PAINTER OF THE NORTH.

ART
Peter James Houghton paints the North’s industrial landscape.

Explore

0.014 MEGAPIXELS.

PHOTOGRAPHY
The photographer swapping 4K cameras for a Nintendo Game Boy.

View

THE INDEPENDENT PAPER SHOW.

EVENT
A showcase of new papers, creative printing and innovative crafting comes to Manchester this June.

Visit

FLATPACK PLAYGROUND.

DESIGN
UK-based charity Playrise designs a modular playground for children in refugee camps.

Play

A CITY MADE OF PAPER.

CRAFT
Charles Young's growing paper city, colour-matched to a Japanese palette guide.

Discover

HOW DO YOU STAY HUMAN?

PODCAST
Creative Boom’s podcast returns to ask how we stay human as AI reshapes everything around us.

Listen

I almost didn’t write this one. March has genuinely been one of the quieter months at PREST, and I wasn’t sure there was enough to say. But consistency matters, so here we are.

A lot of my energy this month has gone into my day job. Plenty of overtime, and I even picked up a promotion along the way, which is great news but hasn’t exactly freed up more time for making. Things have been moving slow, and I’m making peace with that.

So, here’s what’s been in the works at PREST this month.

TLDR: A custom order. Social media strategy. New Risograph samples.

✏️ A custom order
Last month I mentioned a custom order for @DannyTriesThings. I've finally got the materials in and I've been getting on with making it. It's been a nice project to have on the bench during a quieter month, something concrete to work on while other things tick along in the background.

📱 Making sense of social media
I’ve been feeling the pressure around social media for a while, so this month I sat down and worked out a proper content strategy for PREST. I’ve landed on five content pillars that should make things feel a little simpler. I’m calling it the 5 Ms.

• Maker: Me and my story. Outward-facing and honest. Insights from a maker, the realities of building something from scratch, and how it actually feels.

• Making: The craft itself. Process-led, hands-on content that puts the work front and centre. Maybe some ASMR bits.

• Made: The finished product. Campaign quality images, detail shots, the kind of thing that makes you want to pick up a PREST exercise book. I’m not great at this yet.

• Mind: The thinking behind PREST. Material choices, decisions, the thought and reasoning that doesn’t always make it onto the product page.

• Mission: Anti-doomscrolling. Why creativity and making matters. School donations, arts funding, and the bigger picture behind what I’m building.

Having a framework makes it easier to plan without the blank page panic. I’m sure these will merge and change as time goes on but it already feels a bit more manageable.

🎨 New Risograph samples
The shade of blue on the Batch 001 postcards has been bothering me for a while, but Risograph colours are predefined so it's not a case of just tweaking a hex code. The printer I used originally just doesn't have the blue I'm after, so I've sourced a new printer and got some new samples in. There’s a shade I'm happy with, so I'll be sending the next postcards off for print very soon.

THE TOOLS WE FORGET TO SEE.

ART
Hugo Rocci’s paintings ask you to look properly at the things you use every day.

View

THE MATCHBOOK BOOK.

BOOK
A son inherits his father's matchbook collection. CentreCentre turns it into a book.

Read

THE COLOUR OF MONEY.

DESIGN
Why are Pantone colours so expensive? And can anything replace them?

Watch

BASKERVILLE'S PUNCHES.

CRAFT
The University of Cambridge have digitised 3,000 hand-cut steel punches behind one of history's most influential typefaces.

Discover

HE SHOOTS, HE SCORES.

PHOTOGRAPHY
Austin Bell’s five-year quest to document every outdoor basketball court in Hong Kong.

Explore

A LITTLE LIBRARY.

CRAFT
The V&A unboxes some of the world’s tiniest books.

Watch

THE MOUNTAIN, THE MOON CAVE AND THE SAD GOD.

ANIMATION
Gorillaz unveil their new hand-drawn short film.

Enjoy

PINTS, PRAYERS AND HORSE RACING.

PHOTOGRAPHY
Martin Parr captures rural Ireland in the 1980s.

View

CURLING'S STONE ISLAND.

SPORT
Every Olympic curling stone comes from one tiny Scottish island, and you can own a piece.

Part 1 • Part 2

SMALL WORLD.

