What is riso?

What is Riso?

Riso is a printing process that is known for its textures, fluorescent colors and quirks that make this medium so charming. Similar to screen printing, every color layer is printed individually and placed one on top of the other.

Ink Drums

A stencil is made for each color layer and is then placed on the ink drum. The drums will rotate to print on the passing paper. Our printers can print 2 color layers at a time.

Riso Textures

Grain Texture
Riso translate images in its own unique grainy visual language. When choosing the grain option, the printer will recreate the image by placing small dot in a random speckled way.
Screen Mesh Texture
This options imitates an old-school screen printing texture. Ink dot are placed in a mechanical order to recreate the image. The colors will be a bit darker using this option. The size of the dots can be changed by adjusting the PPI size (points per inch) right before printing.

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Screen Mesh (71 PPI)

Screen Mesh (43 PPI)

Screen Mesh (55 PPI)

Screen Mesh (71 PPI)

Screen Mesh (110 PPI)

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Riso Trivia

Color Overlay
Riso inks are not fully opaque, giving you the ability to overlay colors. You will be able to make additional colors and create fun effects.
Our Colors
Alignment
Color layers can be misaligned at random from one print to another and appear a little jumbled. It's part of the many quirks of Riso and what makes it so special. Every print is unique!
Tactile Finish
Riso ink never fully dries, it gets absorbed by the paper. Each print will feel like newspaper ink to the touch and also similar to watercolor. This gives every copy a handmade look by retaining the artistic qualities.
Paper Type
The thickness range accepted for Riso is 46-297g/m2. From newsprint papers to #100-110lbs cardstock depending on the strength of it. Riso can print on matte and nonglossy papers only.
Drying Time
Our machine prints 2 colors at a time. Please consider that a 12 to 24h drying time is needed every two colors.
Alignment Details
The smaller the details the bigger the misalignment gap can feel. Important details like small eye or pupils can shift and look a little funny. Make sure that a 1-2mm misalignment on every color layer will not impact the look of your work too much.
Alignment Tip
To conceal potential misalignment gaps you can apply trapping to your work. This means creating a stroke around a shape that will overlay with the second color to hide the paper. The overlay may be uneven due to natural misalignment.
Smudges
Because the ink never fully dries, Riso is prone to all types of smudging. To avoid smudging, you can try to keep the coverage light by lowering the opacity of the art work. An optimal project uses 2 colors, but we recommend a 4 colors maximum per project.
Tire Marks
In some occasions, if the art work has a high ink coverage in the tire feed area some marks may be visible.