed By Us?

We are Printed by Us, an award-winning social enterprise built on one simple idea: creativity can change lives. Through the craft of hand screen printing, we empower people who have experienced homelessness to rebuild confidence, learn new skills, and take their first steps back into employment, volunteering, or education.
Every product we make tells a story. All our clothing is made ethically and organically from 100% fair wear cotton, using water-based inks. Our prints are crafted on premium recycled British card. Everyone in our supply chain is paid a real living wage, and all profits are reinvested into our workshops to grow our impact. Designed by incredible independent artists, printed in-house, and signed by both the artist and printer, our work is all about Printing Positive Change.

Rooted in Sheffield

How It All Began

Printed by Us started when people supported by The Archer Project discovered the power of creativity during their recovery from homelessness. What began as therapeutic screen printing sessions soon became a turning point for building confidence, routine, and transferable skills. From this seed grew a social enterprise offering paid employment in screen printing and retail that continues to thrive today.
Our workspace can be summed up in three words: Creative, Empowering, Growth.

Favourite café or spot to grab a drink and think?

Waterstones Café in Orchard Square. It’s right next door to our workshop, so we often pop over for a change of scenery. It’s run by an amazing group of women and they always have a delicious selection of cakes and drinks.

Go-to restaurant, food truck or hole-in-the-wall gem?

Definitely Feast for lunch They are fiercely independent, from the city and giving back to the city. From ingredients, to taxes, to employment and training, to making sure that everyone gets their fair share. They serve proper comfort food; paninis, jacket potatoes, breakfast butties, and our team loves it. For Dinner, we love Proove. They are one of our neighbours in Orchard Square, and for starters the stone bake pizza oven is straight from Naples! It’s pizza to die for, born in Naples and bred in Sheffield.

Bookshops we love?

Novel and Juno Books, sorry we can’t choose one! Both are independents in Sheffield we’ve collaborated with for custom print jobs. Novel is a bookshop dedicated to sifting through contemporary releases to find the most inspiring, innovative, and thought-provoking books out there, and at the centre of the curation is a diverse list of authors, themes, and publishers. Juno Books is your friendly local feminist and queer community bookshop on Chapel Walk in Sheffield. They are driven by a passion for amplifying marginalised voices, showcasing new work and highlighting independent presses. But most of all, they are here to help you find your new favourite book!

Where do we go to feel inspired?

Our workshop! It’s full of vibrancy, life and memories of our past work, and there’s usually someone printing our newest exciting one!

A local brand, studio or artist you think deserves more attention?

John Pedder! We have worked with him several times, and he’s an incredible artist and an incredible human. His kindness and joy for life radiates in his woodcutting work, and no one does it like him.

Design, Style & Culture

If we had to pick a favourite fashion brand, we’d cheekily say… us!
An accessory our team constantly wears is our badges that read Printing Positive Change. It’s a small accessory, free with every online order, and available to grab in our store, so that we spread our message and joy far and wide!
We’re constantly inspired by Sheffield’s creative scene. Tom J Newell, for example, designed our best-selling C’est La Vie print, bringing his unique style to our collection. Tom is renowned for his intricate hand-drawn illustrations and recognisable bold monochromatic line-work. Tom’s intricate, surreal and detailed work is often inspired by nature, music and myth.
While we value all our tools, the humble squeegee is our unsung hero, without it, none of this would be possible! It helps us work magic every day.
Recently, we invested in a 3D shop sign thanks to a grant we were thrilled to receive. As a social enterprise, we have to be smart about the money we spend, and we often move retail units, so this portable sign feels like a “proper” step forward, giving us a sense of permanence wherever we go.

A print-based product, shop or initiative you admire and want to shout out?

Artworks South Yorkshire. We have worked with them a few times and the work they do is incredible. If you can support them in any way please do.

Print, Books & Film

In our shop, one book is always within reach: The Courage to Be Disliked. It’s a grounding read that reminds us of the power of perspective and resilience. We always keep a few books to hand for our supported staff members, usually based around wellness, mindfulness or of course, screen printing!
A film that has recently influenced our team is Social Enterprising the Transitions Ahead. Our director, Terry Murphy, recently released a short film for the Sheffield Social Enterprise Network, which he leads, highlighting the incredible impact of social enterprises. It moved us deeply and reflects why we do what we do.
Another initiative we really admire and want to shout about is Artworks South Yorkshire. They are an organisation doing fantastic work with creativity and community. ArtWorks aims to challenge people’s perceptions of learning disabilities and autism through celebrating the creativity and ambition of their artists. Their artists are given the opportunity to participate in workshops run by professional creatives that specialise in different mediums ranging from painting and sculpture, to film, photography, animation and performance. The workshops help their artists learn new techniques and create work for exhibitions and projects.