RISD GD Typeshop
30 N. Main St./ 31 Canal WalkStart Printing Studio Maps Tools & Resources RISO Monitor & Tech hours
Mon–Th 8AM–11PM, Fri 8AM–7PM
Sat 1PM–7PM, Sun 1PM–11PMEd Brown
(401) 454 6173
kbrown02@risd.edu
M–F, 8am-6pmJulia Gualtieri
(401) 454 6111
jgualt01@risd.edu
M–F, 8am-6pm
RISO FAQ and Troubleshooting
Why can’t I operate the machine?Risograph machines are finicky and prone to breaking easily. Miss Print, she’s also seen a lot of use and prone to break downs. Monitors are both trained in operating the Riso and accountable for the machine’s safety. If you want to become trained in operating the Riso, you can take the Risograph Printing workshop course offered in Graphic Design!
What should I do if the Graphic Design RISO is down?The Graphic Design Riso is one of two Riso machines on campus. The other Risograph printing studio is located on the 4th floor of the Illustration Building, which has different hours and ink colors than the Graphic Design Riso.
How do I pay for RISO printing?RISDbucks is the only payment method accepted at the Riso Studio. The monitor will tally up the total cost of masters and prints and charge your RISDbucks account. You are responsible for paying for every master that is burned. If you decide you want to make adjustments and send a new master, you have to pay for all masters burned even if you don’t end up printing from them.
A note for Faculty and Staff: We cannot accept payment from department account cards. Please purchase a pre-loaded RISDbucks card from the RISD 2D store or contact the Graphic Design Department Techs to arrange alternative payment methods.
Does the RISO print full bleed images?The Riso cannot print to the edge of the paper. We recommend leaving a margin of at least 1/4” to be safe. If you want full bleed prints, leave bleed in your file, add crop marks, and trim your paper after the prints dry.
We also highly discourage printing intense full saturation background colors. Too much ink coverage across the page often causes the print to stick to the ink drums inside the machine, jamming the paper feed.
Why don’t my colors look as intense as I thought they would?Because not all Riso colors are black, 50% ink coverage of a color like fluorescent pink, sunflower yellow, mint, or lime, will print with a much lighter value than the 50% gray in the stencil. If your colors are not as intense as you want them to appear, we recommend you either increase the saturation and contrast of your image before your color separate them, or increase the values in your grayscale files.
What are some common RISO imperfections?Common imperfections include the skewing of ink drums, misalignments between color layers, roller marks, and smudging. Skewing and misalignment can be minimized if you include registration marks in your design, and allow your monitor time to test and align your design. But twists and shifts are natural to Miss Print’s ink drums, and our ability to correct for them is limited.
Roller marks can be mitigated by leaving more time to dry in between layers. Because Riso ink technically never dries, roller marks and smudges can also be gently erased. To avoid dealing with markings that might result from the pressure of the Riso’s paper feed altogether (including the rollers), you can also prepare your file with the “imperfection zones” of the printer in mind. You can reference this diagram based on information from Riso printer and educator Robert Baxter.
How many colors can I print with?Technically you can layer as many colors as you want, but more layers mean more planning time, drying time, printing time, and opportunities for error in between layers. Because Riso ink never fully dries, if you layer too much ink on top of each other, inks sometimes simply won’t stick because there’s no more exposed pores of paper to absorb it. We recommend 1-4 colors for typical print projects.
I have a very ambitious RISO project in mind, can I just show up and print?The Riso here is primarily set up for small editions of prints in the spirit of experimentation. If you have something bigger in mind like complex print series, large editions, or books, email the Graphic Design Department Techs.
How can I learn more about RISO printing?If you are interested in more advanced color separation techniques, machine operation, and more, you can take the Risograph Printing workshop course offered in Graphic Design! We also highly recommend you check out stencil.wiki, which has a wealth of community contributed information about Riso printing from around the world!