Stray Pages offers Risograph printing services including the production of art editions, posters, cards, zines & books. Details on the print process, available inks and key points for file setup can be found below. 

For further information on file setup and the various quirks of Risograph printing please download the Stray Pages Print Guide.  

For quotes and other queries email hello@straypages.com. 

When requesting a quote, please provide as much information as possible about your project. This includes the required quantity, number of ink colours, finish size, if it’s a book or zine, the number of pages, and when you need your printing to be completed. 

Stray Pages is based in Naarm / Melbourne and can post your print orders countrywide. 

The Following inks are currently available. The corresponding Hex and RGB codes can be used when proofing colours in your software of choice. 

• Black - Hex 000000 || RGB 0, 0, 0
• Moss - Hex 68724D II RGB 104,114,77
• Federal Blue - Hex 3D5588 II RGB 61, 85, 136
• Blue - Hex 0078bf || RGB 0, 120, 191
• Violet  - Hex 9D7AD2 || RGB 157, 122, 210
  
• Burgundy - Hex 914e72 || RGB 145, 78, 114
• Bright Red - Hex f15060 || RGB 241, 80, 96
• Orange - Hex ff6c2f || RGB 255, 108, 47
  
• Yellow - Hex ffe800 || RGB 255, 232, 0

What is Riso!?

Risograph printing falls between screen printing, photocopying, and offset printing. Unlike digital and full-colour offset printing, it doesn't operate in the CMYK colour space. Rather, it uses spot colour inks made from a base of rice bran oil and prints one or two colours at a time, depending on the printer model. The Risograph interprets tonal variations from a grayscale image, and the resulting print will be in the colour of the ink drum loaded in the printer at the time. Stray Pages operates a one colour press called an EZ 370.

File Preparation

The Risograph EZ 370 prints on A3 paper with a maximum printable area of 410 x 287 mm. The ideal file format for printing is a greyscale PDF setup to the required trim size including bleed & trim marks with a resolution of 300-600 dpi.

When printing multiple colours, each ink layer requires its own greyscale PDF. To ensure that artworks are printed correctly, a full-colour preview of the final artwork is needed for reference.

For books and zines, multi-page PDF files should be supplied as single pages (not spreads) in the order of reading. If the book is to be saddle stapled the page count must be divisible by 4 to avoid blank pages at the end of the book (e.g. 24pp, 32pp, 16pp). Book and zine covers should be supplied as separate files.

Please review the following list before submitting print files.

• Greyscale PDF for each ink layer, set to trim size and within the maximum print area.
• 3-5mm bleed and trim marks if required (also within the maximum print area)
• Resolution 300-600 dpi
• Text 14pt and under set to 100% coverage 
• Large areas of solid colour set to maximum 80% coverage
• Books and zines supplied as single pages (not spreads)
• Full-colour JPG or PDF preview of the final artwork

For further information on file setup and the various quirks of Risograph printing please download the Stray Pages Print Guide.  

The wonderful Spectrolite for Mac is a free app which can be used to easily create print-ready separations from full-colour images. It can be found here. Credit and thanks to Anemone studio for developing the app and making it free to use.

Colour separation, pre-press and file preparation services to get your images print-ready can also be offered for an additional setup cost. 

Further resources and information on the Risograph process and file setup can be found at the below links.

Exploriso  
Stencil Wiki 
Color Shift

Img: Claire Hicks, 35 mm film, 2021. Printed four colour - yellow, bright red, blue, black.

Paper

Because Riso inks dry by absorption only uncoated stocks can be used.  The below house stocks are available for a variety of uses.

Envirocare Recycled  - natural warm recycled paper.
Bulky News  - a nice budget off-white toothy paper, not recommended for high ink load or more than 2 colours. 

Recommended Uses

Book / Zine pages
Envirocare Recycled  - 100gsm, 115 gsm 
Bulky News - 80gsm

Cards / Book & Zine Covers
Envirocare Recycled - 150gsm
Envirocare Recycled - 250gsm

Posters / Art Prints
Envirocare Recycled  - 100gsm, 115 gsm , 150gsm
Bulky News - 80gsm

* Bulky news stock will yellow when directly exposed to sunlight, so it is recommend this stock is only used for works aimed at being ephemeral and low budget, not artworks which will be sold as editioned prints, etc.

Other premium stocks and coloured card such as  Knight Vellum, Mohawk Via Vellum, color-plan and lessebo can be ordered at an additional cost.

Imperfections

Imperfections such as variation in ink density and misregistration should be expected across a print run. In many instances, this is part of the charm and appeal of Risograph printing.  However, there are some less appealing aspects of Risograph production that can be minimized through smart design. If a print has lots of ink coverage it can be expected that roller marks along with some smudging and stamping from one sheet to another can occur. If minimal these marks can usually be removed with the use of an eraser. It can be helpful to avoid large areas of ink when designing multi-colour prints, in particular for the top/middle of the sheet where the feed rollers make the most contact. When printing double-sided it is also advisable to not have large amounts of coverage on both sides of the print sheet. If this is unavoidable due to the nature of the job, extra care will be taken to avoid marks and smudging as much as possible.