Seattle Printworks

Calling all business owners!

• "What should I print first for my business?" We'd recommend business cards or info / promotional material
• "How do I stand out with print?" Look into some letterpress finishing ideas like metallic foiling, emboss or deboss
• "What's worth investing early on?" Business card masters—printing in bulk up front provides better cost efficiency and quicker turnarounds later on

We get a lot of the same questions in the shop—so we're starting a little series.

Today's question: Why do my colors look different when printed?

Your screen uses light (RGB), while print uses ink (CMYK), which means color can shift depending on how the file is set up. We always do our best to adjust and get things as close as possible to the original, but this is where a hard copy proof comes in handy before printing the whole project.

Got a question? Drop it in the comments!

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August Highlights ⛱️

August was all about making your ideas look good on paper—and we've been printing some pretty fun projects!

• Custom Seattle tourist maps
• Gold foiled business cards
• Custom DVD slipcases
• Illustrated bookmarks
• And plenty more!

From everyday business essentials to totally custom pieces, we love helping our customers turn great ideas into something you can hold, share, and keep.

What are you printing next?

Getting married or throwing an event? Save this!

• "When should I order invitations?" The earlier the better! Best to plan on a couple weeks before so we aren't rushing in the eleventh hour
• "What details actually matter most?" Getting proof approval early, opting for a hard copy proof before printing and communication is key
• "Is letterpress finishing worth it?" It absolutely can be—it takes a little longer to produce, is an investment but makes your project memorable

We're happy to answer questions and help you throughout every part of the process.

Let's do a Q&A—drop your quesitons below!

If you've ever had a question about printing (file setup, paper types, timelines, anything), ask it here. We'll answer as many as we can (and probably turn a few into posts).

No such thing as a dumb question, we've seen it all!

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Case Study: EchoMark

We're proud to work with innovative companies right here in the Pacific Northwest, including EchoMark, a Seattle-area cybersecurity startup helping organizations protect their most sensitive information.

Founded by Microsoft veteran Troy Batterberry, EchoMark has developed technology that embeds invisible forensic watermarks into emails and documents, allowing organizations to identify the source of an information leak—even if someone snaps a photo of a screen. Their platform combines advanced computer vision, natural language analysis, and seamless integrations to help businesses stay one step ahead of insider threats.

From startups to enterprise organizations, it's inspiring to see local companies tackling complex challenges with smart, practical solutions.

Thank you, EchoMark, for trusting us with your printing needs and for helping make the Seattle tech community stronger every day.

July Highlights 🍦

Wrapping up July with some favorites! This month brought a little bit of everything—from custom notepads and coffee shop trifolds to fresh business cards, table tents, self-published books, and so much more.

Whether you're launching something new, refreshing your brand, stocking your shelves, or bringing a big idea to life, we love helping make it happen.

Thanks for trusting us with your projects this month—we can't wait to see what August has in store!

If you're sending something to print, save this:

File setup is where most issues start, even when the design is solid. The most common things we see are:
- No bleed
- Low resolution files
- RGB colors (instead of CMYK)
- Text too close to the edge

None of these are huge problems on their own, but together they can lead to prints that feel slightly off (and no one wants that after putting in the work.) If you have questions, feel free to reach out to us! That's what we're here for.