HOW TO RISO PRINT WITH US
SO, WHAT IS RISO? HOW DOES IT WORK?
The risograph machine is a stencil duplicator; it’s essentially like a combination of screenprinting and photocopy-ing, 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!
HOW DO I SET UP MY FILE?
Your design, which should be a grayscale image in black and white, will get converted into a series of bitmap holes that get burned into the rice paper in order to create the stencils; ink canisters go into the ink drum, which then pushes the ink out through the stencils and onto your paper during the printing process.
The risograph prints 1 color at a time, meaning each ink color is a separate layer. In your file, 100% opacity black means that the ink will print at full 100% opacity. Any midtones/grays in your design will print at lighter shades accordingly.
We take grayscale layered PDFs and PSDs at 300dpi. Because riso prints 1 color at a time, you must have your layers labeled by ink color. We will check over your file before printing — contact us via email (jess@jessjesspress.com) if you have any questions beforehand!
WHAT ARE THE PRINTING SPECS?
Our largest printable area is 10.5 x 16.5 inches on A3 (tabloid) paper! We're rocking with 8 color drums, including the following colors: [TO BE DETERMINED].
*NOTE: THIS PART OF THE FAQ IS TENTATIVE DEPENDING ON THE OUTCOME OF THE UP/START VENTURE COMPETITION. PLEASE CHECK BACK IN SUMMER 2024!