Spectrolite is a free standalone app for Riso color separation developed by ANEMONE Studio. The app is supported on Mac (Intel and Sillicone) and Windows, and great for preparing full color images you want to Riso print like photographs and illustrations. Spectrolite is quick and beginner friendly, but you do not have a lot of control over the color mixing in your prints. Color separation tends to make the type in your image less legible. If you plan on including text in your print, consider adding them after your images are color separated.
- Download Spectrolite for your device
- Go to INKS and select all of the ink colors you plan on using for for your project
- Go to PALETTE > NEW PALETTE and add all the ink colors you are using on the same print to your palette
- With the desired palette selected, go to CANVAS and import your artwork
- Select RISO-IFY to preview your color separated image and adjust until the desired effect is reached and EXPORT
- Check the ink coverage in the PDFs generated from Spectrolite and make adjustments before sharing it with your print monitor
Photoshop is great for preparing full color images you want to Riso print like photographs and complete illustrations.Compared to spectrolite, you have a lot more control over the way colors are mixed in your print. Color separation tends to make the type in your image less legible. If you plan on including text in your print, consider adding them after your images are color separated.
If you want to print with less than 4 colors, you can either combine similar color channels together (yellow + magenta, or cyan + black for example) or forgo one of the channels. If you want to have more control and finesse with the specific way colors are separated, look into Color Profile Separations. You can take the Graphic Design Risograph Printing Workshop Course to learn more.
- Import your image into Photoshop. Make sure your file is the same size as the paper you plan on using, and contains at least 300DPI
- Go to IMAGE > MODE > CMYK
- Adjust your image with an emphasis on increasing saturation and contrast. This is very important
- Go to IMAGE > MODE > MULTICHANNEL
- Open the CHANNELS window. In the Hamburger Menu, select SPLIT CHANNELS. This will turn your one file into four black and white files, each named with their respective color channels
- In each color channel file, check the ink coverage and adjust if needed
- Combine all of the color files you want to print into one print file/package and rename each layer/file to the ink color you want to print with
This is the most professional way to work with spot colors for printing. Using swatches in Illustrator or Indesign means working with only the colors you intend to print with through your design process. When exporting, the software will handle all of the color separations in the file. This approach is great for creating original posters, flyers, zines, and illustrations with a limited palette. This approach does not work for reproducing existing full color images, you will need to color separate them before adding them to your design.
- Download the Graphic Design Riso Digital Swatches
- To access the swatches in an Adobe program, open the SWATCHES window. In the Hamburger menu, select IMPORT/LOAD SWATCHES
- Once swatches are imported, create your design with exclusively the colors you want to print with. Make sure your file is the same size as the paper you plan on using
- Colors can overlap to create new colors. To adjust the overlap of objects open the OUTPUT > ATTRIBUTES window and toggle on OVERPRINT (fill or stroke). To see your adjustments, in VIEW, turn on OVERPRINT PREVIEW
- Alternatively, select objects you want to overlap and in APPEARANCE, select OPACITY and switch the blend mode from NORMAL > MULTIPLY
- To preview individual ink layers as they will be printed, turn on OUTPUT > SEPARATION PREVIEW
- Clean up your file. Turn off the appearance of all CMYK objects, delete all unused swatches from the swatch panel
- Be careful of objects with gradients and drop shadows. Rasterize them to avoid strange boxes in your final print
- To create a Riso ready file, you need to first add PPD to your InDesign/Illustrator
a. Quit InDesign/Illustrator.
b. Navigate to APPLICATIONS > ADOBE INDESIGN/ILLUSTRATOR CC (YEAR NUMBER HERE) > PRESETS
c. Create a folder named “PPDs” The folder name is case-sensitive
d. Download the PPD from this link
e. Extract the ADPDF9.PPD from the downloaded zip file and place it into the PPDs folder created in c - Open the PRINT menu under FILE. Select POST SCRIPT FILE as the printer. In the OUTPUT panel, set COLOR (InDesign) or MODE (Illustrator) to SEPARATIONS, and turn off all colors except the spot colors you want to print with. “Print” the file
- Open the post script file created by Indesign/Illustrator using Adobe Distiller. When opening, Distiller will ask if the file is from a trusted source. Confirm
- Check the ink coverage in the PDF file generated from Distiller and make adjustments before sharing it with your print monitor
If you are not familiar with the swatch workflow, this is the best way to create a clean and precise file for Riso printing. Instead of asking the software to create the color separated file, treat each of the layers in your file as a separate color layer. This approach is great for creating original posters, flyers, zines, and illustrations with a limited palette, and compatible with Indesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, and Procreate. This approach does not work for reproducing existing full color images, you will need to color separate them before adding them to your design.
- Create a new file.Make sure your file is the same size as the paper you plan on using, and contains at least 300DPI
- Create a separate layer (or layer group) for every color you want to work with.
- Make all of your designs using shades of gray. Black means 100% ink coverage and white means 0% ink coverage
- To preview your design, set each of your layers’ (or layer groups’) blend mode from NORMAL to MULTIPLY. Then, create a layer filled with just the intended print color and use the COLORIZE blend mode to apply it to the different layers (or layer groups) in your design.
- Clean up your file. Turn off the appearance of all CMYK and or undesired objects.
- Rename each of your layers (or layer groups) to the name of the color you would like them to be printed in
- If you are in Procreate, export your file in PSD
The Riso has a scanner of its own! Which can be used to make masters on the machine immediately. This approach is great for quickly creating original posters, flyers, zines, and illustrations with analogue materials. This approach is not good for precise color overlaps, and does not work for reproducing existing full color images.
- If you want to make a multicolored design, similar to designing with layers, you want to keep all the designs for one color on one piece of paper. Your design will be read in shades of gray. Black means 100% ink coverage and white means 0% ink coverage
- To see where your layers overlap, use a light table or a well lit window
- Do not use materials that will adhere, scratch, or dirty the scanbed of the Riso.
- Ask the monitor to help with scanning, previewing, and printing your designs
Stencil.wiki
https://stencil.wiki/wiki/Main_Page
RISO Corporation Website
https://www.Riso.co.jp/english/product/digital_dup/index.html
RISO Corporation 80th Anniversary Website
https://www.Riso.co.jp/english/80th/index.html
Spectrolite
https://Spectrolite.app/
Risotto Studio Basic Setup
https://Risottostudio.com/pages/basic-print-setup
Risolve Studio File Setup
https://Risolvestudio.com/pages/file-set-up
Secret Riso Club Riso Basics
https://secretRisoclub.com/Riso-Basics
James Burgat’s RISO resources
https://Riso.jamesburgat.com/
Have more questions?