CRAFT
Michael Pederson makes tiny scenes in the cracks of everyday city streets.

Discover

PENCILS BEFORE PIXELS.

DESIGN
Matteo Di Iorio makes the case for sketching before you open any software.

Read

LOWRY SPEAKS.

ART
Ian McKellen lip-syncs to newly unearthed recordings of LS Lowry.

Watch

February's been a full one, but not always in the PREST sense. A couple of trips away to the Peak District and Belfast plus some overtime in my day job have meant things have been moving a little slower than I'd like (no change there). But slower doesn't mean stopped, and there's still plenty to report.

So, here’s what’s been in the works at PREST this month.

TLDR: Sold out. A new collaboration. Pocket-sized trials. A custom order. Pizza party.

📦 Sold out
The seconds sale for Batch 001 is done and dusted. Every last order has been posted, and I'm really pleased with how it went. It's a good feeling knowing those books have found a home rather than sitting unused in a box or going in the bin. Thanks to everyone who picked one up. I’ll be aiming for fewer seconds on the next batch.

🤝 A new collaboration
I recently met up with a local urban sketcher who's going to be illustrating the next postcard for Batch 002. I'm not ready to reveal who it is just yet, but I’m excited to see what they produce for it. One major learning from this process is that the lead times for commissions and printing are long, so it’s definitely something I'll need to get ahead of for future batches.

📘 Pocket-sized trials
I mentioned this in last month's newsletter, and I've been quietly getting on with it. I've been testing out a pocket-sized format, smaller, more portable, something you can just slip into a jacket pocket (pictured above). Still early days but it's feeling promising.

✏️ A custom order
I've been approached by an early PREST customer, @DannyTriesThings, to create some books for a new project he's starting soon. I love this kind of thing, making something specific to fit someone’s vision. I’ll be getting some materials for this ordered very soon so more details to follow as the project takes shape.

🍕 Pizza party
On a personal note, I continued my pizza-making this month by cooking for 16 people. I knew it was ambitious, and the weather did its best to make things difficult, but I do love the feeling of feeding a crowd. Admittedly the dough wasn’t the best, but it was definitely good experience. Worth every soggy minute.

SQUAT PORTRAITS.

PHOTOGRAPHY
Rediscovered portraits of 1970s East London squatters.

View

AUTO AMORE OPEN CALL.

ART
Make work on an Auto Amor board, then submit it for UK exhibitions.

Create

PRINTS. PINTS. UTOPIA.

EXHIBITION
Trackie McLeod’s reimagines the working men’s club as an art installation.

Visit

WOMAN AT WORK.

BOOK
A new monograph on the designer who shaped Britain’s road signs.

Read

TEXTILE BAKES.

TEXTILES
Lee Jimin makes toast out of delicate textiles.

Eat

DAVID’S DAILY IDEAS.

DESIGN
Hundreds of product ideas. Some practical, some weird.

Explore

OFF THE GRID.

PRINT
Alexander Endrullat turns discarded electronics into printing press plates.

View

INSIDE BEIGEL BAKE.

FOOD
Sam Youkilis celebrates East London’s historic bagel spot.

Watch

A CUT ABOVE.

ILLUSTRATION
Chloe Isteed uses collage to tell stories about everyday life.

Explore

CERAMIC STOP-MOTION.

MUSIC
Julia Fernandez animates a music video with ceramic tiles.

Enjoy

WEARABLE LEGO BRICKS.

FASHION
Crocs and LEGO create oversized brick-inspired shoes.

Wear

SHEFFIELD’S $800 SCISSORS.

CRAFT
Scissors with sharpness and longevity worth their price.

Watch

This month has been quieter on the making front whilst I settle back into full-time work after Christmas, but there’s still been plenty happening behind the scenes. I’ve been finishing up Batch 001 with our Seconds Sale, thinking about how to use some leftover materials, rearranging the studio for a smoother workflow and starting to plan for Batch 002.

So, here’s what’s been in the works at PREST this month.

TLDR: Seconds Sale nearly gone. A pocket-sized batch. Embosser issues. Studio Reshuffle. Batch 002 planning.

