Introduction to Printing

The risograph is a somewhat enviro-friendly, but cost effective printer, which uses soy-based inks and a particular printing style to produce uniquely warm outcomes.

This technique will produce spot colors and inking similar to that of 1960s style newspaper printing, and is best utilized in high volume printing.

We do carry a few house paperstocks onsite, but most projects vary quite greatly. We can order paper for you, but it is best to plan ahead in considering availabilities and shipping times.

We are happy to help you use the machine’s full potential in creating your book, poster, catalog, artzine, random project, album, business shit, inner-beauty, good/bad ideas, as well as fine art prints.

Print Process

In a similar way that screens are created for various printing techniques, the risograph creates ‘masters’ that produce the spot colors for your artwork, much like stencil-printing.

The risograph print process may be best explained as the missing link between screen-printing and offset printing. The original image file is transferred to the printer and it is ‘burnt’ onto a master [or screen]. This master is then wrapped around a print cylinder. This cylinder then rotates at high speed which pushes the ink through the perforations of the screen and onto the paper as it is sent through the machine.

Our particular risograph model is a dual-color machine, meaning two colors may be well registered and printed at once. That also means, half the time and lower costs.

The Environment

Again, the Risograph is a somewhat enviro-friendly, but cost effective soy-oil ink printer.

Each screen is made from rice paper and the printing process itself is highly energy efficient, generating only a minimum amount of non-biodegradable inking waste.

Best to remind yourself, no matter how much partially recycled fibers or ‘mindful’ deforestation is happening, paper does come from trees, and you’ll have that on your conscious if that is a concern.

Maybe something worth considering and asking oneself is that just because something can be reproduced or printed, is it actually worth being printed?

Office Hours

9am – 3pm
Monday thru Friday

If you’d like to make an appointment and browse our printed archive and/or visit the studio space, please email us at riso@weareconstance.org with times and dates that may work.