- A stencil printing process that uses interchangeable color ink drums. A new stencil is made for each color, which can be layered together to create new colors
- Vibrant and textured
- For large volumes of the same image (posters, flyers, editioned projects)
- Perfect. The machine has a lot of quirks and personalities, so will the prints
- Like laser/inkjet printers. Riso printing requires specific file set-up, and printing can take more time.
- For one off prints of varied images (10 or less copies of booklets and books)
An assortment of 2025-26 student works
- The Riso studio is a shop space. Be aware of sharp blades, tripping hazards, emergency exits, and safety signage around the space.
- Steer clear of the Monitor zone. Do not touch the Riso drums or handle the drum cases. Do not get in the Monitors’ way when they are handling ink drums and drum cases. The ink drums are heavy, and they have a number of delicate components on their exterior that can damage easily.
- Wash your hands after touching/handling Riso ink. Riso ink is composed of soy, rice bran, and petroleum solvents. Do not eat or touch your face while handling Riso ink.
Keep in Mind…
- Other equipment (non-Riso) is only available to Graphic Design students, and requires the Type Shop monitors (3rd floor of the Design Center) to operate.
- Come with your files ready to print. The Riso monitor needs to focus on printing and might turn you away to fix your file if it’s not print ready. Learn more!
- The ink used in the Riso never dries completely. To avoid smudges and roller marks, use uncoated papers and let prints dry in between color layers (ideally overnight)
- Creating stencils, registration, and printing, are all manual processes monitors have to adjust for. Printing is first come, first served, there can often be a wait to print. If multiple people are wanting to print, the monitor will start a print queue
- Riso is not perfect, but adding registration marks at multiple points across your page will help your monitor GREATLY with lining up the color layers.
- Riso printing is finicky, meticulous, and takes a lot of incremental adjustments. Communicate with your monitor, be patient with the process, and don’t pressure them to stay after their working hours
The machine housed here in the RISD Graphic Design Department is an MF9450, we call her "Miss Print". Miss Print can hold two ink drums, meaning she can print up to two colors at the same time.
How does the RISO Machine Work?
Riso printing can be best described as “digital screen printing.” Everytime the Riso prints a new design,
a thermal printhead in the machine makes a stencil by burning tiny perforations on a sheet of stencil paper. The stencils (often referred to as “masters”) wrap around the ink drum, and ink is pushed through the stencil onto the paper.
The machine reads designs in black and white: black means 100% ink coverage and white means 0% ink coverage.
You can select the different dot patterns in which the image
is processed: screen touch (43 LPI, 71LPI, and 106LPI) and grain touch.
the Graphic Design Riso studio:
You do not need to buy your own paper for most Riso projects. The Graphic Design Riso provides Tabloid (11” x 17”) and Letter (8.5” x 11”) sized Domtar Bristol Paper with Vellum Finish, White, cover weight 57lbs, for everyone to print with.
If you want to buy your own paper for Riso printing, we recommend the following guidelines:
- Your paper must be uncoated. Coated/glossy papers will not absorb Riso ink.
- Your paper should be between Letter sized and Tabloid sized. Anything larger than Tabloid size will not fit on the Riso infeed tray. It’s also always better to print using a standardized size, and trim your print down to a custom size later.
- The Riso can handle both text weight (20-42lbs) and cover weight (57-100lbs) papers, but you should know the weight of your paper and communicate with your monitor so they can make adjustments to the machine’s paper feed.
- The Riso cannot handle tissue paper, tracing paper, or handmade paper. The paper feed system of the Riso only works when it’s able to exert a certain amount of pressure across a smooth and even surface.
- The Riso machine likes toothy paper: that is, paper that feels a little gritty and rough to the touch.
These are some papers students have had success printing with at the Riso for reference
- Hammermill (Colors) Copy Paper, 20lbs
- Staples 30% Recycled (Color) Copy Paper, 20lbs
- Astrobright Colored Paper, 20lbs
- Astrobright Colored Cardstock, cover weight 65lbs, 70lbs
- Lettermark Vellum Bristol, 65lbs
- French Paper, Cream paper, 70lbs
Where do I buy paper?
Amazon, Staples, and WB Mason are some places to start, but we highly recommend going in person to Paperworks in Pawtucket, RI. Not only does Paperworks carry a great variety of options (and deals), they have specialists you can talk to to figure out what might work best for your project.