🧵 Seconds Sale nearly gone
Our first ever Seconds Sale went live earlier this month and is almost wrapped up. There’s only four books left now, which means Batch 001 is nearly gone for good. If you were thinking about picking one up, this is likely the last chance to own a Batch 001 book (if you don’t mind a few flaws). You can find them here:

SHOP THE SECONDS SALE

✂️ A pocket-sized batch
When making Batch 001, I started with large sheets of paper and cut them down to the final book size, which left some smaller offcut sheets. I thought at the time that they could be used to make smaller books, so I kept hold of them in case. I’ve since had a few requests for this, so it feels like a practical way to use what’s here and reduce some waste. Nothing confirmed yet, but I’m toying with the idea now that Batch 001 is coming to an end.

🛠 Embosser issues
The branded embosser has been giving me a bit of trouble because the plates became misaligned (you can see a comparison shot above). I’ve had to get a 2nd replacement sent out. It’s a bit frustrating, but hopefully 3rd time’s the charm and it’ll be back in action properly soon. The manufacturer said they’re using new glue now so it won’t happen again, but I’ll believe it when I see it. I’m just hoping it doesn’t delay the next batch too much.

🧱 Studio reshuffle (again)
I’ve spent a fair bit of time rearranging the studio again. It took way longer than expected, but I think I’ve finally landed on a layout that works with how I make. Everything has a place, and it feels more open and easier to move from one stage of making to the next, without unnecessary steps or clutter. I can access my desk from three sides now too (left image), and I’ve added pipe insulation to the ceiling beams (right image) so I don’t hurt my head every time I forget they’re there and walk into one.

📅 Batch 002 planning
I’ve started gently gearing up for Batch 002. Early stages mostly, but I’ve been planning photography and thinking about content around it. There’s a lot still to decide, but I like having a rough plan so I can hit the ground running when I do eventually start making.

PRIVATE ROOMS.

PHOTOGRAPHY
Menno Aden shows interior spaces as dollhouse-like worlds.

View

AN ILLUSTRATOR’S BEST FRIEND.

ILLUSTRATION
Clay Hickson shares how sketchbooks and pens shape his creative practice.

Watch

IN LIVING MEMORY.

COMMUNITY
Park benches become tributes to cardiovascular disease survivors.

Explore

PLAYING WITH FIRE.

EXHIBITION
A showcase of art from ceramics masters Edmund de Waal and Axel Salto.

Visit

EDIBLE OBJECTS.

FOOD
Saskia Martindale turns everyday snacks into everyday objects.

Eat

GRUFF.

ANIMATION
A film of grief and care, handmade from paper over three years.

Watch

Making things by hand means things don’t always turn out exactly as intended. So, as promised, we’ve got a few Batch 001 books available in our first ever Seconds Sale.

Some of them were trimmed unevenly, others have small scuffs on the spine from the cutting process, and a couple even have my fingerprints on them. But despite these flaws, they’re otherwise fully functional and made with the same high-quality materials as our firsts.

In fact, their imperfections make them perfect for your everyday work, rough ideas or those projects you want to start without worrying about keeping things pristine.

Over 30% off.
Limited quantity.
Once they’re gone, they’re gone.

Cheers
— Callum

SHOP THE SECONDS SALE

OBJECTS FROM FRAMES.

SUSTAINABILITY
Cara Campos reworks abandoned bikes into minimalist furniture pieces.

View

STAMP-SIZED PAPER WORLDS.

CRAFT
Laura K Sayers makes tiny paper collages in stamp form.

Discover

TYPOGRAPHY AS ART.

EXHIBITION
Harland Miller’s graphic paintings at the Design Museum.

Visit

NEW YORK LIVES.

ANIMATION
Felix Dechant turns ordinary stories into moving moments.

Watch

MANCHESTER OPEN 2026.

ART
Open call for HOME’s exhibition of Greater Manchester creatives.

Apply

TERRY FACEY’S TINY FURNITURE.

MAKER
Handcrafting a 1674 marquetry table in miniature.

Watch

I know I usually send In The Works out on the last Sunday of the month, but somewhere between Christmas dinner and too many chocolates, I lost track of the days… I’m sure I’m not the only one. So rather than a what’s-been-happening update, I wanted to use this email to wrap up the year and say thanks for supporting me and my silly little stationery brand.

