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Eleven inks in the cabinet, each with a temperament. This page exists because choosing two of them is the real design decision, and because we got tired of describing colors over the phone like poets. Press R anywhere on the site to preview remixes.
the house signature
The reason half our clients find us. Prints radioactive on white, electric on kraft, and overprints with everything. Fades in direct sun within months, prints like a dream for years on the shelf.
Lightfastness: poor. Personality: unhinged. Overprints: everything.
the workhorse
Our default for anything that needs to be read. Strong halftones, clean type, photographs like a mood. The most professional ink we stock, which is not the compliment it sounds like.
Lightfastness: excellent. Personality: reliable. Overprints: most things.
the crowd pleaser
Named for the legume, not the coffee. Warm enough to feel friendly, dark enough to stay readable. Pairs beautifully with sunset orange if you want people to feel hungry.
Lightfastness: good. Personality: sociable. Overprints: warm inks.
the warm one
The ink that makes designers feel like they invented something. Over the years it has printed more band posters in this city than any other color.
Lightfastness: fair. Personality: enthusiastic. Overprints: blue, green.
the cool one
Reads almost like a cyan but with a green heart. Excellent on cream stock. The teal scandal of 2024 was its cousin; this one is the well-behaved sibling.
Lightfastness: fair. Personality: calm. Overprints: red, black.
the moody one
Purples split rooms. This one is deep enough to read as near-black on thin stock and lush on cotton rag. Beautiful with gold, dramatic with pink, and worth it.
Lightfastness: good. Personality: theatrical. Overprints: gold, pink.
the loud one
Truer red than most shops stock. Prints hot without going orange. Our go-to for anything that needs to be seen from across the street.
Lightfastness: good. Personality: direct. Overprints: blue, gold.
the quiet one
A dark forest green that behaves almost like a second black. Does most of the work and none of the showing off.
Lightfastness: excellent. Personality: reserved. Overprints: subtle with everything.
the honest one
Real soy-based black, slightly warm. For type, ledgers, and work that wants to look serious about itself. Every drum gets a turn with it eventually.
Lightfastness: excellent. Personality: earnest. Overprints: darkens everything.
the difficult one
Gorgeous, slow, and a menace in the drum. Dries slower than anything on the shelf, so gold jobs get their own schedule and their own warnings.
Lightfastness: good. Personality: high-maintenance. Overprints: violet, scarlet.
the cautionary tale
Retired in 2024 after a window display faded it to pond water in six weeks. Kept on the shelf as a reminder and because someone always asks. The answer is no.
Lightfastness: we have been burned. Personality: regrettable. Overprints: never again.
pink + blue
The classic. Where they overlap, you get a third color we did not buy. Our most-printed combination and the one on our business cards.
pink + sun
Loud, warm, and unreadable at small sizes. Perfect for posters, forbidden for text. We enforce this rule with love.
blue + green
The understudy black for nature work. Rich, deep, and every bit as readable as soy black with twice the personality.
The pair chart
Fifty-five possible pairs on the shelf. These are the nine we run most, with what the overlap actually looks like. The full chart prints free at open studio.
| Pair | Overlap reads as | Best used for | House verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| pink + blue | deep violet | everything, honestly | the house classic |
| pink + sun | hot coral | posters, never text | loud in the best way |
| pink + green | warm brown | botanical work | underrated |
| pink + black | plum shadow | type + accent layouts | reliable drama |
| blue + green | pine | nature, maps | the second black |
| blue + orange | muddy slate | avoid, mostly | we argue annually |
| orange + violet | burnt wine | autumn work | seasonal favorite |
| red + blue | purple-black | gig posters | never boring |
| violet + gold | bronze shadow | night garden series | worth the babysitting |
Open studio Thursdays is the cheapest way to try any pair on the shelf.