Our studio at 2012 Stoner Ave in West LA
LA Team (L to R):
Jennifer Wang
Jessy V. Castillo
Kevin Novales
Joel Freeman
Adrienne Chang
Matthew Austin
Kiki Lechuga-Dupont
Jessica Li (+ Laz / Silas)
Kiki and Jessica packing orders
EJ Hill reading from his book This Means Everything to Me
Special Edition of HAMPI by River Coello,
made in collaboration with LMRM
Special Edition of EJ Hill’s This Means Everything to Me
Adrienne Chang making notebook covers
FTBTIA LA (2022–2026)
Between 2022 and 2026, For the Birds Trapped in Airports set out to focus on an equitable-funding publishing practice in which we take on the financial risks and demands of each published project, and pay out revenues equally to cohorts of five artists—in attempts to create structural and communal solidarity through their social pursuits in art and publishing.
While we did maintain that practice throughout our four years in LA, the increasingly expensive conditions led us to routinely operating as a high-volume production bindery in order to make ends meet, pulling much of our attention away from the work we were personally investing in.
When 2025 began with wildfires that halted daily life in LA, quickly followed by tariffs that upended our entire industry, we were only able to last about seven more months under that business structure.
We were not alone in this experience—a non-exhaustive list of closed (or acquired) print/binding businesses from March 2025 to now includes:
Nonstop Printing (Los Angeles, CA)
The Bindery (Milwaukee, WI)
Edition One Books (Richmond, CA)
Meridian (East Greenwich, RI)
Die Keure (Brugges, Belgium)
Union Bindery (Chicago, IL)
Reindl Bindery (Germantown, WI)
Quality Bindery Services, Inc. (Buffalo, NY)
Quad (Rockdale, Georgia)
Lehmann Bookbinding (Kitchener, Ontario)
BR Printers (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Mittera Group (Jacksonville, Florida)
Printpack (Elgin, Illinois)
Ace Lithographers / Ace Twill (Berkeley Heights, New Jersey)
King Printing (New Tazewell, Tennessee)
Inks & Bindings, LLC (Yorba Linda, California)
Conolly Printing & Media Group Inc (Rochester, New York)
Maracle Press (Oshawa, Ontario)
Cal-Na Bindery (Sacramento, California)
Super Strong Products, Inc. (Dallas, Texas)
E&M Bindery, Inc. (Clifton, NJ)
LESSONS FROM THE ONGOING COLLAPSE
In the tumultuous time since early 2025, we’ve learned that the work we were doing is not compatible with the art and publishing markets our work exists within. Due to tariffs, rising rent, and inflation, paired with physical health issues, this reached a point where we were no longer able to entertain demands as though we can actually fulfill them in any satisfying way. When we have expressed struggling in these moments, it was often met with surprise and a lack of awareness that this was happening across an entire industry.
A consistent gap in understanding over the years of doing this has been around how our small business functions. In our experience, it is commonly assumed that to run a business in Chicago or LA, or to fund over 100 publications and pay artists, you must be rich or have a bunch of money to do this—please let us clarify, we do not (and most likely any small business you know of also does not).
We do have our hands, skills, and tools; we are resourceful and motivated. We are connected to many generous people who want to see us succeed in supporting artists—they help us make this operation possible. We have tons of support that we are so grateful for, and we also struggle to keep things afloat.
We sometimes push beyond our means because we are deeply inspired by the artists we work with and seek to support. We experience great joy in seeing artists thrive in their work. We experience pride in seeing the book we’ve collaboratively crafted into existence.
Because we are the ones hand-laboring these editions into existence (and often funding them), we are vulnerable and highly sensitive to the way in which our labor is valued or not valued.
In most cases, respect and appreciation rises to be a currency that is more valuable to us than money, marketing, or book sales, because it can be tangibly depended upon for relief.
To explain a bit more of our experience existing as a business in LA:
To make zero dollars per month, it would cost us about $15,000 on a slow month, and $25,000 on a busier month (because of increased labor and material expenses).
Despite the struggle to remain in business in LA, we still managed to fund about $125,000 in cost-free publishing for artists, provided additional support funding to bring underfunded projects to fruition, as well as pay each published artist approximately $1,000 in payments over three years.
We taught around 20 bookbinding workshops and 5 long-form courses.
To our knowledge, we paid the highest labor wages of any bindery in LA for the time we were there.
When operating as a high-volume bindery, the craft of bookbinding is often conflated with commercial factory production—in cost as well as time.
Confusion around labor value often happens through our publishing efforts as well—when the work we do is compared to mass manufacturing, distribution, or large traditional publishing companies like Penguin Randomhouse, whose annual budget is 600x larger than ours.