📅 This year
This year has been about laying foundations. Spending time thinking deeply about why PREST exists, what it should stand for and how it can gently encourage you to start new things, or simply spend a little more time away from your phone. A lot of the work hasn’t been loud or particularly visible. It’s been slow thinking, testing ideas, seeing what feels right and what doesn’t. One of the highlights was obviously launching the first ever batch of notebooks. Seeing those first notebooks go out and reach people felt like a real milestone. It might have been small in scale, but it was massive in meaning.

🏷️ Sample sale
Looking ahead to the start of the new year, there’ll be a small sample sale coming up. I’ll be offering a limited number of notebooks with minor flaws at a discounted price. Nothing that affects how they’re used, just small imperfections that mean they can’t be sold as full-price stock. I’ll share more details soon but as an email subscriber, you’ll be the first to know. Keep your eyes peeled.

🙏 Thank you
Thanks for following along this year, for reading, replying, sharing, making time to make things, or simply keeping PREST in the back of your mind. Whether you bought a notebook, followed along quietly or just enjoyed seeing a business get built, it genuinely means a lot. We’ve also just reached 500 subscribers to this newsletter which feels pretty significant. Thanks again for being here, and for making this feel worth building.

For now, I hope the space between Christmas and the New Year has been treating you kindly. I hope you’re finding time to rest, reflect and maybe scribble a few thoughts about what you’d like to make next year. Let’s make 2026 the year of analogue.

Callum
PREST

READ THE SMALL PRINT.

EXHIBITION
Over 100 miniature books on display at London’s Tenderbooks.

Visit

ILLUMINATING STORIES.

CRAFT
Hari & Deepti conjure magical narratives with illuminated paper sculptures.

Discover

GRIME THROUGH THE LENS.

PHOTOGRAPHY
A 20-year visual journey through the UK grime scene.

Read

MAKER MURAL.

ART
New mural celebrates Stockport’s local makers and heritage crafts.

Discover

THIS IS A LOVE PROTEST.

COMMUNITY
A UK-wide street gallery spanning 11 cities, highlighting love as a force for change.

View

INSIDE DIXONBAXI.

DESIGN
Peek behind the scenes at one of the world’s top design studios.

Watch

OUT OF WORDS.

TECH
Most games are built from code. This one’s made from clay, fabric and glue.

Play

FIELD TO FLEECE.

FASHION
The making of a work sweater, spun from scratch.

Watch

NO SCREENS. JUST KNOWLEDGE.

SUSTAINABILITY
An illustrated guide to rebuilding civilisation… just in case.

Read

3 YEARS AND 11,000 DRAWINGS LATER.

ANIMATION
A hand-drawn short film from the director of Brother Bear.

Watch

WORLD’S BIGGEST (WAX) MELTS.

CRAFT
Handcrafted candles that’ll probably piss your dad off.

Enjoy

STOP SKIPPING SONGS.

WELLBEING
Convenience is killing boredom, connection and discovery.

Listen

Before I get into this month’s update, a quick welcome to anyone who’s joined after seeing PREST in Paynter’s newsletter. That feature meant a lot. Paynter were one of the brands that nudged me back into making in the first place, so appearing in their Celebration of Small Businesses round-up felt pretty special. If this is your first newsletter, I’m glad you’re here.

So, here’s what’s been in the works at PREST this month.

TLDR: Batch 001 learnings. Batch 002 delays. Postcard problems. Shipping progress. Taxes. Custom Orders. Pizza.

BUY BATCH 001

🎓 Learnings from Batch 001
Batch 001 went well overall, but there were a few things I needed to fix. A few book covers picked up small dents during pressing, so I’ve switched to using MDF boards between each book to avoid this. I also upgraded my guillotine part-way through the run, which led to a few minor spine tears whilst I was getting used to it (pictured above). On the fulfilment side, packing orders in bigger batches will save a lot of time, and I’ll be packing the Risograph postcards straight away next time to avoid any ink transfer. All small things, but useful lessons for future batches. I’m thinking about doing a sample sale in January for the books with tiny imperfections. They’re still fully usable. Let me know if you’d be interested.

