About
Glasgow Print Studio is an artist-run printmaking studio and public gallery in the Trongate area of Glasgow, one of Scotland's longest-established centres for contemporary printmaking practice. Unlike a conventional history museum, the organisation functions as a working artistic institution, combining open-access studio facilities for practising printmakers with a public gallery programme, and visitors should understand its nature as an active arts organisation rather than a static historical collection.
Established in the early 1970s as part of a wider movement to provide Scottish artists with access to specialist printmaking equipment and expertise outside formal art school settings, Glasgow Print Studio grew to become one of the most significant open-access print workshops in the United Kingdom, offering facilities for etching, lithography, screenprinting, and other printmaking processes to professional artists, students, and the wider public through structured courses and membership access. The organisation's public gallery presents a changing programme of exhibitions showcasing contemporary printmaking by Scottish and international artists, alongside a print sales gallery offering original prints for purchase, reflecting the studio's dual role as both a working production space and a public-facing cultural venue.
The studio's history is closely tied to the wider development of contemporary Scottish art since the 1970s, and many significant Scottish artists have used its facilities to produce editioned print work over the decades, making the organisation an important, if less widely publicised, part of the infrastructure supporting Scotland's contemporary visual arts sector. Its location within Trongate 103, a building shared with several other Glasgow arts organisations, situates the studio within a wider cluster of contemporary visual arts activity in the city's East End and Merchant City area.
Visitors to Glasgow Print Studio can expect to encounter a genuinely working environment, with the gallery spaces offering the primary point of public access, while the studio areas themselves are generally reserved for member artists, course participants, and organised open studio events, and prospective visitors are encouraged to check the current exhibition and access programme before visiting to make the most of what the organisation has to offer at any given time.
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Plan Your Visit
⏱️ Recommended Visit Duration
💡 Visitor Tips
- Check the current exhibition programme online before visiting, as gallery displays change regularly.
- Remember this is a working studio as well as a gallery — studio areas are generally reserved for member artists and course participants rather than casual visitors.
- Consider booking a printmaking course or workshop if you wish to experience the studio facilities firsthand.
- Combine your visit with the other arts organisations housed within Trongate 103.
- The print sales gallery is a good stop if you are interested in purchasing original contemporary Scottish prints.
- Glasgow Print Studio is well served by public transport in the city centre, making it an easy addition to a wider Glasgow visit.
- Photography policies vary by exhibition; check with staff before photographing specific artworks.
- Combine a visit with the nearby Gallery of Modern Art and Glasgow's East End arts scene.
Highlights
The Public Print Gallery
The studio's public gallery presents a changing programme of exhibitions showcasing contemporary printmaking by Scottish and international artists, offering visitors the primary point of access to the organisation's work and a regularly refreshed view of current developments in printmaking practice.
Open-Access Printmaking Studio
Since its founding in 1972, Glasgow Print Studio has offered open-access facilities for etching, lithography, screenprinting, and other printmaking processes to professional artists, students, and the wider public through structured courses and membership access, making specialist equipment available outside formal art school settings.
Print Sales Gallery
The studio's print sales gallery offers original editioned prints for purchase by visiting artists and members, reflecting the organisation's role in supporting the commercial as well as artistic dimension of contemporary Scottish printmaking practice.
Fifty Years of Scottish Printmaking
The studio's history is closely tied to the development of contemporary Scottish art since the 1970s, and many significant Scottish artists have used its facilities to produce editioned print work over the decades, making the organisation an important part of the infrastructure supporting Scotland's visual arts sector.
Collections
Rather than a fixed historical collection, Glasgow Print Studio maintains a changing programme of contemporary print exhibitions and a sales gallery of original editioned prints by Scottish and international artists, alongside open-access studio facilities for etching, lithography, and screenprinting used by practising artists since 1972.
Print Studio Gallery Programme
A continually changing programme of exhibitions showcasing contemporary Scottish and international printmaking.
Print Sales Collection
An ongoing display and sale of original editioned prints produced by artists working at the studio.
Current Exhibitions
No current exhibitions. Please check the museum website for updates.