Tacoma, once a town of paper mills, is now a printmaking mecca with talented letterpress artists galore.

Jessica Spring is one of the leading voices in the community. She runs Springtide Press out of her North Side home. Walking into her backyard studio is like traveling back in time to a century ago. Here, Spring designs, prints and binds artist books, broadsides, posters and various other printed materials, using handmade paper and 100-year-old letterpresses.

In an effort to bring increased exposure to many of these artists, Amy McBride, arts administrator for the City of Tacoma, and Tacoma Makes business partner Maija McKnight created Tacoma Artist Playing Cards, a deck featuring icons designed by 14 different artists and depictions of 54 historic locations around the city. The decks are available for sale online through the company’s website, tacomamakes.com  and at more than 18 local retail establishments. The decks were so popular, they are now working on a second edition!