Meet Ignite Studio’s newest piece of equipment: the Risograph! Risograph printers are machines that look like photocopiers but make prints like screen printing. These “digital duplicators” are eco-friendly, and they make beautiful, colorful prints!
Ignite has a newly acquired SF9450-EIIU Riso. Our ink colors are Fluorescent Pink (#FF48BBO), Sunflower (#FFB511), Cornflower (#62A8E5), Orchid (#BB76CF), and Black. The Riso prints on up to 11×17 size paper.
What is Riso?
Riso printing uses soy or rice based ink to produce low-cost prints at a high speed. You can make designs for the Riso either digitally through programs like Procreate or Photoshop or by scanning physical artwork on the glass bed scanner (working “analog”). Riso is different from a laser or inkjet printer because it uses a stencil or “master” in the shape of your artwork to create the prints. Riso works faster, is more eco-friendly – from the inks to the amount of electricity consumed – and is more experimental than traditional printers.
Who is Riso for?
Riso is great for everyone! Riso is user-friendly and fun for all ages. Riso is best for artists, designers, printmakers, zinesters, and independent publishers who value the experimental and “DIY” nature of Riso. Riso is also great for print jobs between 50 and 1000+ copies – for those who don’t mind a little artistic imperfection!
Artists seeking to use the Riso must be at least 16 years old to work independently on the machine. Younger artists between ages 8 and 15 are welcome to try the Riso through workshops with an adult aged 18+ alongside them. No library card is required to use the Riso or for trainings or workshops.
Why print with Riso?
Risograph machines are popular with artists and designers for the lo-fi aesthetic and flawed-but-artistic nature of printing. The availability of these machines is scarce due to technological advances which made Riso less beneficial for everyday prints. The company – RISO Kagaku Corporation – no longer makes certain parts or machine models, so finding local Riso print studios can be difficult, no matter where you may be located. Ignite Studio is thrilled to offer the Riso in an effort to increase accessibility to creative resources.
Ready to use the Riso?
If you are interested in using the Riso, you will need to attend one of our monthly group workshops OR send us an email to schedule an in-person 1:1 training appointment. 1:1 trainings are available on an extremely limited basis, and it may not be possible to accommodate all requests. Both 1:1 trainings and monthly group workshops will cover basics, like changing drums, Riso best practices, and how to use the machine for both analog and digital artwork.
What do I need to bring with me?
For workshops or 1:1 trainings, you may bring with you a 8”x10.5” design to print during the supervised instructing time. This design can use either one or two colors that Ignite has on hand: Fluorescent Pink, Sunflower, Cornflower, Orchid, or Black. Making a Riso design is not mandatory, however. Just be prepared to email the instructor a photo from your phone that you’d like to see Riso-fied so that you can get the full experience.
Riso is so exciting and accessible! Post your prints on the Ignite Community Discussion Board on Facebook.
Happy printing!
