How does a RISO print work?
The risograph machine is a stencil duplicator; it’s essentially like a combination of screenprinting and photocopying, and prints one layer of color at a time. Risograph can work in various levels of value and has a gorgeous grainy noise texture. Its base components consist of fluorescent soy-based inks & thin rice paper stencils, which go in and around the printing drum. Those paper stencils are called “masters” and form the matrix which your art will go on. Because of this, it’s more cost-effective to print a lot. The risograph is a very environmentally friendly machine and sustainable printmaking method! Riso ink is unique in its look, making it highly sought after by designers, illustrators, and all sorts of artists. One notable feature of riso is that its ink never fully sets and can smudge, so please be careful when handling!
Setting up your file
Max paper size: 11 x 17 in
Max printable area: ~10.5 x ~16.5 in
For Print, artwork should be:
Layered PDF or PSD (layers labeled by ink color)
Set to Grayscale (where everything 100% black is output as 100% the chosen ink color)
Image resolution of 300dpi
Consider having a 1/4” margin on all edges
In order to print “full bleed” (meaning the design extends to the edge of the page), your file will need to include 1/8” bleed and crop marks.
WARNING: Large areas of solid color can cause problems where the paper jams on the ink drum! Additionally, in order to avoid having roller marks (where the paper is fed into the machine via rubber roller and ink gets picked up and smudged), try having less heavy ink in the leading edge and center of the design.
Our inks
RISO Inks produce a unique, grainy texture, becuase of the perforated stencil, it also creates halftone texture. The inks are soy based and non toxic. However the ink takes longer to dry and sits on the surface of paper and can be prone to smudging.
Available Colors:
Fluorescent Pink (#ff48b0)
Bright Red (#f15060)
Yellow (#ffe800)
Green (#00a95c)
Cornflower (#62a8e5)
Orchid (#BB76CF)
Black (#00000)
Details
LINE
OVERLAYS
RISO Inks have a translucent quality which works well when overlaid and blended with other colors. Working with transparency and multiply can help you produce a wide variety of colors by just using three, CMY colors too!