Speedball Art Products: 125+ Years of Printmaking and Lettering Excellence

Speedball Art Products is one of America's oldest and most respected art supply manufacturers, having produced printmaking, screen printing, and calligraphy tools since 1899. For over 125 years, the company has maintained its position as the dominant brand in several specialized art categories—particularly block printing, screen printing, and calligraphy—through a combination of consistent quality, continuous innovation, and a deep understanding of the techniques their products serve.

For printmakers, screen printers, and calligraphers, Speedball is not merely a brand option—it is often the default choice that educators recommend, workshops supply, and professionals rely on. The company's block printing inks, linoleum cutters, screen printing systems, and calligraphy nibs have introduced millions of students to these art forms and continue to serve working professionals who demand reliability and consistent results.

Printmaking Leadership

Block Printing

Speedball's block printing inks are the industry standard for relief printing—available in water-based and oil-based formulations, with professional-grade pigmentation and viscosity that produce clean, vibrant prints. Their linoleum cutters and Speedy-Cut blocks have been the introduction to printmaking for generations of art students, offering safe, effective tools that produce genuinely satisfying results from the very first print.

Screen Printing

The company's screen printing systems provide complete solutions for fabric printing, paper printing, and mixed-media applications. Speedball's screen printing inks are formulated for durability, color vibrancy, and ease of use, making them popular with both professional printers and DIY artists creating custom apparel, prints, and textile designs.

Calligraphy and Lettering

Speedball has produced calligraphy nibs and pen holders for over a century, and their products remain the standard recommendation for beginners and experienced calligraphers alike. The company's range of nibs covers every major calligraphy style—italic, round hand, Gothic, copperplate—and their pen holders, inks, and practice materials create a complete calligraphy toolkit.

The Speedball C-series nibs for italic lettering and the B-series nibs for round hand styles are the most commonly recommended starting points for calligraphy students worldwide. Their consistent performance, predictable ink flow, and affordable pricing make them ideal for practice—the stage where calligraphers use the most nibs and need reliability without premium cost. As students advance, Speedball's broader nib range provides options for every lettering style and hand size, from delicate pointed pen work to bold display lettering.

Fabric Inks and Textile Printing

Speedball's fabric screen printing inks have become the standard choice for artists, makers, and small businesses creating custom printed textiles. Available in a wide range of colors including metallics, fluorescents, and specialty finishes, these inks are formulated for durability through repeated washing while maintaining the soft hand feel that distinguishes quality fabric printing from the stiff, plastic-like results of inferior products.

The fabric ink range supports applications from single-color t-shirt printing to complex multi-color textile designs. Water-based formulations make cleanup easy and eliminate the health concerns associated with solvent-based alternatives, while still providing the vibrancy and durability that professional textile printing demands. For the growing community of artists and entrepreneurs creating custom apparel, accessories, and home textiles, Speedball's fabric inks provide the professional-quality results needed to build a reputation and a business.

Educational Resources and Starter Kits

Understanding that many of their customers are encountering printmaking, screen printing, or calligraphy for the first time, Speedball has invested heavily in educational resources that lower the barrier to entry for these specialized art forms. The company produces comprehensive starter kits that include everything needed to begin practicing—tools, materials, inks, and detailed instruction guides—in a single purchase at a price below what the components would cost individually.

The Block Printing Starter Kit, for example, includes cutting tools, a linoleum block, ink, a brayer, and step-by-step instructions that guide a complete beginner through their first relief print. The Screen Printing Kit provides a screen, squeegee, ink, and printing instructions that make it possible to produce a first screen print within an hour of opening the box. These kits have introduced hundreds of thousands of people to printmaking and screen printing who might never have attempted these art forms if they had needed to research and purchase individual components separately.

Speedball also maintains an active online education presence with video tutorials, technique guides, project ideas, and troubleshooting resources available free on their website and YouTube channel. These resources complement the starter kits by providing visual demonstrations of techniques that can be difficult to learn from written instructions alone.

Manufacturing Quality and Consistency

Operating from their facility in Statesville, North Carolina, Speedball maintains manufacturing standards that prioritize consistency and reliability—qualities that are essential for products used in precise, technique-dependent art forms. Printmaking inks must have consistent viscosity, pigment load, and drying time from batch to batch. Screen printing inks must produce reliable results across different screen mesh counts and substrate types. Calligraphy nibs must provide uniform ink flow and consistent line quality.

Speedball's 125+ years of manufacturing experience have refined these products to a level of consistency that artists and educators depend on. When an art teacher specifies Speedball block printing ink for a class project, they know that the ink will perform exactly as expected—producing clean, vibrant prints that give students a successful, encouraging first experience with printmaking.

Wholesale and Institutional Programs

Speedball offers wholesale pricing and institutional programs for art schools, universities, community centers, and organizations that purchase supplies in quantity. These programs make it economical to equip classrooms and workshops with professional-quality tools and materials, supporting art education at every level from elementary school introductions to university-level studio courses.

The Bottom Line

Speedball Art Products is an essential brand for anyone working in printmaking, screen printing, or calligraphy. Their 125+ year legacy of quality manufacturing, combined with accessible pricing, comprehensive starter kits, extensive educational resources, and the kind of product consistency that educators and professionals demand, makes Speedball the foundation of these specialized art practices. From a student's first linoleum cut to a professional printer's thousandth edition, Speedball provides the tools that make these art forms accessible, enjoyable, and rewarding.