From Idea to Impact: The Story of Printed by Us 🎨

Like all good stories, ours started with a simple idea, some creativity, and a passion to help people.

Printed by Us was (and still is) about second chances, creativity, and making meaningful employment possible for people overcoming hardship.

Here’s how we got here.

🎬 2015: The Seed of an Idea

It all started when Mark Musgrave and Rich Wells from Yoomee came to Terry at Archer Project with a thought:
Could we use screen printing as a mindful activity for people experiencing homelessness?

The concept was simple but powerful:

• Print donated designs

• Sell the prints and products

• Reinvest the profits into running more workshops

It struck a chord. And the timing couldn’t have been better.

🌱 2016: Taking Root

At the same time, Archer Project had just received funding for a six-month pilot to explore better pathways into employment for people in recovery.

Terry, Morgan Killick, and James co-produced a programme that combined creativity, structure, and skill-building. The result? Let’s set up our own enterprise, incubated within Archer Project but managed independently to allow for a smoother transition into paid opportunities. It became clear there was a gap in support for people who had reached stability, but struggled to move forward without access to meaningful employment, often ending up back at square one.

That summer, Printed by Us officially launched with a small series of workshops producing the first ever prints:

• High Hopes by Lisa Maltby

• Houseplants by Sarah Abbot

• Strong and Northern by Rich Wells

• Adventure is Calling by The Level Collective & Mark Van Leeuwen

• 6 Donkeys by James Green
  

Our first ever online launch followed in the autumn, and we debuted at a Christmas Peddler Market. We were off.

👕 2017: From Workshop to Workplace

By 2017, we weren’t just running screen printing workshops, we were paying people for their work.

We started producing t-shirts and mugs, and slowly shifted from a wellbeing activity into a sustainable employment pathway.

🎨 2018: Big Breaks and Bigger Ideas

We collaborated with the amazing Pete McKee for his “This Class Works” exhibition.

We also expanded and Printed by Us Leeds was born, extending our impact beyond Sheffield.

Our first big t-shirt launch was this year, with the release of the “Peak District Association Society” by Rich Wells.

Custom printing started to take off too, with early commissions for designs from the likes of Acorn Housing Union, Loom, and Swim Feral.

🏆 2019: Recognition Rolls In

This was a big year for the team! James won Small Business Personality of the Year at the Sheffield Star Awards. We also took home Social Enterprise of the Year at the Homeless Link Awards.

The work was getting noticed, but more importantly, the impact was growing.
2019 was also the start of our collaboration with the incredible Kid Acne, releasing a range of limited edition prints and t-shirts featuring the “Stick to the Plan” design.

🏪 2020: Our First Shop

Coming out of the first lockdown after trying times, we opened our first ever shop in Meadowhall.

It gave us a space to showcase our work and gave our staff a visible, public place to be proud of. Our visibility grew, and valuable partnerships formed.

📈 2021: Growing Fast

We moved shops in Meadowhall a few times, and launched “One Run”, our biggest custom printing campaign to date, with personalised t-shirts tied to fundraising events.

That same year, Emily joined the team as Print, Retail & Design Lead, bringing even more creative energy into the workshop.

🏙️ 2022: Moving Into the City

A big year for us! We moved into Orchard Square, opening our first city centre residency alongside our pop up Meadowhall space.

The exposure helped us build stronger local ties and a proper community hub.

🔁 2023: Transitions and Growth

At the end of an era, we closed our Meadowhall shop and said goodbye to some wonderful people and spaces. But at the same time, we had the exciting opportunity to move into a bigger unit within Orchard Square. This marked a monumental moment for us, as we were finally able to open our very own print workshop due to our dedicated crowdfunders and the space given to us by Orchard Square. This meant we were able to have more creative control over our products, and could produce at ease!

We also had the exciting opportunity to create a one-off custom print for the Tate Modern!

This year, we also had Sian join us as Social Enterprise Lead, bringing structure and vision during a year of big change.

💡 2024: Creativity and Community

In 2024, we went fully screen printed. Every product, every print, is made by hand. We finetuned our method, and in turn became more sustainable and eco friendly.

We were thrilled to welcome Evie as our Marketing Coordinator, helping us share how brilliant Printed by Us is with even more people.

Two of our long-standing supported team members, Chris and Lee, were also offered roles as peer mentors at The Archer Project, which was a proud milestone for all of us.

And to kick off the new year, we launched our public workshops, giving our amazing community the chance to experience the creativity, calm, and purpose that screen printing brings to everything we do.

Early on in the year, we had the opportunity to collaborate with Richard Hawley to create our limited edition “Tonight the Streets are Ours” Print & T-Shirt!

In this busy year, we also Moved onto Chapel Walk and said goodbye to Danielle, one of our earliest champions, as she moved on to work in the security team in Orchard Square!

Our custom print highlights included, University of Sheffield’s Festival of the Mind & Off the Shelf t-shirts, the Women of Steel fundraiser print with the Lord Mayor and the Novel bookshop tees!

💬 2025: What’s Next?

This year, it feels like we’re planting even more seeds.

We’ve launched recovery-focused screen printing workshops, hosted a Sheffield Creative Mornings session with Rich Wells, and explored new ways to use creativity to support health and wellbeing. Behind the scenes, there’s plenty more brewing, from new team members to fresh collaborations.

Stay tuned. It’s growing.

🧡 A Final Word

Printed by Us has never been just about printing. It’s about people, second chances, and making things with care and purpose.

From those first donated designs in a summer workshop to where we are now, our story is shaped by the people who’ve joined, printed, supported, and believed in the idea.

Whether you’ve been with us from day one or just discovered us now, thank you. You're part of this story too.