⏳ Batch 002 Delays
I was hoping to launch Batch 002 in December, just in time for Christmas, but delayed materials have pushed things back more than expected. I’ve got them now thankfully, so the new release will likely be February, if the January sample sale goes ahead. If you were hoping to pick up a notebook for Christmas, there’s still about 7 books left from Batch 001 available on the website, so don’t wait. One silver lining to the delay is that it freed up time for a couple of custom orders (more on that later).

💌 Postcard problems
Every Batch 001 order included a limited edition Risograph postcard. The idea was to give you a small piece of art, and a gentle nudge back toward analogue communication. I reached out to a few illustrators across the past 2 months and heard nothing back, which was a bit disheartening. Until yesterday. I think this next maker will be a perfect fit for Batch 002. If you or someone you know would like to be featured on a future postcard, I’d love to hear from you.

🌎 International shipping
Some bigger news. I’m hoping to open orders up to the U.S. for Batch 002. Royal Mail now offers prepaid customs fees, which should (hopefully) reduce any unpleasant surprises on arrival. I’m still figuring it all out but it’s looking promising. I’m unable to ship to the EU still due to the new GPSR rules, and the need for an in-country representative. I’m working on it, but I can’t see an easy solution to this one yet unfortunately.

💸 Taxes and registering
PREST has now passed £1,000 in revenue, which means I’ve reached the point where I need to officially declare it to HMRC. I’ve been registering as a sole trader and getting on top of tracking expenses properly. It’s all pretty boring frankly, but a necessary part of running a real business. Fingers crossed it’ll start to make some sense to me soon.

📚 More custom orders
While waiting for the Batch 002 materials, I’ve been working on a few custom orders, creating personalised books for a couple of birthdays. I can’t actually reveal these just yet, but keep an eye on PREST’s socials in the coming weeks to see how they turned out. It’s been a nice challenge working to a brief and bringing someone else’s vision to life. And I got to try some new papers and book structures in the process too.

🍕 Pizza making
Many of you will know by now that I like to share a bit of personal making outside of PREST too. This month it’s pizza. I got an Ooni for my 30th birthday and managed to fire it up on what felt like the only dry day we’ve had. It was a bit haphazard, as it always is when you’re learning something new, but the results were surprisingly good. Looking forward to experimenting more with it.

Hello,

It’s Black Friday, but you probably already know that from the barrage of emails filling up your inbox... Apologies for adding to them.

The shops will be full of discounted “luxury” items today. Things made far away, quickly, cheaply, then shipped halfway across the world. That doesn’t sound very luxurious to me.

The real luxury nowadays isn’t owning more stuff. It’s having more time. More space. More quiet. More boredom. It’s being offline long enough to actually think, and feeling free enough to make and create whatever you imagine. Distraction-free. That’s pretty rare.

Write.
Sketch.
Build.
Make.
Switch your devices off for a while.

Offline is the new luxury.

WATCH THE REEL

P.S. If you were planning on spending any of your hard-earned money this weekend, Small Business Saturday is tomorrow. The anti-Black Friday. So, shop small if you can afford to. Even a single order makes a real difference to a small business or maker like me. And Bezos doesn’t exactly need more cash in his pocket, does he?

I don’t usually send emails out on a Monday, but with Black Friday coming up I wanted to give you a bit of a heads up.

This Friday, the PREST shop will be closed for 24 hours.

Most of the things that end up on sale for Black Friday were made far away, as cheaply as possible, then shipped across the world so they can be bought in a rush. Made quickly, sold quickly and forgotten even quicker. I don’t want to add to that.

PREST is a small maker. Everything we produce takes time, hands and genuine care. And when I say “we”, I really mean me. It’s just me behind PREST, making and shipping notebooks one at a time. The fast pace and throwaway culture of Black Friday just doesn’t really work for what I do.

I started PREST to help people make again. To kick-start that project you’ve been putting off. To step away from the noise long enough to put something real on a page. If there’s ever a day when the world could use a moment to switch off, it’s Black Friday.

So while everyone else is refreshing tabs this Friday, I hope you can find a bit of space for yourself. A quiet moment. A blank page.

Cheers
— Callum

MURANO GLASS CIGARETTES.

CRAFT
Slightly imperfect and perfectly unnecessary, but entirely delightful.

Discover

HANDS OVER SCREENS.

MAKING
Why working with your hands matters in an AI-heavy world.

