Print Education: Rich Black vs True Black
The different types of black and how to use them as a print designer.
Signed, Mandy Lee
Amanda is a professional designer, author, and SAHM of two blending work and life. She writes on topics like branding, running a creative studio, and motherhood. To subscribe and receive her entries directly in your inbox, enter your email below.
Live Last read · last published · next check
Latest posts
Saves to your Listen queue, to pick up on another day or another device.
The 2026 Holiday Card Trend Report
The colors, styles, and design details you'll see everywhere in stationery this Christmas season
Licensing Recap Episode No.3
Wins, challenges, and what I'm working on in Q3
Printer Interview No.01: The OG, My Dad and His 30+ Years of Print Experience
An interview with my dad, the one who taught me what I know about graphic design and print
Print Education: What Digital-First Designers Get Wrong About Color in Print
Lesson 1: What you need to know about colorspace, substrates, and color perception when it comes to print design
Episode 2: Less Time, Less Money, and a Mindset Shift
A roundup of everything April brought with it on the licensing front.
Episode 1: March 2026 Stationery Licensing Recap!!
The one where I start oversharing my licensing income.
I'm (Officially) a Zola Designer
Find Poised Avenue on Zola.com
A Dream Marketplace Find and Other Home Decor Details
My incredible Marketplace find, home decor inspiration, and furniture details
What Happened When I Took Down My Website and Stopped “Optimizing” My Studio
Why I stepped away from the design studio playbook, simplified my business, and chose alignment over optimization.
Amanda, where have you been?
A letter from the editor—what do ya know, that’s me! Here's what I've been up to since April
A Collections of Poems on Motherhood
Motherhood makes me creative, what can I say.
5 Things I Implement to Maintain Ease & Productivity in Motherhood
Without adding more to my to-do list.
A Day in My Life as Mom of a Toddler and a Newborn
I'm exhausted just writing this.
My First Holiday Season with Minted
My first experience art licensing and making over $5,000 in commissions.
Romanticizing the Month of Romance
The mundane details of February made romantic.
My (Positive) Second Birth Experience
In a whirlwind of just five hours we welcomed our second daughter, Mackenzie Louise.
My (Positive) First Birth Experience
A look back at my first birth as I await the arrival of my second daughter.
2025: The Year of Expansion
A brief reflection on 2024 and what the word "expansion" means to me in the new year.
Freelance Is Not a Dirty Word
My unpopular opinion on scaling a creative business.