We feel it’s easier to understand our work as collaboratively-made editions of artworks, rather than books.
They are books, too.
The books are made by artists who are working with other artists.
They are artist books.
They are handmade artworks that are also books.
We also understand that this is not always easy to understand, which is why we love when artists are present for the production.
Erina C Alejo holding books they made with us
through a weekend workshop
We have designed our studio resources to be as much like a publishing playground for artists as possible—in hopes that whatever dream vision they may have for their book, we can most likely build it.
CONCRETE CHANGES TO OUR PUBLISHING EFFORTS IN MENDOCINO
Due to fully open in late October 2026, our newest chapter in Mendocino may be the smallest (or the slowest) operation we’ve run in 14 years. It is designed to serve artists who are not prioritizing speed, quantity, or social recognition, but rather it is an opportunity to calm their nervous system in a beautiful coastal environment.
Through this, they can have a meaningful experience around publishing the work they’ve fostered by bearing witness to and being involved in its entire production, first-hand. In its greatest fulfillment, a editioning residency will also result in lasting relationships rooted in trust and care for one another’s well-being.
What this looks like in structural changes to our work is a strict limit on our labor per edition:
100 perfect bound books at a time,
50 hardcover books at a time,
or 5 specialty boxes at a time.
The first project to reflect this labor shift was:
Astro Black by Parallel Press
made in Mendocino in August 2026—
an edition of 50, now sold out.
Astro Black by Parallel Press
made in Mendocino in August 2026—
an edition of 50, now sold out.
These quantities are meant for us to grow in our collaborations together slowly over time while not overexerting for the sake of the common market demand of getting more for less. If they sell out and we both wish to make more, we’ll have that conversation through another residency together.
When it comes to money, our published projects will be approached on a case by case basis of what funds each party can put forth based on their living situation at that time. The design, labor, and material costs will be measured against the investments contributed, and the edition will be split accordingly between the two parties—each free to do with their share as they wish.
No one can value this work more than the people directly involved, which is why we invite the artist into every step of the book design, production, and publishing processes.
The value of the work we do together will inevitably be reduced by the norms of capitalism, however it does not need to be reduced by us. The success of our work is rooted in the experience of being here together, learning through collaboration, and making something special.
WHAT ABOUT PRODUCTION SERVICES?
We are currently only accepting new production clients in the form of customized residencies—as in, if you want us to make something for you, we’d like you to meet us, see our facilities, and be here to witness at least the beginning of the production.
The only exceptions to this approach are:
1. With trusted clients we’ve worked with over the years.
2. With Mendocino County / local residents, we are open to building a traditional quote and completing work through flexible pricing / trading of resources.
If you are unsure of how to go about requesting us to make something for you, feel free to reach out and start a conversation: studio@forthebirdstrappedinairports.com.
IF I WANT TO MAKE AN EDITION WITH YOU THROUGH A RESIDENCY, WHAT EQUIPMENT IS THERE TO WORK WITH?
Printing
RISO MH9450U (CMYk)
EPSON SureColor P5000 (17”)
Xerox Primelink Copy Machine (operated by Mendocino Art Center)
If what you need is not seen here, we expect you to print the pages where you prefer, bring them, and we’ll bind them.
We also have multiple local letterpress friends in walking distance to our studio.
Binding
Duplo 290DB Perfect Binder
Smyth Sewing Machine
Handy Padder Cold Glue Stack Clamping Device
3 nipping presses 11”x15”, 16”x20”, 12”x15”
Turning in machine
Ultra XT BaumFolder 14”x20”
ACME Saddle Stitch machine (up to 3/4” depth)
John Jacques Board shear 45”
Challenge Advance Guillotine 30”
Triumph Ideal Electronic Guillotine 18”
OEM Sticker Casing in Machine
Lassco Paper Jogger
Finishing
Kensol K-36 (6” x 8” heat plate)
Kensol 50-F8 (8.5” x 11” swivel heat plate)
Corner Rounder
Silhouette CAMEO Pro MK-II
View of the Pacific Ocean
approximately 1/4 mile
from our studio in Mendocino
LA Team in Mendocino (L to R):
Victor Yañez-Lazcano (documenting our move)
Adrienne Chang
Lama Mouawad
Lukas Markou
Kiki Lechuga-Dupont
Matthew Austin
Sara J. Winston and Ileana Ramirez
having a book signing of
Sugar Honey Iced Tea
at the NY Art Book Fair
Ritual [Dis]Appearance / Seremoni Disparisyon
by Widline Cadet
Jason Reblando with his book This is Captured Paper
Joel Freeman, Jessica Li, and Kiki Lechuga-Dupont