Watch

INSIDE WES ANDERSON’S WORLD.

EXHIBITION
Explore Wes Anderson’s archive of 600+ objects from props to puppets.

Visit

DESIGN THAT WINS.

DESIGN
How Zohran Mamdani’s campaign used colour, type and culture to stand out.

Read

TACKLING FEAR OF THE BLANK PAGE.

ILLUSTRATION
A reminder that sometimes the simplest tools work best.

Read

THE GOAT OF UK ADVERTISING.

PODCAST
Sir John Hegarty on creativity, persuasion and the truth behind great ideas.

Listen

A GRAND DAY OUT.

EXHIBITION
Explore Wallace & Gromit’s inventive world at The Harris.

Visit

BE YOUR OWN BOSS.

BUSINESS
Not on the High Street founder, Holly Tucker, helps makers turn ideas into income.

Watch

SEEING THE EVERYDAY.

PHOTOGRAPHY
Tabitha Daisy Biggs captures ordinary streets like you’ve never noticed them before.

Shoot

FUR REAL.

ILLUSTRATION
An illustrated cat rendered in meticulous detail, hair-by-hair.

Discover

DESIGN SIGNATURES.

PODCAST
Fedrigoni explores the process behind great design, from concept to creation.

Listen

AFFINITY GOES FREE, FOREVER.

TECH
Affinity rivals Adobe by making its professional design tools free to everyone.

Discover

Our first batch of exercise books are finally out in the world, finding their way onto desks and into bags. Despite launching a few weeks ago, October has been intentionally quiet. There was obviously a rush of orders to fulfil at the start of the month, and a few more trickling in since, but I’ve also been trying to take it easy and break from social media for a bit (it’s my birthday month after all).

So, here’s what’s been in the works at PREST this month.

TLDR: We launched. Our first custom order. Batch 002 on the way. Applied for TOAST New Makers. Upgraded the studio.

BUY BATCH 001

🚀 Launch
Honestly, I can’t quite believe I managed to launch in September. Okay it was the last day of September, but I’m still counting it. Since then, I’ve sold almost half of the first batch, which is more than I expected at this stage. Admittedly around two-thirds of those orders came from friends and family, but just over a third were from complete strangers. I want to say a massive thank you to everyone who ordered an exercise book and shared photos or kind words about the launch.

🔔 A custom order
I’ve not really advertised this anywhere yet but one of the advantages of producing in small batches is being able to take on custom orders. Earlier this month I designed and made ten personalised notebooks as wedding favours. Each one matched the wedding colour theme, with a personalised label printed with each guest’s name. It was a lovely brief to work on, and a reminder of how much meaning there can be in simple, thoughtful details. I’ll share more on this over on Instagram/TikTok soon.

📙 Batch 002
Our second batch is on the way. I’ve got an idea for it, so now I’m sourcing the right papers and finding the right collaborators to bring it to life. I don’t want to give too much away yet but this one has been designed to sit alongside Batch 001. It takes inspiration from PREST’s location and the area’s history as the first industrial suburb. The release date is still pending but I’m aiming for December to catch the last-minute gift buyers, or January at the latest so you can have them ready for some new year planning.

🍞 TOAST New Makers
I applied for the TOAST New Makers programme earlier this month. It’s a platform that supports emerging designers and craftspeople in the early stages of their journey. PREST started as a way to get people making again, so this felt like a great opportunity to keep doing that myself; to push my work a little further, with PREST as well as my own creative practice. Submissions have closed now but I won’t find out until next month if I’ve made it through. I sent my application in quite last minute so I doubt I’ll get it. We’ll see... If you don’t ask, you don’t get.

🎁 Birthday upgrades
On a personal note, I turned 30 last week so I’ve been upgrading the workshop with some new bits I got for my birthday. The biggest addition is definitely the guillotine, found for a bargain on eBay. It’s an absolute beast compared to my old one. I can’t even get it upstairs into the studio, so it’s standing proud in my bedroom instead. Thank you to my partner, Roisin, for helping to collect it and deliver it back to Manchester for me. I’ve also upgraded my desk with some adjustable legs so I can finally work without destroying my back. Oh and I was gifted a vintage numeral stamp too (again, thanks to Roisin), which I’m hoping to use in our next packaging design somehow.