2025 Women In Screen Printing Awards: Kristyn Leary

Kristyn Leary
Origin | Owner
Steamboat Springs, CO

KRISTYN LEARY HAS been in the screen-printing industry for about four years and quickly established herself as a leader in Steamboat Springs by setting it apart through sustainability and clean production practices. As the owner of Origin, she champions eco-friendly printing methods, such as water-based algae inks, while engaging her community through partnerships, education, and mentorship.

From mentoring local students to serving on the Unite Together committee and speaking at industry events, Leary blends innovation, leadership, and community impact, making her a rising force in the screen-printing world.

Q: What inspired you to integrate sustainability and eco-friendly practices into your shop, and how have your clients responded?

Clients’ response is as good as the excitement I share with them. I’m always talking about new ways we’re integrating sustainability in the shop, and because I’m so passionate about it, they naturally get excited too. That passion attracts clients who are like-minded, so I’ve never focused on competition. The right clients connect with our values.

For me, it started with raising children. I began paying attention to what I was feeding them and where food came from. Living in Montana, I saw friends with backyard chickens and realized the value of knowing your food source. Later, moving to Steamboat Springs, an agricultural community, strengthened that perspective.

Q: What are the most impactful sustainable practices you’ve adopted in your shop that other printers could realistically implement?

Partnerships and traceability. Who we collaborate with is a core value. For example, we use AS Colour, an apparel manufacturer, and work with Milk x Whiskey, another clothing brand here in Steamboat. Knowing their production methods and being able to trace the garment’s lineage builds trust.

We also print with Allmade and other suppliers offering sustainable options. When you can trace the product from its origin all the way to the customer’s hands, that’s powerful.

Q: You’ve mentored students and opened your shop to community groups. What impact has that had on both learners and your business?

We’ve brought screen printing directly into schools using portable equipment. The kids get so excited to see art tied to a tangible career option. An art teacher we worked with said it gave students a chance to explore a medium they wouldn’t normally encounter.

For me, it’s important to show youth how broad the print industry is. It’s not just business ownership or printing — you can write, work in chemistry, design, or explore countless other roles. I discovered that later in life, and I want young people to see it earlier.

Community outreach is part of my nature. I see collaboration as an extension of family. We’ve also participated in fundraisers, like a live algae-ink print by the river.

Partnering with Milk x Whiskey and Living Ink Technologies, we created shirts to raise money for a local river conservation group. Bringing multiple Colorado companies together for a sustainable product was a big win.

Q: What advice would you give other shops looking to differentiate themselves in a competitive market?

Lean into what makes you unique and don’t be afraid to let certain clients go. If someone only cares about price, they may not be the right fit. Focus instead on building partnerships, creating traceability, and offering products that align with your values.

Also, look for collaboration opportunities. Whether with apparel brands, ink makers, or other local businesses, partnerships create wins for everyone involved.

Most importantly, be open to change. Reevaluate how things have always been done and imagine how they could be done better. That’s how you stand out.

Q: What are some ways you have become more sustainable?

We now raise chickens, peacocks, and guinea fowl. At first, it was about food, but then it became about waste reduction. When we killed rattlesnakes on our property for safety, we began using their skins and even their vertebrae for jewelry.

We save feathers for hat makers. That regenerative mindset—using everything and wasting nothing—transferred to how I think about products and apparel.

Even something as simple as cutting off clothing tags made me think about unnecessary waste. We’re now developing ways to produce garments without tags. The same mindset carries over to ink choice. We’re working with companies producing algae-based water inks, which is incredibly exciting.

Q: Which apparel brands do you prefer for sustainable printing?

AS Colour is one of my favorites. Milk x Whiskey is another—local, higher-end, and made in Nepal with Tencel. We’ve had great success working with their founder, Ryan Bramwell. Their garments even smell good when printed, unlike some products that release awful fumes during heat pressing.

I also give credit to Allmade, SanMar, and S&S for their sustainable initiatives. Even larger brands like Next Level are making progress. It’s important not to discredit any company moving in the right direction.

Of course, price is still a factor. Some clients want inexpensive options, and for them we’ll print on the traditional name brands. That’s OK too. Not everyone is ready to pay for sustainable products.

Q: What equipment do you use?

We’re still printing manually. We have a six-color, a four-color, and a one-color press, and I’m not shy about tackling multicolor water-based prints. That’s unusual for a manual shop, but I enjoy the challenge.

We also have a direct-to-film printer from Arcus, which has been a huge success for us. It cuts down on shipping, saves time, and lets us adjust ink percentages. We heat press in addition to screen printing, but everything we do stays true to our sustainable goals.

We plan to move to an automatic someday.

PHOTO GALLERY (19 IMAGES)