Stray Pages is available to hire for the printing of Risograph work including art editions, posters, zines & books. Further details on the print process and available inks can be found below. Please feel free to get in touch with any queries.

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

• Green  - Hex: 00A95C || RGB 0, 169, 92
• Blue - Hex: 0078bf || RGB 0, 120, 191
• Bright Red - Hex f15060 || RGB 241, 80, 96
• Yellow - Hex: ffe800 || RGB 255, 232, 0
• Black - Hex 000000 || RGB 0, 0, 0
  

How it works

A B/W image is sent from a computer or scanner bed to the Printer. This image is then burnt into a disposable master sheet creating a stencil which is wrapped around the print drum. An A3 sheet of paper then passes through the printer, pressing into the drum leaving an ink impression on the sheet before it is then fed out the other side. For multi-colour printing, this process is repeated for each colour.

File Preparation

The Riso prints on A3 - 420 x 297 mm paper with a maximum printable area of approx 410 x 287 mm. Files should be set up to the required size at a minimum of 300 dpi. PDF format is preferable. However, TIF and JPG are also acceptable. For multi-colour prints, each colour separation should be supplied as its own clearly labelled B/W file eg: Photo_yellow.pdf. For reference please supply a colour JPG of the final artwork.  The wonderfull 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.    

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

Paper

The Risograph can print on paper stocks between 80 - 210 gsm. Because the Riso Soy inks dry by absorption only uncoated stocks can be used.  The standard stock available is Envirocare Recycled in a variety of weights from paper to card. Custom stocks can be ordered at extra cost.

Imperfections

Risograph printing has its own “lo-fi” charm, although, this does not mean that it can’t produce high-quality prints. However, imperfections and variations should be expected across a print run. When doing multi-color prints, layers will not always perfectly line up. If a print has lots of ink coverage it can be expected that roller marks along with some smudging 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. If this is unavoidable due to the nature of the image, extra care will be taken to avoid marks and smudging as much as possible.